Not your conventional Bollywood movie, no song and dance sequences means a more streamlined and effective runtime. This is a tense thriller. Siddhartha Malhotras character is on the run suspected of his wife's murder and gets caught over the body of another unrelated fellow. The police arrest him straight away thinking it's a straight forward case but all is not what it seems. The first thing that hits you is the witty dialogue between the police officers, realistic and identifiable. The actions of the officers involved together with the realistic sets and the dialogue make for very believable scenes. The acting is very good from all involved. The soundtrack adds to the tense situation. There are light moments but this is a serious movie. Great first time direction from Chopra, he has taken a refreshing approach, let's hope he brings in more of the same.
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Agent_Bauer7 November 2017
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Vikram Sethi (Siddharth), a London based writer, comes to Mumbai to launch his 3rd novel. When his wife's dead body is found in the hotel room, Vikram finds himself charged with murder. In order to evade the dread of being indicted wrongfully, he escapes. During the cat and mouse chase, his car overturns and an injured Vikram seeks refuge in a flat. The inhabitant of the apartment is a young lady named Maya (Sonakshi) and what's more her husband's dead body is discovered soon and Vikram finds himself charged with double-murder. The police nab him again but he pleads innocence in respect of both the crimes. Inspector Dev Verma (Akshaye Khanna) is put in charge of the case and he has only 3 days to crack the mysteries. Set in the backdrop of the incessant Mumbai downpour, the whodunit which seems like an apparently open and shut case gets twisted by the conflicting admissions of Vikram and Maya. The narrative is a linear one and the alternative versions of the two central characters are chipped in time and again. The Police is left to decide as to who is speaking the truth. Is there a connection between the two killings or is it merely a coincidence? The hazy surroundings, dimly lit buildings cleverly accentuate the subtlety of tensions. Debutant director Abhay Chopra handles the 1969 hit remake of the same name pretty well. There are no forced red-herrings or unwanted secondary plots but the interjections are cleverly devised. The pace is well maintained and keeps the audience on the tenterhooks till the very end. All the details do indeed converge to make the unpredictable climax believable. What's a bit of a let- down is the performance of the lead characters ; Siddharth and Sonakshi. There's this strange disease of underacting affecting Bollywood nowadays. We do find an overdose of melodrama in masala flicks and it's counter-balanced by an undercurrent of deadpan expressions in the comparatively realistic ones. Although Siddharth improvises deftly at the end, Sonakshi seems dud. The only person who stood out was the old horse Akshaye Khanna. He displayed a brilliant poise, charm and lends a lease of life midst a wary set of investigating procedures. His light- hearted comic banter with his subordinate evokes an intellectual feat of humour and not merely a comic relief. I wonder why we don't see this man facing the camera more. Overall it's quite a decent and different sort of a crime thriller sans Bollywood antiques and illogical song and dance sequences. It's more satisfying to see the venture being carried out by Red Chillies and Dharma Productions who don't actually harness the reputation of trying something different in tinsel town.
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Ittefaq is said to have been inspired by the 1969 classic of the same name by Yash Chopra. Indeed, there are similarities in the plot and some of its elements, but this film has pretty much a story of its own which takes an altogether different direction. The film is a very good production - it is well shot, it enjoys the benefits of high production values, from camera to sound, and above all, it is successfully suspenseful and tense thanks to good writing and direction. The most enjoyable element in the narrative style is the Rashomon effect, namely the way in which flashbacks are presented: each character recounts their version of the story and the flashbacks are presented accordingly, so we end up having a nice repetition of multiple flashback scenes based around the same incident and which are very similar, but with twists and changes in core details. This creates a fascinating watch for the most part despite the inclusion of some unnecessary proceedings, especially towards the end.
Ittefaq.is overall quite well played, although the acting is not as important as the story. Sidharth Malhotra has everything it takes to be a lead in Hindi films, including looks and presence, and acting-wise he is quite okay even if he is suited for very specific types of roles. He is just too wholesome and decent looking to be credible for anything less than a good human being and it's obviously a compliment. Sonakshi Sinha is good for the role and quite attractive even if her presence is felt much less. Needless to say, it is Akshaye Khanna who leads the film with his excellent performance as the tough cop. The film has some good turns from the character actors, by the way, especially from Ajay Jadhav who is consistently and effortlessly funny as Tambe. Overall, then, a nice thriller which I didn't like as much as liked the original. Like the original though, the film has a very poor ending. Here, I found it awfully contrived, predictable and unconvincing, but so are many other films of the genre, so let it be. It is worth watching. -
ketgup833 November 2017It has been a while since Bollywood has churned good thriller films. Films like Kahaani, Manorama-Six Feet Under, Error 404 or Phobia had a good twist which will remain embedded in your memories. Will Ittefaq be able to create enough tension to keep audience at bay ? let us find out ..
