Name: Lahore Confidential
Cast: Richa Chadha (Ananya), Arunoday Singh (Rauf Ahmed Kazmi), Karishma Tanna (Yukti)
Director: Kunal Kohli
Ratings: 3.5 stars
“Dushmani aur nafrat se zameen par laakerein kheenchi ja sakti hai…dilon par nahi…” Folks, you remember this famous cult dialogue from one of India’s finest movies on ‘patriotism’, titled Border? It’s been several years since the lhe launch of tmovie but given the socio-political situation of both India and Pakistan in today’s time, the line is quite fitting ain’t it? It is exactly this angle and emotion that Kunal Kohli’s Lahore Confidential explores to blend in the emotion of nationalism and romance in the same narrative. But how much does he finds success in doing that?
Lahore Confidential is primarily the tale of an Indian spy Ananya (Richa Chadha) and a secret ISI agent Rauf Ahmed Kazmi. Both of them are absolutely oblivious of their real identity and needless to say, their love and romance hits an all-time high during the growing political tension across India and Pakistan borders. Ananya is a simple, grounded and humble woman who is pretty content with her regular 9-5 desk job at RAW (Research & Analysis Wing). However, her life takes a crucial turn when she’s sent on a secret mission to Pakistan to fulfill her responsibility as a secret RAW agent. She meets a good-looking handsome man called Rauf Ahmed Kazmi (Arunoday Singh) whose poetic words and ‘shayarana andaaz’ have the power to charm any woman with ease. Rauf is well connected and is lionized for organizing special ‘mushairas’ aka ‘Urdu poetry gatherings’ and cultural events. We have often heard about the line ‘Opposites attract’. But in case of Ananya and Rauf, it is their mutual love and predilection for Urdu language and poetry that brings the two souls together and binds them in the beautiful emotion of love. But what exactly unfolds when they get to find out each other’s real identity? No more spoilers here, readers.
Lahore Confidential is a story that starts perfectly evoking a sense of patriotism and love for motherland, staple for spy thrillers and espionage dramas. The plot oscillates between national fervour and the emotional love angle between Ananya & Rauf Ahmed. The plot and sub plot merge is organic, however, the length of the film tends to act as a spoilsport.
Richa Chadha does justice to her character of Ananya and seeing her performance, one can truly say that she’s a ‘lady on a mission’. Arunoday Singh is absolutely majestic and exalted with his wordplay and fluency and the fact that most of his conversations with Richa are in Urdu certainly adds as a visual delight for the audience. One must also credit Karishma Tanna for creating an impact with limited screen time as RAW agent Yukti. The direction has certainly come off as a big contributing factor to the movie’s success but the writing could have been tighter.
Overall, Lahore Confidential sums up as a modern-day ‘espionage romance tale’ that will keep you glued to your screen at a stretch. If you enjoy spy thrillers, this one should be in your list.