Lahore Confidential: Absolutely, uniformly a mess
Sat, Feb 06 2021 09:30:21 AM
By Vinayak Chakravorty
Feb 6 (IANS): Few films manage a level of absolute uniformity in the quality they peddle in terms of writing, direction, acting and tech-specs. Lahore Confidential is that film. It is absolutely, uniformly a mess.
Once upon a time Kunal Kohli made a romantic thriller about India, Pakistan, Kashmir, and terrorism that went on to be a blockbuster primarily riding the superstardom of Aamir Khan and Kajol. That was Fanaa in 2006. A decade and half later, and after a few forgettable films along the way, Kohli takes the Fanaa trail again, with focus more on Indo-Pak tension and espionage this time.
Lahore Confidential review: A spy romance that lacks tact
Lahore Confidential, a film by Kunal Kohli out on ZEE5, takes the most tiringly circuitous route to find that answer.
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| A+A A- By Express News Service
Hindi cinema has a set track for its female spies: quit your life and dreams to infiltrate a hostile nation, feign coyness or overfamiliarity, fall in love and then sacrifice said love for your mission. The routine has become so banal that it takes a Raazi (2018), which at least tried to capture its protagonists’ emotional journey, to rescue it. Even then, that dull old question returns: is love beyond duty?
INDIA New England News
BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY
Few films manage a level of absolute uniformity in the quality they peddle in terms of writing, direction, acting and tech-specs. Lahore Confidential is that film. It is absolutely, uniformly a mess.
Once upon a time Kunal Kohli made a romantic thriller about India, Pakistan, Kashmir, and terrorism that went on to be a blockbuster primarily riding the superstardom of Aamir Khan and Kajol. That was Fanaa in 2006. A decade and half later, and after a few forgettable films along the way, Kohli takes the Fanaa trail again, with focus more on Indo-Pak tension and espionage this time.
Arunoday Singh and Richa Chadha in a still from ‘Lahore Confidential’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
With little espionage elements and no thrills, this Richa Chadha-starrer fails to justify its classification as a spy thriller
Little espionage, zero thrills and an abject movie that is
Lahore Confidential in a nutshell. The film has an unforgiving runtime of 68 minutes which makes it imperative to develop an intelligent plot, and use only defined characters into the screenplay. Unfortunately,
Lahore Confidential fails in that regard.
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Lahore Confidential Movie Review: Half Hearted Attempt at Espionage Drama
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Director: Kunal Kohli
Even at the run time of a little over one hour, ZEE5 s latest film Lahore Confidential is not intriguing. It tries to project itself as an espionage drama, based on Indo-Pakistan relationship and distrust, but uses no context whatsoever to rest its storyline on. The mere fact that the two neighbouring countries have been on not-so-friendly terms does not seem enough to carry the film forward. Moreover, this one has no juice or even a decent plot to be taken seriously. On top of everything, the cast also appears misfit.