Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Cast: Yami Gautam, Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpiee, Tushar Pandey

Available On: Zee5

Duration: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

‘Lost’: Story

Inspired by true events, ‘Lost’ charts the story of a young woman crime reporter (Yami Gautam) who is working on a story of sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist (Tushar Pandey). The layered story aims to represent the idea of lost values and integrity. Will the crime reporter be able to get to bottom of the crime? Will she figure out some truths that she never expected existed in today’s society? Will the missing person ever get found? Will the missing person ever get justice? Well, for all of that you’ll have to watch the movie.

‘Lost’: Performances

Yami Gautam’s talent is finally being put to good use with performances like ‘Bala’, ‘A Thursday’ and ‘Lost’. She is finally getting the good roles, the intensity with which she is performing those characters is awe-inspiring. She has been discounted over the years as the good looking bubbly girl next door, but once you se ‘Lost’ you’ll be satisfied that there’s much more to her than just good looks. The way with which she not only emotes in the serious scenes but even manages to keep herself grounded and human in some of the gross scenes, is brilliant. She is fierce when she is standing up to a corrupt politician, but at the same time doesn’t shy away from throwing up after seeing a dead body. The contrast in her character is what makes this story a great watch.

Expected a lot more from Pankaj Kapur, but sadly, he has a very minimal character arc. There is a scene where you see that Pankaj Kapur spark when he is talking to two hooligans in the park, but that doesn’t stick on for long. His character is just about there like any other senior actor playing a grandfather. Disappointed!

Rahul Khanna, phew! This man is ageless. He still looks the same that he looked over 20 years back in ‘Bollywood Hollywood’. It’s a shame that we don’t get to see him more often onscreen. As a corrupt politician, he is the perfect mix of a suave smooth-talker and criminal mastermind at the same time. A scene in particular where he is giving an interview to Yami Gautam stands out sheerly because of the way Rahul Khanna not just manipulates the answers, but leaves no loose ends for the reporter to hit back. A brilliantly measured performance.

Tushar Pandey is barely there. It seems more like he did the role as a favour to his ‘Pink’ director. The same goes for Neil Bhoopalam. Both have been massively under-utilised.

Pia Bajpiee’s character is so confusing that you’re left wondering where is she leaning onto. At one instant she is playing this strong news anchor, and in the very next instant she is this coy and subdues woman. Pia Bajpiee’s changing emotions for the character makes her look very gullible and that just doesn’t do justice to the character of a women who seemingly has strong opinions.

‘Lost’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

It’s difficult to gaze that Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is the same person who directed ‘Pink’. While ‘Lost’ is equally engaging and poignant, it doesn’t have the engaging feel that ‘Pink’ had. There are numerous places in ‘Lost’ where you’re feeling bored with the long takes. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury builds up the story for a fitting finale, but at the climax, he just leaves you hanging without giving a properly entertaining finale. The climax is more artsy than commercial, while the rest of the story builds you up for a gripping finale.

The writing, by Shyamal Sengupta and Ritesh Shah, isn’t bad. It’s very thought-provoking and makes you want to know what’s going to happen next. Audiences always love an underdog story. Audiences love the powerless being helped by one force of God to fight against the entire corrupt system. The writing manages to build Yami Gautam’s character is a similar fashion where she stands up all alone against an entire system trying to put her down. But sadly, the climax just drains the entire feel and slaps you with a realistic feel of how the system manages to buy its way out of everything with the sheer power of money. Also, there writing a bit too stretched which makes some portions seem a bit too boring.

Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography makes sure that the real hero of the film is the city of Kolkata. What a fantastic use of the city to lead the audience to a story which is dark and talks of an underbelly of crime and political ill will. The outdoor locales bring the city to life and gives the story a meaning. Visually this is a masterpiece by Avik Mukhopadhyay.

Bodhaditya Banerjee’s editing could have been a lot crisper. The story is a crime thriller, but it drags in the middle a bit and that makes you yawn quite a lot. If it was kept a little bit shorter, it would have been a lot taut.

Shantanu Moitra’s background score is hauntingly good. It brings that eerie feel to the story. However, there aren’t any songs as such, which is also a great choice considering this is a crime thriller and songs would have just killed the narrative and dragged the story on unnecessarily.

‘Lost’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Lost’ begins with a great hope but sadly, the climax doesn’t deliver on it. It’s one of those films where you’re hyped till the very end expecting a spectacle of a climax, but when that doesn’t happen you’re doled out with a slap of reality on your face. The film does drag a bit and becomes boring in parts. Keeping aside its shortcomings, Yami Gautam is the true find of this film, and her performance definitely should make filmmakers want to give her more serious roles and not just consider her as another pretty face. Overall ‘Lost’ is an average watch. I am going with 2.5 stars.