Raat Akeli Hai (2020) User Reviews

Dark Murder Mystery...Indian Cinema is Evolving..!!!

[chaudharysaab13 · 8/10 · 31 July 2020]

Indian cinema has undergone transition recently. Recognition of character actors, experimenting directors and writers has brought a long awaited pleasant change. The movie is a great representation of all that.

Positives: Solid casting, no big names yet powerful and suitable actors chosen. Nawazuddin, Radhika, Tigmanshu and many more are all one of the finest actors in India and they definitely deliver a punch. Story although a bit Poirotesque but still beautifully written. The slow build culminating into a big finale is crafted with precision. May be inspired by Agatha Christie's style where everyone is a suspect, but still the suspense is created and kept me guessing till the very end. The curtain raiser we had, I never saw it coming. The love story woven into a murder mystery may sound Bollywoodish but that doesn't derail the plot.

Negatives: The songs had no place in the movie and seemed a bit out of place. They tried to do Gangs of Wasseypur here by even going with off beat and classical lyrics, but things did not click.

Conclusion: Good thriller and a right step into right direction by Indian cinema. Time to recognise good actors and movie-plots rather than going for spicy formula and celebrity actors.

More Than Just A Murder Mystery

[MandalBros-5 · 8/10 · 31 July 2020]

From the trailer you can assume that this is a whodunnit thriller, But after watching the film you'll realise that it is more than a murder mystery. The casting is so strong that there is nothing to say about it's acting performence.

Debutant director Honey Trehan has done a very good job in his first film. Cinematography by Pankaj Kumar and music of Sneha Khanwalkar is undoubtedly exceptional.

The only problem of the film is it's duration. It could be well edited. Otherwise it's a fine experiment.

Available on Netflix.

© MandalBros.

Nawazuddin's Knives out

[Quirk47 · 7/10 · 1 August 2020]

The Screenplay is too slow in First hour but it picks up pace later. Story is quite routine but the way it develops makes it interesting. Nawazuddin is too good. Radhika Apte did well. People in Large mansions have too many secrets. Mystery and suspense maintained well. Rest other characters are okay! Give it a quick watch. Recommended. Interesting one !

Content we want from Bollywood !! Just mind blowing !!

[ranjanjha-32547 · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

Nawazuddin and Radhika!! Two gems of Bollywood and their chemistry is must watch , Awesome acting and story , best Dark crime mystery drama !!

Netflix's Indian original content has been rescued.

[gogoirahul-53359 · 7/10 · 31 July 2020]

After some awful series and films, Netflix India at least has provided us a watchable movie. Not a great one. Yet watchable.

Good effort from a novice director.

[Fella_shibby · 8/10 · 7 August 2020]

The film is good n a much needed one cos its rare to find a film noir and whodunit in Bollywood nowadays. But the character development was not done properly. Some scenes were also not edited well. The scene where the cop Nandu chases a guy n then suddenly the old woman pops up outta nowhere. How she managed to track the guy n where cop Nandu disappeared aft that. The murder involved some big names but our cop is able to extract the file of an old case jus like that. Aft that he is able to connect the vehicle's parts with the henchman again jus like that. Too many plot holes but i am generous with an 8 cos of Nawaz n the director's effort of giving Bollywood a much needed film noir. Fans of Agatha Christie n the recent Knives Out and Highway may b able to predict. And by the way they got one twisted n sick character.

Raat Akeli Hai: Dark SlowBurn Engaging

[soumyalal2 · 7/10 · 31 July 2020]

First of all welcome Radhika apte ;) Netflix been hit hard by amazon prime and other platforms this year. The 1st good indian content from netflix was Bulbbul and now Raat Akeli Hai. No doubt this is a one man show i.e. Nawaz bhai. He single handedly run this movie he had 90% of the screen time. Radhika apte done fanastic work. Other casts such as Nishant , Shivani ,Shweta played their really well. Movie is slow 20 to 30 mins less would have been good. This is a single time watch thriller.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui does it again.

[bethelkarthak-01085 · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

What a phenomenal actor. Nawaz bhai is the living example for the industry to prove that you don't have to be a body builder or anything like that to be successful. Anyway sacred games still tops the list... Love to Nawazuddin Siddiqui from sikkim India... God bless...

