Cast: Vineet Kumar Singh, Akshay Oberoi, and Urvashi Rautela
Director: Susi Ganesan
Rating: 2/5
Director Susi Ganesan’s ‘Ghuspaithiya’ had the potential to be a dark and compelling thriller with a strong message. It, however, ends up being a missed opportunity.
What’s ‘Ghuspaithiya’ About?
The film revolves around Ravi (Vineet Kumar Singh), an honest cop who undertakes a dangerous assignment for his seniors only to find himself in the middle of a dangerous game of deceit and manipulation. To make matters worse, a hacker named Anushuman (Akshay Oberoi) stalks Abha (Urvashi Rautela), his wife.
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On paper, ‘Ghuspaithiya’ has pretty much everything that one expects from a thriller. The storyline deals with the dangers of technology, which is a relevant theme in today’s day and age. Moreover, there are plenty of twists and turns. Sadly, the interesting premise doesn’t reach its potential as the writing is all over the place.
Middling Screenplay Ruins The Plot
‘Ghuspaithiya’ begins with a scene in which two characters talk about the dangers of phone tapping. The focus then shifts to Ravi as he is tasked with the responsibility of tapping the phones of some highly influential people. The makers try to establish his backstory through a short flashback scene, which fails to register. The romantic scenes between Ravi and Abha too don’t add much to the film. The flashback scenes highlighting their relationship too are mediocre at best mainly because of the lacklustre chemistry between them. As a result, viewers aren’t able to associate with their reel journey, This makes the characters feel one-dimensional.
‘Ghuspaithiya’, however, picks up after Akshay Oberoi’s entry. The ‘Fighter’ actor’s scenes with Vineet hit the right notes with their organic intensity. The game of upmanship between the two elevates the otherwise ordinary narrative. Their fight scenes too have been executed reasonably well and make an impact with their organic intensity.
Despite this, the second half— much like the first one— ends up being an underwhelming affair. There are several twists and turns but none of them register. This is particularly true for the climax. One of the characters meets a cruel fate but the twists leading up to that feel too convoluted and over-the-top. In other words, they lack the genuine shock value that helped the swerves in Drishyam deliver a knockout punch.
Akshay Oberoi Springs A Surprise
Coming to the performances, Vineet is sincere in a role that doesn’t give him enough scope to shine. That said, he tries to channel the character’s insecurities reasonably well. Urvashi ups the glam quotient but doesn’t really elevate the character.
Akshay Oberoi, luckily, proves to be the scene-stealer. The actor plays a womaniser and looks the part. He is at his creepiest best in the scenes where he stalks Abha and taunts Ravi. Moreover, the character is completely different from his work in Illegal, which serves as proof of his versatility. The rest of the cast serves its purpose.
The Bottomline
The editing is a total downer as the film drags especially towards the end. The transitions between the scenes too feel a bit sudden. The music is not an asset for the film. The action scenes cater to those fond of realistic action sequences. The background music feel generic and doesn’t add much to the reel action.
To sum up, ‘Ghuspaithiya’ has potential but ends up being a firm reminder of how a solid screenplay and not merely an exciting concept is the backbone of compelling storytelling.
