Amitabh Bachchan's TE3N is 'a lumbering thriller'

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Amitabh Bachchans TE3N is a lumbering thriller

TE3N tries to be smart and confuses both the cast and the viewers, writes Deepa Gauri.

By Deepa Gauri

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Published: Fri 10 Jun 2016, 2:50 PM

Last updated: Fri 10 Jun 2016, 5:08 PM

A dark thriller is what we were promised; what we get is a weak-scripted whodunit that gets drowned in its own confusion.  
Perhaps it is time for the Bachchan family to leave those South Korean movies alone.  
Late last year, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan tried to thrill us with Jazbaa, a remake of Seven Days. She screeched through the movie.   Now, it is the turn of Big B himself to fall for the thrills of Montage, which had a hapless mother seeking justice after her daughter is kidnapped.  
Well, eerily enough the twists to the tale of both films are vaguely similar, but then, that is for you to discover if you watch Te3n, which is recommended for just one reason.  
And that is the towering Amitabh Bachchan, who portrays a frail, disappointed, dejected, and devastated grandfather, with searing intensity.  
He goes about the role of John Biswas with methodical perfection, his eyes and body language conveying more than any of the lines he  is given. It is a marvel to watch him emote, his hands shaking a trifle, his mouth a little agape, his brow in a sad frown, and utter helplessness written all over him.   We empathise deeply with the man, who has lost his grandchild and has also been blamed by his son. He needs justice - no matter how long it takes.  
Te3n is a classic example of how a powerful actor can rise above a mundane script. This isn't a career best role for Big B, though; it just shows how much of a pliable actor he is, and how often our directors under-utilise him.  
He takes his body language to another level from Wazir, in which too he plays a similar role - and that is the mark of unbridled talent.  
At some level, the writers (a good three of them) and the director Ribhu Dasgupta do Big B a disservice. They do not give him a film that could have stood out of the ordinary despite Bachchan giving his heart and soul to the character.  
One man's earnest effort can only lift a movie so much. So what goes wrong? The story, to start with; it had the potential to be a powerful commentary of our social ills (remember Parzania - how an old couple comes to terms with a mind-numbing tragedy?) but instead gets a lame finish with no real purpose. 
With weak material to begin with, the film naturally has a weaker script. The task before the writers, it seems, was to confuse themselves than the viewers, and they succeed in that.    It is only expected of mystery writers to befuddle the viewers with intelligently contrived plot-points and red herrings. We are game for that.  
But in Te3n, which employs the parallel narrative and time-swap structure to tell the story, the script goes for a heady toss that has the viewer challenging the movie for its illogicality.   So it is that we have John seeking justice for his grand-daughter's death. He comes to the police station every day dutifully and reports to Inspector Sarika (Vidya Balan) with the same question, 'any news?'  
He also goes to taunt Father Martin (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a former cop who turns to priesthood to redeem his guilt at not having been able to save the granddaughter of John. Neither of them has answers for John until suddenly another child is kidnapped and the parallels with the eight-year-old incident become apparent.  
At times the film thinks that some characters may speak Bengali to justify its Kolkata locale; and this being Kolkata, we also are shown the Durga Puja and immersions, for no apparent reason.   Things start to meander soon enough.   And a point comes when Inspector Sarika proclaims to Father Martin with absolute conviction: "He is the kidnapper,' and Father Martin goes 'What?!'   Exactly our sentiment!  
These 'what' moments abound in the movie so much that you want to reach out, shake Inspector Sarika and ask, 'are you really a cop?'  
Vidya Balan was clearly trying to reprise a Kahaani feel in Te3n but lady, pouting your lips does not bring cop-gravitas. And that is apparently all that she does - when confused, confounded or cornered. Both Vidya and Siddiqui also do the occasional 'run like mad' sequence amidst fast-racing trains. But you just wonder: Why, why the fuss?
Siddiqui, such an effortless actor, is under-used in Te3n. He tries his best to salvage the situation but it is a lost battle. Ultimately, Te3n has to fall back on its ace - actor Bachchan - for comfort and conviction. He delivers both. If that is good enough for you, head to theatres this week. Don't expect a Kahaani, Piku or even a Wazir.    
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta Now playing at theatres in the UAE
Rating: 2/5


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