Kadak Singh: A Mystery Thriller With a Memorable Performance by Pankaj Tripathi

A mystery thriller would do well to begin with retrograde amnesia, if it were to be used often. Kadak Singh, the over-the-top movie starring Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, begins there. A financial crime investigator investigating a Ponzi scheme, played by Pankaj Tripathi's character AK Srivastava, is hospitalized following a rumored suicide attempt. He has partially lost his memory, particularly regarding the events leading up to the suicide.

Using the Rashomon effect, Roy Chowdhury pieces together the story from the perspectives of four main characters that Srivastava is unable to recall: his boss Tyagi (Dilip Shankar), his junior Arjun (Paresh Pahuja), his daughter Sakshi (Sanjana Sanghi), and his lover Naina (Jaya Ahsan).

While sitting in his hospital room, Srivastava solves the mystery as each of them gives their version of what transpired before the suicide attempt. His sounding board is the head nurse, Mrs. Kannan (Parvathy Thiruvothu).

Each story also highlights a different aspect of the man Srivastava used to be, contrasting it with the cheerful, eccentric, and affable Srivastava he is in the hospital. These aspects include his deep sadness, his lack of companionship, and his strict principles and integrity as an investigator in the Department of Financial Crimes. With every rendition, viewers are left wondering if the man lying in the hospital bed is telling the truth or if there is more to him.

Written by Viraf Sarkari, Ritesh Shah, and Roy Chowdhury, the story alternates between the past and the present, which keeps the audience interested but also detracts from the film's pacing, which seems to drag through some scenes and speed through others.

Although the movie does a good job of naturally keeping viewers guessing, there are instances when red herrings are used to purposefully mislead viewers. Furthermore, the movie seems unsure of exactly what message it wants to get across as it skims the surface when discussing topics like mental health, responsible parenting, and the effects of white collar crime on society.

But Kadak Singh benefits from a strong ensemble that comes together. Tripathi demonstrates once more why he is such a sought-after actor by transitioning between Srivastava personas with ease. Sanghi plays a convincing role as the daughter who is grieving for her father even though she hasn't actually lost him. She also faces challenges in reconciling her brother's and her own perceptions of her father, whom they refer to as Kadak Singh due to his uncompromising and strict ways, with the man he turns out to be in other contexts. Ahsan is a rich source of emotional nuance in her portrayal of "the other woman." Actually, the scenes that occur between Tripathi and Ahsan and Sanghi are some of the most sincere and real ones.

The presence of Parvathy is a little unclear. Why is Srivastava's room's head nurse seated in a cubicle? She purposefully keeps everything discussed in the room that she is aware of under wraps. It never materializes, but one is always left wondering if there is more to her than what we see and perhaps a larger role. However, Kannan's conversations with Srivastava are also among the film's rare but welcome instances of humor.

The majority of the storylines come together in the second half of Kadak Singh, but it feels particularly hurried, as if the director knew he had spent too much time building the idea. The resolution is also a little disappointing because it is all resolved so easily.

For fans of Pankaj Tripathi, Kadak Singh is a treat with an intriguing premise and an engaging one-time watch, even though it may not be as kadak as the main character. Additionally, Shantanu Moitra's exquisite soundtrack heightens the film's emotional impact.

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