A strong foundation that loses its way after bringing us close to the edge of the couch, lost Reminds us that a good start is only half done. Anirudh Roy Chowdhury who gave us a hard life. Pink, here speed and pacing are sacrificed to create politically correct drama. For a film that draws from a real-life case to comment on the changing socio-political landscape, the message of hope in the end feels overwrought.
Set in cozy Kolkata, lost Following the efforts of intrepid journalist Vidhi Sahani (Yami Gautam) to solve the mystery of the sudden disappearance of theater worker Ishaan Bharti (Tushar Pandey).
At first glance, it seems like a simple case but as the layers unfold, we get to see how a girl’s desire breaks up a relationship and becomes a political opportunity for a cunning minister. In A Tale of Two Journalists, Ankita Chaudhary (Piya Bajpai) is a budding television journalist who falls in love with Ishaan. But when she catches the eye of powerful minister Varman (Rahul Khanna), their relationship begins to fray. He is looking for political power and Varman assures everyone that the young activist has joined the Naxalite movement. Vidhi, however, feels the opposite. The truth is somewhere in between, but the road to get there is somehow not as glamorous as it seems. Some scenes stand out and the performances are convincing, but they fail to mask the writing’s flaws.
after the Vicki DonnerThis is probably the first film where Yami gets to play a good role and the talented actor does not disappoint. She looks the part of a hard-nosed journalist who is in danger of becoming an activist, while investigating a story that has a strong human angle.
As his grandfather with a backbone, Pankaj Kapoor is as tough as ever. The scenes between Kapoor and Yami are full of love and give the story a strong moral underpinning.
Rahul seems convincing as a two-faced politician and resembles some of our young politicians who seem to have come straight out of a front-loading washing machine but have layers of mud inside. Neil Bhupalam has become typecast as an actor who effectively plays second fiddle to a career-oriented female lead. Piya also shows promise in a half-baked morally ambiguous character but after a point, Anirudha seems to have lost control of her characters and they turn up wherever she wants. The jolts in editing make it even clearer. It seems that the makers want to expose the dung without getting into it.
While the dramatic build-up to a big story creates interest and serves the script, it’s hard to believe that a news organization could hold on to an important story for so long as Vidhi has covered all the angles of the mystery. Not covered. While the performances are convincing, the presentation of the news business is a bit idealistic.
Post-construction, Anirudha is more interested in working environments for girls, long-distance relationships, journalism as a profession, and familial pressures to tick conventional boxes without integrating them into the mainstream. They may serve the purpose of a daily soap, but don’t add much to a politically charged narrative. By the time he returns to the point, he loses the connection. It’s only Yami who doesn’t give up. She keeps knocking on one’s conscience.
Lost is currently airing on ZEE5.
