On November 29, the Netflix movie based on a heist, which starred Rajeev Mehta, Tamannaah Bhatia, Avinash Tiwary, and Jimmy Shergill. Although the thriller had a compelling premise and got off to a great start, the plot failed to keep viewers’ attention and ended up being a dreary watch.Once a high-profile diamond crime remains unsolved, a dedicated police officer becomes obsessed with his leading suspect. The movie falters in the middle, despite its impressive start.
Story
The film opens with an intriguing robbery in which valuable red solitaires valued at Rs 60 crores are taken during an exhibition, set against the backdrop of Mumbai in 2009. After the alarm is set off, Officer Jaswinder Singh (Jimmy Shergill) rapidly reduces his list of suspects to three: Sikandar Sharma (Avinash Tiwary), a computer techie; Kamini Singh (Tamannaah Bhatia), his colleague; and Mangesh Desai (Rajiv Mehta), a seasoned employee at the jewellery store. Although Jaswinder has a gut feeling that Sikandar is the culprit, his obsession with cracking the case leads him on a 15-year quest that takes him to several locations. Whether Sikandar or any of the other suspects is indeed guilty or whether Singh’s unrelenting pursuit is motivated by his desire to preserve his reputation is the central question of the narrative.
What works?
Director Neeraj Pandey and co-writer Vipul K. Rawal quickly set up the plot, and Jaswinder Singh’s interrogation of the three suspects and his great faith in instincts pique the viewer’s curiosity about who took the diamond.
The situation is so intense that Jaswinder Singh is losing his job, and no convictions are being made. Once the film switches to a non-linear narrative style, it begins to stall. The frequent cuts cause more harm than good.
The movie has a striking visual style. The colourful streets of Mumbai, the modern cityscape of Abu Dhabi, and the historical significance of Agra are all expertly captured by cinematographer Arvind Singh. The 143-minute duration, however, seems excessively long, and the songs, despite their excellent composition, slow down the flow of the story.
What doesn’t work for the movie?
The first thing that appears to be keeping the movie from being the ideal robbery drama is its length. Almost two and a half hours long, although it could have been much shorter. The fact that this was a feature film rather than a web series explains why the melodrama, the frequent flashbacks to scenes we saw only moments before, and the prolonged conclusion don’t quite work to the film’s advantage.
There are some strong passages in the flashback section, though. The most compelling is Sikandar’s character, who faces one significant adversity after another. No character in this story is entirely good or wicked, either. They appear to be people influenced by their situations, whether they are suspects or police officers.
The detailed depiction of Sikandar’s hardships certainly evokes strong feelings. However, the movie should have explored Jaswinder’s life after his suspension a bit further. Nevertheless, the wounds caused by time’s passage are clearly visible. The film suffers from being a slow burn that tests the viewer’s patience in addition to the frequent intercuts.
The film begins with a gripping opening sequence that captivates viewers and immerses them in the mystery surrounding the lost jewels. But as the story fast-forwards fifteen years, the pacing significantly slows down. The film progressively loses its excitement as it moves from the actual theft to the protracted game of cat and mouse between Singh and Sikandar. The back-and-forth between the past and present gets slow. Even though there are a few plot twists that try to maintain the intensity, most of them are predictable, and by the time the final confrontation between Singh and Sikandar takes place, the suspense that was promised is no longer maintained.
Performances
There is no denying the quality of the performances, with Jimmy Shergill’s portrayal of Officer Singh being particularly noteworthy. His portrayal of a man tormented by personal and duty-related issues, who battles to uphold his reputation while coping with growing frustrations, gives the character depth. Avinash Tiwary excels in the role of Sikandar, a guy torn between his own decisions and a resolute police officer’s fixation. In a less glamorous character, Tamannaah Bhatia makes an impression as a single mother who unintentionally gets involved in the investigation. Bhatia’s performance may offer more emotional depth even though Tiwary gets more screen time. As Mangesh Desai, another suspect whose role deepens the puzzle, Rajiv Mehta completes the cast nicely.
Conclusion: Is it worth watching?
Neeraj Pandey has a knack for drawing viewers into the story. The director emphasises the seriousness of the situation and draws the audience in right away by using a single-shot method when the call to warn of a robbery is made. The movie starts with a great start, but later it gets lost in the middle. It startled me to learn that Baby and Special 26 were both directed by Neeraj Pandey. Thus, if you have enough time and nothing else to do, you can watch Sikandar Ka Muqaddar.
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