Ittefaq tells the story of 2 suspects (Siddharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha) who are involved in a murder leading to 2 different stories that happened one night. The investigating officer (Akshaye Khanna) must be find out which story holds the fact.
First time director, Abhay Chopra, follows the foot-step of 1969's Ittefaq directed Yash Chopra but introduces his own world. The film has a pretty solid opening scenes involving car chases and the confrontation between Siddharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha. The film adds more flavor with Akshaye Khanna entering the scene and taking the charge of murder. The director does a fine job in building tension when two victims tell their own version of stories. In second half, you will be convinced with the suspect and while everything is about to end well, there will be another twist in the end which is unconvincing and fails to keep the momentum. This is where director could have created more impact with crisp editing and interesting plot.
As a first timer, Abhay Chopra does a fine job but is mowed down by loose second half. Screenplay is good but suffers towards the climax. Better writing would have helped. Cinematography is just about okay while the background is decent (should be good in thriller films). Siddharth Malhotra does well as Vikram Sethi and emotes his expression better than his previous films. Sonakshi Sinha is wooden. It is Akshay Khanna who steals the show with his upright performance. He infuses humor in his character and is even speaks serious tone when investigating the complex case.
Overall, a fair attempt to show the double murder but is saddened by the weak spot. Decent 2.75 / 5 -
santoshsingham-531293 November 2017Movie start with car accident and rest in suspense whole movie is well made with thriller, every is interconnected with each other, lead actor performance was very good, specially akshaye khanna every one even the character in small role do their job perfectly, visuals, cinematography, direction, all are good in short well made movie
say no to spoilers! -
sudhakaranakhilan7 January 2018Brewing something unusual concept in the category of crime thrillers. Just surround between a flat and police station the story carried through the narration among the characters. They organize their plots on their own concerns with resembles the narrative pattern that can be seen in the magnum opus of Kurasowa's Rashomon. More than the case of direction, the film blend with the power packed writing of script. Anyway, it was something a good crime thrillers among the bollywood movies.
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JamesWilkin553 November 2017This movie is a really good suspense thriller, and in my experience Bollywood films are generally much longer than this, usually 2.5 hours or more, and this one wasn't even 2 hours. I don't know much about suspense films in Bollywood, this is the first one by the industry that I have seen and I really enjoyed it. The acting performances are all great, especially by the police officer, played by Mr. Akshay khanna. I watched Sidharth in a lovely film called Kapoor and Sons and he was great in this one as well. The background score was terrific too. I read that it is actually based on an original film from 1969. Interestingly I recognize the lead actor in that one by the name Rajesh Khanna, as he was mentioned frequently in the amazing film Neerja that came out last year in 2016. So I will make sure to watch the original Ittefaq soon as well.
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bunnymehra19853 November 2017I was eagerly waiting for this Thriller from months and finally watched it on very First day. Thriller with Big stars in Bollywood are very rare nowadays so with such good star cast and Production House it was a bet from Chopra's Grandson to leave a mark on Direction level but he pass here though not with distinction but still he tried his best and this Thriller prove to be a good one but if we compare this with Yash Chopra Ittefaq with rajesh Khanna its no way near to that even complete story line and many of the scenes are copied from that movie which was not accepted as audience point of view who watched the original movie. Starcast wise Akshay Khanna is First class and same goes with Siddharth Malhotra who give us a look of Ajay Devgn Tarang in Deewangee a innocent boy framed for murder but Sonakshi Sinha and other starcast are completely clueless on acting part and a big let down. Climax is the best thing of movie and gives Hollywood style ending that not every time justice will be served to guilty. Story is same as orininal movie but acting from female lead and supporting cast are let down though for First Time Abhay Chopra is good and best thing is that he didn't stretch the runtime with unwanted scenes and songs
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saketsaurav-868284 November 2017The director of this film seems to have worked hard to give his audience the chills and thrills that they want to see in such a movie, and he succeeds too. They audiences will remain hooked throughout making guesses only to be proved wrong. The film has an unpredictable climax and this makes it a watchable thriller too. However, in midst of all that there are some questions that remain there till the end. In acting, Sonakshi Sinha disappointingly has put up a week show. Akshay Khanna is awesome while Siddharth Malhotra does what he always does. Mandira Bedi has nothing to do in her cameo and the remaining cast is okay. I will go with 9/10 because such movies deserve being made in Bollywood.
