Khufiya: Balancing Espionage and Emotion in Vishal Bharadwaj's Spy Drama.

 To attract viewers to watch a spy drama, which is one of the easiest genres, is also the most challenging. Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj, based on the book "Escape to Nowhere" by former RAW officer Amar Bhushan, attempts this delicate balance in his latest film, "Khufiya." The setting is undeniably nostalgic: it's the year 2004. Conspiracies and suspicions loom heavily in the air. Tense and bitter, sleep is scarce, and the senior intelligence operative Krishna Mehra, alias KM (Tabu), is summoned to lead a surveillance campaign - her junior colleague Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal) is using the office copier more than the headquarters copier, to say the least.

However, as the trailer suggests, Ravi Mohan is not leaking state secrets because he's a traitor - he's doing it because he's a "patriot." And his wife, the compassionate middle-class homemaker Charu (Vamika Gabbi), might be involved. But for KM, struggling with a recent sexual awakening and the strained relationship with her teenage son, the stakes of revenge are far less enticing. She goes ahead with it, dubbing it "Project Brutus" (which happens to be a nod to a famous character by a 16th-century English playwright, showing the depth of Vishal Bharadwaj's literary references). Say what you will, but for me, most of "Khufiya's" talent credit goes to KM and her secret life with her lover, the ambitious actor Leonard Cohen, who happens to be the son of a prominent Bollywood actress. It's no wonder that Tabu brings controlled chaos to Krishna, a quality she's borrowed from her roles in "Andhadhun" (2018) and "Haider" (2014).

Her struggles include recent sexual awakening and her tense relationship with her teenage son. The first incident places her under the protection of Bangladeshi spy Hina Rahman, portrayed with intense fervor by Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon. Watching Badhon is a delightful experience as she effortlessly balances her portrayal between intense espionage operations and seductive dances, all while remaining a captivating presence. However, she's not just another highlight of "Khufiya." Hina's fate is sealed within the film's early moments - and I'm not complaining. As soon as she starts appearing in flashbacks (a Bollywood actress version of Leonard Cohen's murder?), KM's ruthlessly efficient facade crumbles into domestic banality.

Because catching the couple is inevitable, the double agent realizes he's being pursued and struggles to escape on D-Day. I perhaps am not certain about time travel because I think the story has taken a massive loan from the Trust Bank. In the case of "Khufiya," it tells us that during the course of the film, just seconds after a woman was shot (likely in the head, judging from her haircut), she's miraculously alive and ready to embark on a mission soon. Gabbi, a confident performer, first plays the role of a mother who separates from her son, as only Bollywood characters do, and then successfully fills the shoes of an iconic character who handles the trauma with unparalleled elegance, achieves top-tier intelligence, and sends her husband on a wild-goose chase in the United States. Although I've tried to save it - perhaps a housewife from military families is suddenly suitable for a high-risk secret mission. Or maybe it was the age-old power of motherhood, often said to move mountains.

The film's second half takes the story six months into the future. I'm perhaps uncertain about time travel because I think the story has taken a massive loan from the Trust Bank. In the case of "Khufiya," it tells us that during the course of the film, just seconds after a woman was shot (likely in the head, judging from her haircut), she's miraculously alive and ready to embark on a mission soon. Gabbi, a confident performer, first plays the role of a mother who separates from her son, as only Bollywood characters do, and then successfully fills the shoes of an iconic character who handles the trauma with unparalleled elegance, achieves top-tier intelligence, and sends her husband on a wild-goose chase in the United States. Although I've tried to save it - perhaps a housewife from military families is suddenly suitable for a high-risk secret mission. Or maybe it was the age-old power of motherhood, often said to move mountains.