Khufiya: A Compelling and Novel Take on the Espionage Genre

Khufiya begins in an unusual way for an espionage thriller—a woman describes another woman's beauty in a very sensuous way. She describes the woman in a tender, almost playful way, describing how she would tuck her pullover's sleeves into her palm and gingerly grasp them with her fingers; how she would sneeze no less than three times at once; and how there was a beauty spot at the base of her throat that would tremble whenever the woman trembled.

When Tabu says, "Bahut ajeeb thi woh... gunah ki tarah chhipi chhipi, sabab ki tarah zaahir aur kabhi kismat ki tarah betuki," you can tell she's describing a passionate relationship.

One of the two lovers suffers a tragedy. It's the same kind of unforseen, unnoticed, and unrecognized tragedy that has already occurred in Vishal Bhardwaj's writing. It is all the more interesting since it is set in the world of terrorism and counterterrorism, cunning spies, and covert monitoring.

Khufiya gets things going right away with the brutal murder of a crucial character at a birthday party. then decides not to. Its organizational style is the complete opposite of an espionage thriller. There are lengthy intervals of silence, nearly motionless monitoring during which the camera acts as a character. The setting, in true Bhardwaj fashion, proves to be Shakespearean, first at a soiree held in Dhaka where a character is killed by a fork to the neck and then at a private dinner gone wrong where a startling comparison is made between the delicious goat meat on the table and the slaughter that takes place in the living room of an ordinary immigrant home in South Dakota.

In Bhardwaj's most recent collection of adaptations, Khufiya is based on the spy thriller Escape to Nowhere by Amar Bhushan. The book has an interesting structure. It lacks chapters and instead follows a chronological timeline from Day 1 to Day 96. Khufiya also defies categorization or stereotypes of any kind. Some of it is effective, some of it is not.

Tabu portrays KM, a high-ranking R&AW agent who goes as Krishna Mehra. She struggles as a woman not just with barriers in her dangerous line of work but also with the shame of keeping her adolescent son from knowing who his real mother is. On the opposite end of the scale is R&AW employee Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal), a sincere and loyal family man who is suspected of leaking information to a power that can be both a friend and an enemy, endangering the security of the country. In several sequences, Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi) is shown to be an unaware wife who enjoys sensually dancing around to old Hindi film songs while no one is around. Ravi is shown to be a family man.

Yet they exist. If not, the camera is. While viewing Charu on the monitor, KM sees a mother who is similar to herself as well as the kind of unrestrained woman who she may never be. A weird bond forms, with Charu finally encouraging KM to reach her breaking point and find solace.

Everyone may not enjoy khufiya. Vishal's portrayal of the geopolitical climate on the subcontinent following the Kargil War in 1999 is casual and occasionally unprofessional. Experienced executives from some of the top intelligence agencies in the world make confessions without even a hint of suspicion that a spycam might be present. Old hands ruin missions that should be a piece of cake for even middle-grade operatives.

Vishal, however, is not interested in that. The director approaches his subject matter more as a human story of secrets that change lives, unfulfilled dreams, unchecked hubris, and fragile relationships. At key moments in the story, a menacing whistling melody plays, adding to the suspense. Be prepared for periods of inactivity and lack of action as betrayal, patriotism, politics, shaky morals, and the fracturing and strengthening of familial bonds combine to offer a fairly compelling and novel take on the genre.

Its top-notch cast helps Khufiya maintain its allure. Of course, Tabu, a favorite of Vishal's, is the best of the bunch since she wonderfully captures the dilemma of a woman and mother harboring a secret. Intentionally exposing the bags beneath her eyes gives her face personality and gives her character weight. Ali Fazal does a fantastic job with the challenging role of an unlikable man who flaunts his fragility. Bhardwaj's new muse, Wamiqa Gabbi, has a very expressive face, which the actor masterfully uses to switch from a carefree woman and a mother traveling halfway around the world to bring her son back. However, having her engage in sensual cavorting in multiple scenes is not vital to the overall plot and may have been done to highlight Charu's carefree attitude. Both Ashish Vidyarthi, who is Tabu's boss, and Shataf Figar, who plays an evil rival who smiles, are excellent in their roles. Azmeri Haque Badhon, a well-known Bangladeshi actress (those eyes!) dazzles in a brief but crucial role.

Khufiya isn't constrained by its genre, although it would be a stretch to call it a genre-bender. It's a Vishal Bhardwaj experience, so there's always something to enjoy. Choose one, but don't neglect the others.
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