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oazam3 November 2017Murder mysteries are my favorite type of genres. So this is a remake of Yash Chopra's 1969 venture which is directed by his grand-nephew and son of Ravi Chopra who made Baghban, Abhay Chopra. The trailer was exquisite and I was pretty excited for this film. So is this a recipe for success.
So an acclaimed NRI writer named Vikram Sethi comes back to his hotel room and finds his wife's dead body on the floor. After alerting the police, he might realize that he could be charged for his wife's murder so he runs away with his car. He gets into an accident during a high speed chase and finds shelter in an apartment that is owned by Maya Sinha who is a house maker. The cops manage to find Vikram only to be standing next to Shekhar Sinha's body. Both Vikram and Maya are taken into custody and Inspector Dev interrogates the two. How Inspector Dev catches the culprit behind the 2 murders is basically what this film is about.
Let me start off by saying this, I liked the first half of the film. It was gripping and very unapologetic but the 2nd half compromises the depth of the film. After the interval, the movie did slow down a bit and I felt that some scenes really bored the heck out of me. Abhay Chopra still manages to produce a decently paced screenplay and keeps the direction tight.
Acting has some slight improvements.
Akshaye Khanna was outstanding in his role as a cop and luckily his comeback really saved his career big time. His tone and depth was amazing and he really has that cop acting mentality. He was the reason why this film was worth-watching.
Siddharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha aren't really known for their acting. Sonakshi SInha was average in her role as Maya but I felt that she overacted a bit in some scenes and the same thing goes to SId. Putting these two in a film like this speaks volumes for itself.
Only one track in the film but it has that good vibe from the original song so I'd say its a nice song to listen to but not on a loop.
The cinematography was good and the angles were represented nicely for a murder-mystery thriller.
Overall, this movie is a decent popcorn flick and it will keep you tot he edge of your seat during the some parts but based on the boredom during some parts of 2nd half along with Sinha and Malhotra's average acting, Ittefaq is definitely worth a one time watch.
Box office 50-70 crores at my expectation
3.75.5- In order to complete the investigation, increase the suspense of the script. -
chamodkushan7 January 2018The beginning and the ending,they are really different.and it could blow my mind at all....Siddharth and Sonakshi done the job very well.and the Akshay Khanna was perfect....clever direction and he thought every side of the story,we even can't think that he is a new one to the direction.everything is perfect of the movie and really talented performance by everyone who been part of the movie.and this one no need of any comment because it's a BRILLIANT ONE!!! And don't miss this!
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NerdyBirdie20 October 2018Ittefaq opens up with an intriguing beginning and makes one interested in this cat and mouse game of finding the truth. This movie really is Akshaye Khanna's as his acting saved the second half of this film.
What starts out as an intriguing movie is actually one that becomes filled with plot holes that I personally believe would have helped to uncover what is true and what isn't.
The setting was extremely well done and the cast did a great job. I wanted to see a little more thorough investigating however the decent writing on delivering the climax of this film did good.
Recommended that you go into this blind and try to ignore some of the plot holes. -
noonoonomore12 July 2018As much as I love Siddharth and want to like this movie, I can't. Where do I even start. The fact that a forensics can't even guess the amount of material in a pill by weighting it when an average person like me easily can, or the fact that in each of those stories he is hit in a different part of his head and by a simple test they could've found out who's telling the truth or finding out that Shekhar was his wife's lawyer just needed a few questioning of the acquaintances which they didn't, or maybe the movie's tryina mock the police and their inadequacies! Plus the twist was way predictable, it would've been way better if he had killed his own wife and the woman had killed the husband but one got locked up and the other got away.
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Overall the movie was very entertaining and I'm very happy that there were no songs in the movie and it was all focused on the story only.
SPOILER: While everything else is fine, but how in the world did they forget to check the phone records of the victims and see if there was any connection? Once you reach the end you will realize that if they had checked the phone records, the movie will be entirely different.
