Rahasya Movie Review: A Thrilling Treat

When it comes to suspense films, Bollywood has generally failed to make a mark except in the cases of certain films like Ittefaq and Gumnaam.

However, when a director known for making his debut with the spine-chilling The Stoneman Murders comes up with a suspense flick, one is bound to sit up and take notice and Rahasya is one such film that commands your attention.

Loosely based on the infamous Talwar murder case, Rahasya doesn't waste any time at all in getting to the point. When Ayesha Talwar (Sakshi), the daughter of Dr. Sachin Mahajan (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Aarti Mahajan (Tisca Chopra) is found murdered in her room by the domestic help/nurse Remi Fernandez (Ashwini Kalsekar), the suspicion falls on Sachin after the police discover some circumstantial evidence.

Despite his protests of innocence, Sachin is arrested for the murder till the walnut-crunching CBI sleuth Sunil Paraskar steps in to look at the case with a fresh eye. As Paraskar goes snooping, the plot starts thickening and a Pandora's box of infidelities, forbidden passions and deception is opened up.

Who is the real killer? Watch the film to find out…

To Gupta's credit, he has not let the plot be led astray with item songs and unnecessary situations, though we feel the scenes involving Paraskar's wife nagging him to give in to corruption could have been avoided. Can't a cop just go about his duty in Bollywood without the director inserting scenes to drive home the point that his protagonist is incorruptible?

Kay Kay has done a decent job, though his character doesn't seem well-etched. The director seems confused about whether Paraskar is a cop with a quirky sense of humour or a serious no-nonsense investigator and this shows in Menon's performance. Ashish Vidyarthi as the distraught father simply wows you with his performance and the fact that Sachin Mahajan has grey shades to his personality, gives Vidyarthi more scope to perform, for which we are thankful. Tisca and Mita Vashisht are average whereas Kalsekar impresses as the deceptively timid house-help.

The direction is crisp and the use of actual locations while shooting adds to the charm of the film. The climax of the film will remind you of Agatha Christie mysteries wherein the investigator summons the cast of characters in a room and proceeds to unveil the killer by reciting the sequence of events that led to the murder.

However, the film is not without flaws and the corrupt local cop angle who aids the killer seems a bit forced. Moreover, in some scenes, the director seems to take the audience for granted (Mahajan is granted an anticipatory bail while in custody whereas in reality, an anticipatory bail is granted before arrest)

However, all said and done, Rahasya is not a bad watch, if you are a fan of suspense mysteries involving multiple suspects.