“The whole truth is a luxury. In case you are looking for it, a courtroom isn’t the place to either start or end the search.” ― Avirook Sen, Aarushi
At 123 minutes, Director Manish Gupta’s Rahasya, is an intriguing thriller I have seen in quite a few years. Its gripping story loosely based on the infamous double murder mystery of Arushi Talwar of Noida, takes us through a maze of deceit, lust, power and a web of corruption. The film ensures that the audience is kept on the edge right up to the end of the film, maintaining the closely-knit suspense it builds from the first frame itself.
Ayesha Mahajan (Sakshi Sem) is murdered in her own house in the dead of the night. Her throat is neatly cut, meant to make her bleed unto death; a precise slash, one which can only be given by a qualified professional. The body is discovered by the nanny/maid Remi Fernandes (Ashwini Kalsekar) and amidst all the excitement Ayesha’s father Dr. Sachin Mahajan (Ashish Vidyarthi) becomes the prime suspect and is arrested by the police.
It seems an open and shut case and all the odds are against Dr. Mahajan- he had the motive and the means. The only thing which holds out against him is that he was dead drunk and no matter however qualified he would a surgeon be he would not be able to inflict such a precise and neat wound, causing the death of Ayesha.
Step in CBI Officer Sunil Paraskar (Kay Kay Menon) who picks up the threads of the case all over again and munches on walnuts to get a better perspective, whilst his nagging wife keeps on reminding him that he has a duty towards his family too- more on the lines of accept bribes and get a better life.
Through a network of stories which tumble one after the other out of the closet, Paraskar seems so much closer to the truth than ever before, when he is attacked. Yet this only serves to strengthen his determination to move ahead and bring the actual killer to justice.
The possibility of the servant of the house being the prime suspect is soon ruled out when the body of the chap is found, buried under the wooden planks of the flooring! Mother Dr. Aarti Mahajan is ruled out as she just arrived in Mumbai on the morning of the murder.
What about the neighbour couple next door? What could be their involvement in the whole drama? Did no one else in the society notice anything unusual?
In typical Agatha Christie style the plot will take you through tensions galore which enhance the momentum, make you crave for more and then thrust the surprise bang on!
Watch Rahasya not because you want to know who killed Arushi Talwar but because it is a great murder mystery which has come after several years.
3.5/5