Overall a nice entertaining movie. -
maulin54 November 2017It is a tough task for a person to sustain the legacy which has been remained constantly by his grandfather. Abhay Chopra, the grandson of B.R. Chopra, is giving his debut as a director, in the family production house, BR Films, with remaking the classic of 1969, Ittefaq, directed by Yash Chopra.
Having said that, I was damn sure after seeing the trailer of this one that this is going to be different from the original. And I was right. I mean, there is no point in remaking the suspense film without changing the murderer. Though, Abhay has changed the plot as well. The camera-work is the additional and I would say the best thing in this remake. The entire Akshaye Khanna character has been added in this one. So do the humorous way of speaking.
Without that humor, this film could have been become boring. But with well executed punches, first half is as crispy as it has to be when the story unfolds, and humorous approach by policemen. Second half becomes dull. But the film ends in a very fast track. So, you got an idea that the end is not what you thought. Hence, there the film wins.
I would not say about the murderer, but that character has acted superbly in the end. Akshay is the heart of this Ittefaq. Sidhharth is also suitable perfectly. Sonakshi Sinha delivers a good job, but, the more depth was needed to her character.
No song movie is always boring at some point. But unfortunately, this kind of films don't need songs.
If you are a suspense movie lover, you have to definitely give it a chance. It is a worthy watch. It will recover its making amount for sure.
Ittefaq 2017 is a remake of Ittefaq 1969. Which was based on a Gujarati play Dhoomas. Which was based on an English play Signpost to Murder. Which also was adopted for a Hollywood movie of the same name. I would suggest that new plots and ideas have to come more and more, not recreated versions. All have to think about this. -
namashi_130 January 2018Inspired from the 1969 film by the same name, 'Ittefaq' is a decent whodunit mystery-thriller, that succeeds in keeping your interest alive, despite its shortcomings. And Ace Actor Akshaye Khanna entertains all through.
'Ittefaq' Synopsis: A detective seeks out the truth between two different stories of a crime scene.
'Ittefaq', like most thrillers, delivers a dozen of puzzling suspense, but never at the expense of overdoing it. Its a decent mystery, the unravels nicely. Of course, the film isn't perfect, as a particular sub-plot in the film's second-hour, lacks the bite. Nonetheless, there is not much to complain here!
Abhay Chopra, Shreyas Jain & Nikhil Mehrotra's Writing is decently done, with a good culmination. The identity of the culprit, is interestingly reveled. Abhay Chopra's Direction is good. Cinematography & Editing add to the film's strength.
Performance-Wise: Akshaye Khanna is the scene-stealer. He entertains as the detective on a mission. Sidharth Malhotra does an impressive job. This is among his better works. Sonakshi Sinha is restrained this time & that works on her advantage. Pavail Gulati is perfect. Others lend excellent support.
On the whole, 'Ittefaq' is a decent watch. -
reoroy3 November 2017I just came back after watching Ittefaq The Film and I am very pleased with how the film has panned out. Kudos to Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Junnu Chopra for bankrolling the film. And considering the fact that the film has been helmed by a debutante director (Abhay "Boo" Chopra), it was much better than I thought it would be. One of the best things about this film is that hardly any aspect of the plot seemed to be contrived. The film has been neatly layered and the audience will have a gala time trying to unravel the mystery. Whodunnits are fun to watch and I am glad Bollywood has churned out one that is awesomely intriguing. Akshaye Khanna is such a splendid actor. Bollywood, please please give this man more roles. He is so elusive and yet he makes sure that his audience gets immersed in the superb aura he exudes. Sid Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha's performances pale in comparison to the one given by Khanna. My advice to everybody who is reading this would be to not let out any spoilers after watching the film. And speaking of whodunnits, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing Murder On The Orient Express.
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Natasha07055 November 2017Siddharth Malhotra : Eye candy for many, but a versatile actor indeed; He flawlessly blends into the character of Vikram Sethi. He Shines! Sonakshi Sinha : She plays Maya; she looks genuine, but doesn't leave an impression. Aksheye Khanna : Aksheye is in top form, he looks convincing as Dev, He was serious as well as quirky.
Story : 2 murders, 2 suspects, 2 different stories and 1 truth. The screenplay keeps you glued and thrilled. Considering it being a remake of the 1969 Rajesh Khanna starrer Ittefaq, Abhay Chopra has done a fair job in the direction.
