Xtreme Vogue Mumbai Desk: Komal Qureshi
Star Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajesh Kumar
Director: Anand Surapur
Synopsis:
RAUTU KA RAAZ is the story of a cop investigating a murder. Deepak Negi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is an inspector in a sleepy town with a tragic past. One day, he is informed that Sangeeta Devi (Narayani Shastri), a warden in a blind school in Rautu Ki Beli, has passed away. His juniors – Naresh Dimri (Rajesh Kumar), Dinesh Pant (Vicky Dutt), Lata (Samridhi Chandola) and Tripathi (Anoop Trivedi) – casually investigate and conclude that Sangeeta died naturally. But Deepak gets suspicious and asks for a post-mortem. The post-mortem report confirms that Sangeeta’s death is unnatural. Thus begins the investigation. Deepak and his team grill the principal Vishwanath Kumai (Kailash Kandwal), assistant warden Hema (Preeti Sood) and trustee Manoj Keshri (Atul Tiwari). A lot of unexpected and shocking aspects come to the fore not just about Sangeeta but also about possible motives to murder her.
Story Review:
Anand Surapur and Shariq Patel’s story is clichéd. But Anand Surapur and Shariq Patel’s screenplay is a bit novel as it’s set in a school that too in a town where hardly any crime takes place. Sadly, the script has some loose ends. Anand Surapur and Shariq Patel’s dialogues are conversational.
Anand Surapur’s direction is decent. The 113-minute-long film doesn’t bore and has its share of arresting moments. There’s also subtle humour infused in the narrative that adds to the fun. The characters are fleshed out neatly and viewers will keep guessing who can be the killer. The climax is unpredictable.
On the flipside, this is a slow-burn flick. Those expecting thrills or action will be disappointed. After a point, the narrative gets complicated as too many characters get introduced and one might struggle to remember who is who. The action of Deepak in the end will raise questions. His dark past doesn’t work as audiences are now fed-up seeing cops who have a sharp mind but are disturbed due to personal reasons. Lastly, viewers are constantly told that Deepak is a weird character. However, there’s nothing bizarre about him as such.
Review Performances:
Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a commendable and effortless performance. He naturally fits into such a part, and he gives it the required quirk. Rajesh Kumar is lovely and deserves to be seen more, especially in such author-backed roles. Atul Tiwari passes muster. Vicky Dutt and Anoop Trivedi don’t get much scope. But Samridhi Chandola and Preeti Sood leave a huge mark. Narayani Shastri doesn’t have much screen time, but she does very well. Kailash Kandwal, Nitinn Rana (Ashraf Jaani; builder), Anil Rastogi (Home Minister Adhikari) and Parimal Aloke (Govind; molester) are good in supporting roles. Gautam Sharma (Trijugi) is entertaining. Amit Kumar Sinha (watchman) is aptly cast. Riya Sisodiya (Natasha; music teacher) has a nice screen presence but one wishes she had more to contribute. Pratham Rathod (Rajat; blind student) and Drishti Gaba (Diya; blind student) are great.
Other technical aspects:
The music is forgettable. The background score, too, doesn’t register. Sayak Bhattacharya’s cinematography is breathtaking. Haris Umar Khan’s production design is realistic and so are Roshni Bose’s costumes. The action is minimal and functional. Manish Jaitly and Anand Surapur’s editing could have been slicker.
Conclusion:
On the whole, RAUTU KA RAAZ has some interesting moments as well as an unpredictable climax. But the script suffers due to certain loose ends and also, it’s a film devoid of thrills and action.
