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When the earlier film (then standalone for the viewer) was released, I had found it engrossing as a classic detective thriller, but sans any elements to appeal to souls who needed sensation, sizzle, sex and other aspects that may not be truly recommended in a tight thriller. This sequel (in the way Inspector Jatil Yadav cracks a second case) is also in similar mold with a runtime of 136 minutes and little by way of distraction.
An elaborate plot and setup, a seeming inkling towards the supernatural (quickly dispensed) and a godwoman of sorts, Geeta Maa, played by a bald Deepti Naval, are all part and parcel of this whodunit where, at first, a massacred pig’s head is found in the compound of the family mansion and soon, we have the key members of the family massacred in a single night, but for Meera (Chitrangada Singh) and the children Aastha (Aarushi Bajaj) and Rihan (Pratyaksh Vardhak Singh) escape. Mahinder Bansal (S.M. Zaheer), Prashant Bansl (Mohit Chauhan), Vivek (Harshh A Singh), Seema (Leena Sharma) and Madhav (Chirag Bajaj) are all killed, while Aarav (Delzad Hiwale) is the first suspect. A junkie who has been locked up in a room, he seems to have killed all and committed suicide.
Jatil finds that the entire family is devoted to spiritual leader Geeta Maa (Deepti Naval). Rajesh Chand Bansal (Sanjay Kapoor) is estranged from Mahendra, and the latter suspects that he is responsible for the pig-and-birds incident as part of “black magic” to get the property before his family and he are eliminated.
The police chief, Sameer Verma (Rajat Kapur) is close to Rajesh, who runs a newspaper, and would rather have the case closed with a convenient ending that Aarav was guilty, However, the ever-doughty Jatil and the forensic ace, Dr. Panicker (Revathy) believe in unearthing the truth. The truth is unexpected and is finally revealed by the seriously-injured guard, Om Prakash (Rahaao Bali) when he regains consciousness in the hospital.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is at home as Jatil, the very sincere cop who works for the truth even if not exactly rewarded for it. Two characters continue in from the earlier 2020 film—Jatil’s feisty mother (Ila Arun Bajpai doing an excellent job) and Radha (Radhika Apte) in a special appearance: she was a key player in the earlier whodunit. Radhika is charming indeed.
Revathy is outstanding as Dr. Panicker, while Chitrangada Singh is good as Meera, the divorcee in the Bansal family. In a brief role, Deepti Naval makes for an effective godwoman, and of the rest of the cast, Delzad Hiwale as the hot-headed Aarav, Akhilendra Misra as the impulsive SP (Superintendent of Police) Chauhan and Aarushi Bajaj as Aastha do well. Sanjay Kapoor has nothing much to do as Rajesh but is ineffective even then.
Technically good, with an imaginative background score by Karan Kulkarni, the film still suffers from some uneven writing by Smita Singh. The climax is sudden, and while being aptly unexpected, needed a stronger base. The way SP Chauhan behaves, and is allowed to, makes little sense logically, and one can hardly overlook how DGP Sameer allowed him so much latitude. The way the script tries to pin Meera, Geeta Maa and even Meera’s husband, Dr. Amit Khanna (Suhas Ahuja) and Rajesh Bansal as killers makes for little conviction. But I loved the line that Jatil says to Dr. Panicker, about not getting sound sleep if he has not done conscientious work on any case.
The director does a neat job overall, but one wishes he had kept a check on the ruffles in the script. On the whole though, it is quite an involving watch at home.
Rating: ***
Netflix presents RSVP Movies’ & MacGuffin Pictures’ Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Produced by: Ronnie Screwvala, Abhishek Chaubey & Honey Trehan Directed by: Honey Trehan Written by: Smita Singh Music: Karan Kulkarni Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Chitrangda Singh, Deepti Naval, Revathy, Sanjay Kapoor, Ila Arun, Rajat Kapoor, S. M. Zaheer, Akhilendra Mishra, Priyanka Setia, Suhas Ahuja, Delzad Hiwale, Aarushi Bajaj, Chiraj Bajaj, Akhilendra Mishra, Rahaao Bali, Nehpal Gautam, Leena Sharma, Pratyaksh Vardhak Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Jaskiran Chopra & others
