Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Aditya Shrivastava, Swanand Kirkire, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Padmavati Rao, Nishant Dahiya, Shreedhar Dubey, Shweta Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ila Arun.

Director: Honey Trehan

Rating: ***1/2

Remember the song Raat Akeli Hai from the evergreen Bollywood film 'Jewel Thief' which was melodious, seductive, flirtatious, fun but on the other side, Honey Trehan's Raat Akeli Hai is exactly opposite of this song. Raat Akeli Hai is not just a night when the earth revolves on its axis. Here in the film, it is a metaphorical figure whose images you see on every female character in this story. Every face is frightening, full of pain and clutters with so many questions.


The story starts when a Kanpur politician cum businessman Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji) gets shot at his wedding night in his bedroom. The case goes to inspector Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who suspects each family member, especially Raghubeer's widow Radha (Radhika Apte). Raghubeer's dysfunctional family is in no mood to spare Radha as they think that she murdered him but Inspector Jatil knows how to solve the mystery and perpetrate the crime. The story also flows in a parallel mode, where Jatil meets Radha for the very first time in a train while saving her. Now, will meeting her again after 5 years falter his judgment as a cop? Will he be able to see through the web of lies and expose the truth? Everything will be uncovered once you will watch this gripping tale.

Noted casting director Honey Trehan has donned the director's hat for the first time in this Agatha Christie styled investigative drama and he clearly has done justice with his first film. Story, screenplay, and dialogues by Smita Singh are much appreciable as her storyline will hooks you up and does not disclose the mystery till the end.


One of the strongest aspects of the film is the performance of all the characters, as it's not just easy to hide the mysterious secrets in a suspense-thriller. Talking about Nawazuddin's performance, then this guy just steals the show with his top-notch acting whereas Radhika adapts the perfect expression of a mistress and her eyes express her character's pain. Ila Arun (Nawaz's mother) suits best as a busy mother hunting a bride for her unmarried son.

After watching Aditya Shrivastava on the screen, there is always a question that revolves around the mind that why he doesn't get more projects in the Hindi film industry as he plays the role of a politician with perfection. Meanwhile, Tigmanshu Dhulia also delivers another notable performance this time again.

Background music by Karan Kulkarni also goes along with this mysterious drama film.

Overall, the whole story is about tackling personal and professional upheavals and displaying conflicting ideals between different characters. So, if you are a fan of the mystery-thriller genre then this '2 hours and 29 minutes' ride is full of thrill and detective riddles.