The Magnificent Th3ee. Review on Te3n

A team of Three run a parallel investigation into solving a kidnapping case similar to the one happened eight years back.

‘Te3n’ is an official remake of the South Korean thriller ‘Montage’ and one of the best Bollywood movies to hit the silver screen in 2016. In today’s fast paced world with distractions where one forgets what he had for lunch the day before, the ability to be creative and generate new original ideas in a time bound environment hits bankruptcy. Plagiarism is rampant in the film industry and one would not mind if the remake offers you entertainment worth your time and money. With the world’s second largest population fascinated by Hollywood movies, Bollywood will benefit little by making a remake of a western film. So the best way to be creative is to look towards the East where one does find great talent. ‘Ek Villain’ and ‘Jazbaa’ were the recent successful Korean remakes that delivered thrill and entertainment. The latest Tiger Shroff’s ‘Baaghi’ which was a cocktail of South Indian ‘Varsham’ with action scenes copied from ‘The Raid Redemption’ and ‘Bangkok Revenge’ minted money at the box office in spite of a poor script.

Story in brief: The granddaughter of John(Amitabh Bachchan) is kidnapped and all efforts to find the culprit comes to a naught. Even after 8 years of the incident, he seeks help of Martin(Nawazuddin Siddiqui) a cop who turned to priesthood after he failed to nail the kidnapper of John’s granddaughter, now having given up and not interested to pursue the investigation anymore. Another similar kidnapping takes place and the case is now handled by Sarita(Vidya Balan) - a cop. This being her first case of kidnapping, she approaches Martin who has a strong record in solving kidnapping cases and he reluctantly assists. John, Martin and Sarita form the ‘Te3n’ who go into the investigation mode, dissecting every possible evidence and venturing into areas that were inadvertently ignored during the earlier investigation. What unfolds form the crux of the movie that makes it a must watch.

Cast Performance: The lead cast(Amitabh, Nawazuddin and Vidya) that form the ‘trio’ are veterans in the field of acting and were deeply engrossed in their character that added to the interest of the viewer. The performances were so mesmerizing that the audience automatically became part of the screenplay. It was as if the incidents were unfolding live in front of you. Sabyasachi Chakraborty also had a key role that was nicely delivered.

Pros: Excellent Direction, Good Cast Selection, Great Cinematography, Nice script.

Cons: The editing had its flaws. The sequence of events displayed was disorderly and not seamless. The viewer gets confused in several scenes trying to figure out if it was present or flashback. This is mainly with scenes pertaining to investigation carried out by John(Amitabh). It is a suspense thriller and some scenes(present and flashback) roll so fast that it becomes difficult for the viewer to comprehend what was happening. One may be able to join the dots in the end when the suspense unfolds but till then the screenplay will leave you in disarray, but good enough to keep you glued to your seat. Vidya Balan looked too plump to be a cop and struggled to sprint. Nawazuddin’s character as the Priest displayed negative attributes – he is shown lying as well as passing sarcastic comments towards a wedding couple which is uncalled for.

Songs: The background score is excellent and the music & lyrics suit the grim narrative. All songs were effective, well written, composed and picturized to have the desired impact.  ‘Haq Hai’ and ‘Kyun Re’ stand out. Amitabh has also lent his vocals to one version of ‘Kyun Re’

Conclusion: ‘Te3n’ written and directed by Ribhu Dasgupta is well made but is slow paced that kills the thrill and hence can be termed as a passive thriller.  It is only the suspense that generates interest in the viewer. I am yet to digest as to how the entire mystery was unfolded as it was revealed in a way that may not convince you. The film has its strong points – Good Script that lays a strong foundation, Good Direction that has the vision to see the film succeed in all departments till the end and Strong Cast to execute the characters to perfection. Overall, the film spanning two hours twenty minutes is worth a watch.