The Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli, Kulraj Randhawa and Pravessh Rana starrer espionage thriller is the first Indian film to be shot and released during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The wait is over! ‘London Confidential’ is the first mainstream film shot during the pandemic is finally streaming live on ZEE5. The film will star Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli, Kulraj Randhawa and Pravessh Rana in pivotal roles. The premise of a relevant proposition such as bio-war in current times, was intriguing enough for us to give it a watch. So here’s our review, and it’s not confidential.
In the post Covid-19 era, rumours are rife that an even deadlier new virus has started spreading on the Indo-China border. Undercover RAW agent Biren Ghosh (Diljohn Singh) has managed to contact a Chinese ‘source.’ He intends to present the source at a conference in London as evidence of China’s latest misdemeanour. Just seven days before the conference, Biren goes missing. A day later, his body is fished out of the Thames. It is obvious that info about Biren and his mission had been leaked to the Chinese intelligence agency, MSS.
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With Biren dead, the team of RAW agents on the mission are faced with two questions: Who is Biren’s source? And who is the mole amongst them? They have six days in hand, and only one clue; a Chinese painting left behind by Biren for Uma (Mouni Roy), who heads the mission.
To make matters more difficult, the team has strict instructions from New Delhi to keep the British intelligence out of it. And therefore, they must avoid fireworks. Everything has to be low-key. The mission in London must be kept confidential!
Thus begins the cat and mouse game, where no one is above suspicion.
Not just an espionage thriller:
On the surface of it, ‘London Confidential’ is essentially a spy thriller. Though not conventionally action-packed, the plot is replete with murders, hit-jobs, double-cross, twists and suspense that you would expect in the genre. But scratch the surface a little and you realise, the film has a little more to offer.
For starters, it could arguably be called a women-centric film. The key characters, Uma and the Indian Ambassador Nirupama (Kulraj Randhawa) are strong, independent women, focussed on their jobs. The film also touches upon their relationships with their respective spouses, the nuances of which might surprise you.
Performances:
Mouni Roy shot to fame with her performances in daily soaps and then graduated into the Hindi film industry playing the leading lady in critically acclaimed films like Gold opposite Akshay Kumar, and ‘Made in China’ opposite Rajkumar Rao. She makes her digital debut with ‘London Confidential’ and delivers a mature, subdued performance which exhibits her versatility as an actress. She is ably supported by Purab Kohli who, in his usual breezy style plays Arjun, the undercover agent running a grocery store. Pravesh Rana of ‘Bigg Boss’ fame is intense in his role as Azad, an Indian embassy staffer with a troubled married life. The surprise of the lot however, is Kulraj Randhawa who has come back to Hindi films after a hiatus of 6 years. She delivers a graceful performance befitting her character.
The screenplay is gripping and Kanwal Sethi’s direction does justice to it. The cinematography captures the London cityscape in an interesting hue. The editing is crisp and has ensured there are no dull moments in the film. All-in-all, ‘London Confidential’ is worth the full 1 hour and 17 minutes of your time.
It is noteworthy here that Zee5 is a fast growing OTT platform. Ever since its launch in February 2018, it has offered a lot of ground-breaking original content. Prakash Jha’s ‘Pareeksha’ and Kunal Khemu starrer ‘Abhay 2’ were also released on this platform last month and were well received by the audience. By the look of it, ‘London Confidential’ will follow suit.
