Movie review – TE3N – Disheartening
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By Joginder Tuteja

Rating: **1/2

What is it that disheartens more when compared to a bad suspense film? Well, a really good one that has a great build up but an underwhelming climax. This is what turns out to be the case with TE3N! A film which has a superb premise, has a steady pace to it, picks up well at the right intervals and leads you exactly in the manner in which it wants, this Ribhu Dasgupta film could have been a great affair had it kept the same stranglehold in the last 15 minutes as it had maintained so wonderfully well right through the second half. Alas, that doesn’t happen, hence leading one to come up with a disappointing sigh as was the case with Amitabh Bachchan’s last release Wazir.

In fact the start of the film doesn’t quite excite you much either. There are several scenes right at the start which could have turned out to be much lesser had not been for the performance of Amitabh Bachchan. It is the legendary actor who makes the painfully slow narrative watch-worthy due to the hold he maintains for the camera. Yes, you do feel a sense of deja vu since the frail old man act has become associated with him especially since the days of The Last Lear. Still, you move along since the man has a habit of surprising you with something new each time around. Meanwhile, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan are introduced but frankly, they seem quite peripheral, especially in the beginning portions.

The film starts moving only once the second kidnapping takes place and the family of Sabyasachi Chakraborty comes into the scene. This is also the point where Nawazuddin and Vidya become further relevant to the plot. The pace of the film picks up and the build towards the interval point is fantastically done. The interval point is more puzzling than shocking but what works is the fact that you look forward to the second half, something that is the right thing for a suspense thriller.

In fact the second half begins on a cracker of a note and while Big B gets sidelined with Nawazuddin and Vidya running the show (why has actress been billed as Guest Appearance? She has a major role to play!), you don’t mind that as the two actors entertain thoroughly. The twists and turns are quite good and the trails are interesting to follow. Though the final act starts puzzling you a great deal, you still want to keep track as there is a whole lot of promise around an interesting climax. In fact there is a point where you feel like you have cracked the code but there is further twist in the tale.

Now honestly, this is where the film comes cracking down as it bewilders you more than satiating you. That ‘other twist ‘ (which never came) could have been more far more interesting but sadly, the whole revelation and the context behind that leaves you with a sense of emptiness. As a matter of fact, one of the three characters actually seems rather irrelevant to the scheme of things, which is the sad part.

Just like Wazir where it was the odd climax that prevented the film from becoming memorable, even TE3N makes you go through the same emotions. Sad, because three wonderful acts from such superb actors deserved a better dekko.