Movie Review: Te3n is not so thrilling

Despite resting on a solid premise and intent, Te3n is unfortunately let down by its shoddy direction

Te3n, based on the South Korean movie Montage (2013), offers you a powerhouse of acting talent led by the inimitable Amitabh Bachchan and giving him company are Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan and Sabyasachi Chakraborty, the latter two in supporting roles. The expectations are no doubt high, but does the film deliver?

Right at the onset, it is evident what the movie is all about. Eight years after his grand-daughter was kidnapped and died, an elderly and frail man, John Biswas (Bachchan), is still seeking justice, though everyone around him, including his wheelchair-bound wife (Padmavati Rao), tells him to take it easy, with no result in sight. We are also, at the very beginning, introduced to another key character, Father Martin (Siddiqui), who was a police officer investigating the kidnapping of Biswas’s grand-daughter but has now become a priest.

Despite almost no help forthcoming, Biswas’s quest for justice is relentless and he does everything he can to achieve it. Most of the first half concentrates on this. Then, a turn of events that plays a crucial role in unfurling the mystery, that unravels in the climax, breaks out in the pre-interval. Another young boy, who is the grand-child of Manohar Sinha (Chakraborty) is kidnapped in circumstances almost similar to Biswas’s grand-daughter's. This kidnapping brings Sarita Sarkar (Balan), a police officer, into the film as well as rekindle's Father Martin’s interest back into police investigation, something he had consciously stayed away from for a long time.

With both the kidnappings taking place eight years apart and under similar circumstances, the questions to be asked are — who is behind these kidnappings? What is the motive? And are both kidnappings interlinked? These questions get answered as the film unfolds in the second half.

Te3n is directed by Ribhu Dasgupta and one of the producers is Sujoy Ghosh, who had directed the excellent Balan-Siddiqui thriller Kahaani (2012), which, like this film, is set in Kolkata. While comparisons with Kahaani should be avoided, it cannot be ignored that Te3n is not a patch on that film, and that is because of the almost leisurely pace at which it progresses, perhaps not ideal for this genre. Also, there are moments in the second half when you wonder what the focus of this movie is —Bachchan’s quest for justice or identifying the kidnappers and their motive? We do arrive at the answers but somehow the film does not leave as solid an impact as it should have. This is where one feels the direction could have been a lot stronger.

Te3n belongs to Bachchan who, after last year’s terrific Piku, delivers another quality performance as an elderly Bengali gentleman. Siddiqui has the most screen time in this movie after Bachchan, and as the guilt-ridden police officer-turned-priest, is fairly good. In a supporting role, while Balan's character lacks the depth some of her vintage films in the past had, Te3n is still better than a few of the movies she has done over the last four years. Chakraborty is rarely seen in Hindi movies and even though he has a brief role in Te3n, he does leave a mark. One hopes to see him in Hindi cinema more often.

Te3n, though not a bad film, eventually leaves you yearning for more.