Music : 100 mins of Thrill with no music.
Overall, Ittefaq is a one time watch flick.. will do average at the box office. -
abhaybaliga19 March 2018A Film Which Has Been Excellently Executed Through Every Part Of The Film From The Starting To The End And What A Shocking Surprise At The End You Can't Imagine It I Really Got Shocked U Have To Watch It Carefully Because There Are 2 To 3 Scenes Which Have To Be Seen Carefully So A Balanced Film In My Opinions.
Con- Only 1 Thing I Didn't Like Is That No Song Was Present So I Was Little Bit Upset -
wwwaviavinash26 August 2018The movie is good and little bit suspense is so so but fail to create Yash chopra magic only akshayee Khanna acting is watcheble & he saved the movie. Engaged story good cinematography but old ittefaaq was is better overall this movie is not boring i like this movie one time watch movie.
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AnnaPagrati31 August 2021A really good movie! Great plot & loved the acting!
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Well can't say much about it cause the suspense should be preserved. But a really good movie.Excellent acting by the entire cast, appreciative story & well-handled by the screenplay & direction, specially for a 1st time director - Abhay Chopra. But yes, the movie could have definitely been more crisp & fast, cause it's slowness was the silent killer of curiosity.That takes away the entire idea of an edge of the seat,taut thriller.. It's not at all one of those but it trods along it's own pace,making you think differently, at different times. Nonetheless, a very well-made movie,hope for many more such thrillers from Bollywood, specially movies like these where you would definitely not be able to predict stuffs beforehand.Enjoyed it !! :D As for this, give it a watch. The twist, well, though slightly far- fetched, will satisfy you.
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I am big fan of crime investigation movie and television series and I was expecting something like primal fear or unusual suspects but this is totally crap. I would like to prefer crime patrol(Indian crime investigation television series) over this and amazed by IMDb rating of this movie.
Biggest flaw of this movie that police was not interested in victims or suspects phone records.How could they ?? Phone records are most important part any case investigation.Crime patrol police are much better because they start investigation with victims and suspects phone records.
Its is good to watch Akshay Khanna (as emotional cop )on screen but criminal tricks him every time (remember deewangee). This movie does not justify thriller or mystery title for sure. -
tlrg-legend4 November 2017Despite a lot of hype and secrecy maintained by the media and the producers,Ittefaq doesn't turn out to be an average murder mystery.
The plot reveals that there are two versions of the same circumstances,the investigating officer Dev Verma ( Akshay Khanna) focuses on one of the two.Accordingly the results follow.In the other version the results are different.
Can one say complete justice has been done? This because a person can't be tried for the same offence twice.
What are the circumstances of the case? A writer Vikram Seth( Siddharth Malhotra) has filed a telephonic FIR about the death of her wife Katherine.The cops have come to investigate.The writer instead being charged for the crime runaways from the scene of the crime.He's been hotly pursued by the cops.The writer's car overturns.The cops time lag enables the victim cum suspect to take refuge in the nearest house.Maya Sinha( Sonakshi Sinha) is the occupant of this flat.
It's an Ittefaq that one Shekhar( the husband of Maya) has also been killed .
The investigation officer has to ascertain- the killer's of both deaths? the motives behind the same? According to the evidence and circumstances he arrives at a decision.The law accordingly takes it's course.
Based on the same facts the same cop realises his mistake.By now it's too late.
To me not much care was taken by the cops to pick the evidence.Barring Dev ,all others are misfits.None wears gloves to collect evidence.The views of the forensic experts is amenable to be twisted.The performances of Sid and Sona is below par.Akshay Khanna is unnecessarily 'stylish'.Editing has confused the viewers.High decible soundtrack over powers the spoken word.Scripting is ordinary.One would have preferred a court room drama in the climax. A larger point- evidence gathering must be fool proof.The mens rea of the homicide should be established beyond reasonable doubt,not based on conjectures.
All in all this reviewer would commend for the mystery being retained.
On an over all basis the remake could be a one time view.( the earlier Rajesh Khanna and Nanda version was more gripping and well made). -
sudeshnamani112 January 2018An enjoyable movie if you do not dig into logic too much. The suspense is fun and you wait for the climax ; that is a bit of a give away cause the pre climactic climax does not actually convince you a lot , there is a good 15 min left and you obviously will know something is pending. Watch it for a fun weekend break.