Plot
Ittefaq
opens with
a
rainy
Mumbai
night
where
we
see a
man
escaping
from
the
cops
in
his
Merc.
Minutes
later,
his
car
skids
off
the
road.
But,
the
wounded
man
manages
to
dodge
the
police
and
disappear.
That
same
very
night,
a
petrified
woman
runs
out
on
the
road
and
bumps
into the
police
van
seeking
help.
The
shot
then
moves
to
the
crime
scene
in
her
flat
where
right
next to
a
shattered
glass
table,
lies the
dead
body
of
her
hot-shot
lawyer
husband
Shekhar.
Standing
beside
it
is
that
same
very
man-on-run,
Vikram
Sethi
(Sidharth
Malhotra),
a
best-seller
author who
is
already
accused
of
murdering
his
wife.
The
terrified
woman
is
introduced
as
Maya
(Sonakshi
Sinha).
Vikram
ends
up
as
a
prime
suspect
in
Shekhar's
murder
too.
But
soon,
the
needle
of
suspicion
also
points
at
Maya.
Enter
investigation
police
office
Dev
Varma
(Akshaye
Khanna)
who
sets
out
to
solve
this
high-profile
double
murder
case.
Both,
Vikram and
Maya
claim
they
are
innocent.
He
says
she
is
lying
and
vice
versa.
Two
murders.
Two
versions.
Two
different
versions
of
the
story.
Will
Dev
nail
down
the
real
killer?
Direction
In
Yash
Chopra's
Ittefaq
starring
Rajesh
Khanna
and
Nanda,
a
Murphy
radio
blared
out an
urgent
announcement
about
a madman-murderer
on
loose
on
a
rainy
night
in
Mumbai
as
Rekha
(Nanda)
shut
down
the
doors
and
windows
of
her
house.
Cut
to
2017.
The
radio
is
replaced
by
a
TV.
But,
the
tension
in
the
air
is
pretty
much
the
same.
The
reprised
version
is
helmed
by
first-time
director
Abhay
Chopra
and
he
almost
manages
to
pull
off
it.
If
only
there
hadn't
been
loose
ends
and
the
writing
hadn't
faltered
down
at
a
few
places!
The
few
emotional
scenes
which
has
been
added
to
peak
your
confusion
instead
ends
up
slowing
down
the
narrative
and
ungrips
the
built-up
tension.
Ittefaq
keeps
you
engrossed
with
its
cat-and-mouse
game
and
nail-biting
twists.
Here's
it's
more
of
whose
version
is
more
convincing-
Vikram's
or
Maya's.
The
1970s
staple
cop
Iftakhar
has
been
replaced
by
Akshaye
Khanna
who
could
easily
give
Sherlock
Holmes
a
run
for
his
money!
Further,
the
twist
in
the
climax
doesn't quite
fit
into
the
puzzle
(at
least
for
me,
it
didn't!)
which
left
me
a
bit
disappointed.
Performances
Abhay
Chopra
&
Co.
have
weaved
the
plot
such
that
most
of
the
heavy
weight-lifting
is
done
by
Akshaye
Khanna
and
his
smart-alecky
one
liners!
Initially,
Sidharth
Malhotra
and
Sonakshi
Sinha
ain't
exactly
at
the
top
of
their
game
when
the
film
begins.
But
soon,
they
get
a
hang
of
it.
Out
of
the
two,
it's
Sid
who
manages
to
pull
off
a
surprise.
The
cops
and
their
funny
banter
adds
a
humorous
touch
to
the
otherwise
sober
tone
of
the
film.
Technical
Aspects
Michael
Luka's
lens
is
more
into
mood-lighting
and
efficently
captures
the
red
herrings
to
keep
you
glued
to
the
screen.
Nitin
Baid's
editing
is
slick.
Music
Thankfully,
Ittefaq
doesn't
have
any
songs
to
distract
you
from
the
main
plot.
On
the
other
hand,
the
promotional
song
'Raat
Baaki'
which
is
absent
in
the
film,
is
quite
impressive.
Verdict
If
the
makers
hadn't
taken
the
phrase
'raat
gayi
baat
gayi' too
seriously
to
leave
a
few
loose
strings
untied,
this
Sidharth
Malhotra-
Sonakshi
Sinha-
Akshaye
Khanna
starrer
could
easily
have
been
one
of
the
best
whodunit
thrillers
Bollywood
has
seen
in
while.
Nevertheless,
it
still
manages
to
hold
your
attention
for
108
minutes.
This
time,
purely
by
'Ittefaq'
se!