Okay, I expected a lot from this film considering it had Nawazuddin Siddiqui who's one actor I like, and the premise looked quite promising as well. But the film just doesn't have the ability to captivate and keep you on the edge of your seat just as films of this genre should. I found myself struggling to like it more than I actually did. The film is well-shot, no doubt, and the acting is very good by one and all, but the story is lacking that very basic element of suspense, and it is due to the very confused script, which lacks freshness and is really all over the place.
The film is so laden with different characters that it really takes time to adjust to it, and sadly most of them are not very interesting. Yes, in a way the characters are supposed to be a bunch of psychos or monsters, or both, but everything feels stereotypically forced and there are many corny plot elements and random clichés that are typical to the genre. I think an original film should have tried to be more innovative in the script itself. The twists and turns are few and far between and even just as a story, I wasn't involved much with what was going on.
This is not to say the film is completely unwatchable. As mentioned above, the photography is terrific. The music is nice, but the setting is a little too dim and messy, which isn't a problem in and of itself, but in such a dark film one would expect some gloss and glamour to balance the grim subject matter. That said, Raat Akeli Hai boasts of not only high production values, but great acting. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is excellent all through, and Radhika Apte is obviously real and conflicted. Ila Arun makes a great appearance. They all deserved a better film though.
The film is so laden with different characters that it really takes time to adjust to it, and sadly most of them are not very interesting. Yes, in a way the characters are supposed to be a bunch of psychos or monsters, or both, but everything feels stereotypically forced and there are many corny plot elements and random clichés that are typical to the genre. I think an original film should have tried to be more innovative in the script itself. The twists and turns are few and far between and even just as a story, I wasn't involved much with what was going on.
This is not to say the film is completely unwatchable. As mentioned above, the photography is terrific. The music is nice, but the setting is a little too dim and messy, which isn't a problem in and of itself, but in such a dark film one would expect some gloss and glamour to balance the grim subject matter. That said, Raat Akeli Hai boasts of not only high production values, but great acting. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is excellent all through, and Radhika Apte is obviously real and conflicted. Ila Arun makes a great appearance. They all deserved a better film though.