Ordinary people are often believed to do something extraordinary especially when placed in uncertain situations. TE3N tells the story of a frail old man trying to find justice for his granddaughter who lost her life many years ago. This is not a suspense thriller but more of a suspense drama. Nevertheless, it is very engaging and tells a very unconventional and fresh story and that’s what makes it exciting! But the loose ends prevent TE3N from becoming a Kahaani!
The story of the movie: John Biswas (Amitabh Bachchan) lost his granddaughter Angela 8 years ago when she was kidnapped. The kidnapper was never nabbed. John didn’t lose hope and continues to visit the cop at the local police station, Sarita (Vidya Balan) and also cop-turned-father Martin (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Hope arises for him when a similar kidnapping takes place. If all goes well, the cops or maybe he himself can nab the kidnapper and he will finally get justice.
TE3N moves at a slow but engaging pace. Nothing much happens in the first 30 mins apart from establishing the characters and John’s predicament. John finds a vital clue but even then, it doesn’t raise interest levels to a high. It’s only when the second kidnapping happens that the film goes on another level. The intermission point is the most shocking point of the film and also the most exciting because it comes as a bolt from the blue! After the rocking intermission point, the curiosity levels do go on a high as one starts to wonder who will be the culprit. The various developments from now on keep viewers on their toes. The suspense when revealed is bound to shock viewers without doubt. The entire idea about how the culprit did what the culprit did is also quite smart. However, the film is a drama and not a thriller. Hence, the thrill element is missing and this dilutes the impact. There are major loopholes in the end and something could have been done about it. Also, the way the whole thing unravels is quite unconventional and never before seen. And this is something that will be difficult for a section of audiences to digest, thereby limiting its reach.
Performance wise, all the 3 actors have done a great job but are not award worthy. Amitabh Bachchan looks excellent as the frail, down-but-not-defeated old man. The beauty about Big B is that he works so much on the body language and expressions. Hence, his performance in TE3N is unlike any of his previous performances! Nawazuddin Siddiqui raises laughs at the most unexpected places and like everytime, he is very reliable. Vidya Balan has been credited with a special appearance but it’s not a cameo by any angle. She doesn’t have a full-fledged role either but she’s quite nice as the cop. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty (Manohar Sinha) lends able support. Padmavati Rao (Nancy) is okay. The child actors playing Angela and Ronnie are good.
Music is relegated to the backseat and doesn’t serve much to the story. Tushar Kanti Ray’s cinematography is just amazing. The city of Kolkata has been beautifully captured. One can feel the city and its vibe! The film is an official remake of the Korean film Montage and the story no doubt is killer! Suresh Nair and Bijesh Jayarajan’s screenplay however falters at some places but keeps one engaged for sure. Ritesh Shah’s dialogues are simple and sharp. Ribhu Dasgupta’s direction is impressive at most places but could have been slightly easier to comprehend, especially since the film itself is a bit complicated. But a good effort and if he can polish his skills a bit more, it can be great.
Some of the best scenes:
1. Entry scenes of John, Sarita, Martin
2. John and Martin go to mosque after finding a clue
3. The second kidnapping takes place
4. The scenes of Angela’s kidnapping episode
5. The intermission point
6. Martin goes solo in trying to find the culprit
7. John talks to the drug addict
8. The last 15 minutes
On the whole, TE3N is a fine suspense drama that attempts to give something new and fresh to the audiences. It is nearly impossible to find out who the culprit is and the suspense, when revealed, will surely give viewers a shock. However, the execution could have been better. Also, there are major loopholes that can’t be ignored or passed off under the ‘cinematic liberty’ pretext. Moreover, the way the whole thing unravels is quite unconventional that a majority of viewers in India might not be ready to accept. Nevertheless, go for TE3N for a new, hatke experience!
My rating - *** out of 5!