Neeyat review: This concoction produces more groans than thrills

Entertainment By Prabhatha Rigobertha 08/07/2023 Read the article

Director Anu Menon’s Neeyat (Motive) is a solid example of how making a mystery film is not everyone’s cup of tea. The film reminds you off Knives Out (2019), Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes.

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Neeyat also has a minuscule semblance to the pilot episode of Vishal Bharadwaj’s web series Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley (2023).

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Ashish Kapoor (Ram Kapoor) a fugitive billionaire has a mansion by the seaside in Scotland. He decides to celebrate his birthday there with close family members and friends.

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Present at this party is also the supposed CBI officer Meera Rao (Vidya Balan). Things take a drastic turn when Ashish is found dead under the sea. What follows is a classic whodunnit.

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Ram Kapoor plays the power-hungry billionaire with panache. He does a swell job of capturing the eccentrics of Ashish.

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Rahul Bose also has his moments playing Ashish Kapoor’s brother-in-law Jimmy. His character is a caricature but Rahul Bose makes it land with his enthusiasm.

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Anu Menon does create the right atmosphere. This is majorly thanks to Lydia Moss’s art direction and the cinematography by Andreas Neo.

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Another big issue with Neeyat is the dragged narration of Anu Menon. The film takes a long time to get to the point. Vidya Balan plays her character with unenthusiasm.

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In all, Anu Menon’s Neeyat produces more groans than thrills.

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