‘Khufiya’ review: Mole hunt thriller runs out of steam

Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya is quick to get off the mark. A botched assassination in Dhaka is traced to a mole in the Research & Analysis Wing in Delhi. Ravi (Ali Fazal) has been sneaking out classified documents for his paymasters. Krishna (Tabu) is tasked by her boss Jeev (Ashish Vidyarthi) to expose the traitor.

Binoculars, concealed cameras and recording equipment begin their work. The contours of Ravi’s domestic life come into view. His wife Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi) is suspected of aiding him. His mother (Navnindra Behl) follows a singing godman (Raghu Ram). There’s a personal dimension to Krishna’s involvement – the spy has her own hidden side that is known to a few, including her husband (Atul Kulkarni).

Despite already having given so much away early on, the 157-minute Khufiya continues to nurture lofty ambitions. Bhardwaj wants to deliver a character study alongside a smoke-out-the-spook thriller. Yet, despite solid craft, meaty individual scenes and a few sharp performances, the film converts a long-distance run into a slog.

Khufiya is out on Netflix. The Hindi-language film is baggily based on Amar Bhushan’s 2019 novel Escape to Nowhere. The screenplay, by Bhardwaj and Rohan Narula, follows the “Adapt or perish” rule that applies equally to survival and screen versions of...

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