In a plush housing society in Mumbai, Ayesha (Sakshi Sem), the teenage daughter of doctor-couple Sachin (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Aarti Mahajan (Tisca Chopra), is found dead in her bedroom by their maid Remi (Ashwini Kalsekar). Meanwhile, the other domestic help Chetan has been missing since the murder. After a brief investigation, the police declare the father as the prime suspect.
However, CBI officer Sunil Paraskar (Kay Kay Menon) smells a rat as he feels there is more to this convoluted case than meets the eye. He soon picks up the case and finds evidence that makes it more difficult to determine who exactly is responsible for Ayesha’s death. He begins his investigation, which puts his life and the lives of the others involved on the line. Paraskar digs deeper and finds various suspects and investigates possible motives. What emerges is a riveting story of a double murder. The investigation turns into a bizarre whodunit. How Sunil Paraskar solves the murders takes the story forward.
As the director, Manish Gupta holds the story firmly and it’s his treatment of the film that holds your interest, even if not throughout. The film is an interesting tale and picks up beautifully post-interval but after a point, the narration seems endless. During the anti-climax, the film picks up a notch, making the narration more engaging than the early scenes.
The film is quite obviously inspired by the 2008 Noida double murder case. The story is engaging but it’s the performances that help the narration. The first half is slow and there’s almost no action. But, once Kay Kay Menon makes an appearance, the film really picks up. During a runtime of 124 minutes, the story dips and bounces back. However, the screenplay has many highs and lows, turning the script into a see-saw on the storyboard.
The film holds out the promise of a murder mystery but the tempo keeps switching. Many scenes hit the bull’s eye but there are plenty that miss as well.
Editing by Suresh Pai is good. Cinematography by Faroukh Mistry is another asset. He explores each frame with confidence. Background score by Ranjit Barot lifts the screenplay and injects exhilarating appeal into each scene.
Performance-wise, Kay Kay Menon is the highlight of the film. He plays his part exceptionally well. Tisca Chopra astounds with subtleness in her character. Ashish Vidyarthi is all right and does justice to his part. Mita Vashisht is good. Ashwini Kalsekar outshines. Kunal Sharma is okay. Sakshi Sem is passable. Bikramjeet Kanwarpal does well. The rest of the supporting cast does justice to their respective roles.
Verdict: Dud!