A good one time watch thriller

[AbhiSh4ke · 7/10 · 31 July 2020]

Good to see something worthwhile come from Netflix India after such a long while. Movie is a good thriller with decent pacing and realistic characters noting over the top. Performances are perhaps what saves this movie Nawazuddin, Radhika, Ila Arun,Tigmanshu & aditya Srivastava bring life to their characters.Shweta, Nishant & shivani should've had more screen time. Only drawback is script which I thought was somewhat patchy and could've been better written. Also Netflix needs to come out of its sacred games hangover and explore other ideas.

TlDr: One time watch thriller with good performance & okaish script.

Tension does weaken at times but interesting overall

[ronakkotian · 6/10 · 1 August 2020]

I love murder mystery films and this film does manage to keep your attention whilst giving an interesting insight into the nature of men and women.

Raat Akeli Hai follows Jatil Yadav, a police officer who investigates the murder of the patriarch of a wealthy family.

It may sound like Knives Out and the film does have a few similarities to it but Raat Akeli Hai is certainly different in terms its tone and themes. For the most part, this film is engaging. Debutant director Honey Trehan does manage to keep the audience interested but it does run into a few bumps along the way. There are some scenes sprinkled with humour here and there but for the most part there is a dark feeling to the film. Pankaj Kumar, who did the cinematography for Tumbbad, does a good job here especially during a scene that takes place under a bridge.

Smita Singh's script is interesting as she questions the nature of men and the treatment of women and it's done in a way that's not preachy which is commendable. The main problems lie in the editing. It's a 2 hour 30 minute film and at places the tension does dilute. What really annoyed me were the song placements as they really weakened the intensity and tension. If a couple more minutes were trimmed off, then the pacing would feel faster.

The ensemble cast is solid. Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers another fabulous performance. Ila Arun provided more of the humourous scenes and worked well with Siddiqui. Radhika Apte was great. Aditya Shrivastav and Tigmanshu Dhulia did well and Padmavati Rao is terrific. The rest of the supporting cast also do a good job.

Raat Akeli Hai is definitely not perfect but it's a decent attempt at a whodunnit and Honey Trehan is a promising director.

Meh...

[BingeKing477 · 5/10 · 2 August 2020]

Premise of the movie is good. Acting is mainly very good specially from Nawaz

But, the writing and direction is where the film loses it. Being a murder mystery, it plays out less like a murder mystery but, more like a policeman who is just running around threatening people and having an affair with one of the suspects.

There is no systematic approach to the investigation. Not once the crime scene is shown in full clarity. The investigator doesn't even search the house properly for any clues. He is just talking to people of the house and delivering great dialogues. How the investigator reaches his conclusion is also not very clear. Just looks like a bunch of scenes put together, and out of the blue he has it all figured out.

Poorly written murder mystery

Knives out inspired

[rish2006 · 6/10 · 1 August 2020]

It's a one time watch. The content is good but is unnecessarily stretched to 2 and a half hours as this suspense thriller story could easily fit into 2 hours. Also, there is nothing new and many similar murder mystery films like these made have been made earlier.

Twisty and compulsively watchable

[smr2112 · 8/10 · 31 July 2020]

Twisty and compulsively watchable, even though it is convoluted in parts and way too long. But an excellent story and pitch perfect performances, particularly from Siddique and Apte, raises its bar.

Raat akeli hai for lockdown time

[ksr-91822 · 6/10 · 5 August 2020]

Ronnie Screwala is shrewd busInessman. He knows that names of Nawazuddin and Radhika Apte are bigger names in OTT and he just made money in this using their names. Nawazuddin is dependable as always but Radhika apte looked lost. Many viewed just on their names. Grippingly told but holes in story narration and screenplay. Too predictable typecasting - local MLA is bad, DIG/ SSP are always corrupt, a pistol / revolver will have end less bullets. A granny in a wig portrayed as lost soul and memory suddely springs to life, walks over to baddie's den and pours petrol and sets him on fire. Many characters walk in and walk out as easily as inspector walks into any ones home at point of time most of times in dark lantern/torch light. The end is lifted straight from Sholay where Dharmendra and Hema malini happily meet in railway coach. Anyway lockdown time, 3 hours time pass rather killed 3 hours.

Pure Murder mystry

[maitysagnik · 8/10 · 31 July 2020]

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Radhika at their best.. But the main hero is screenplay. And Awesome cinematography... Every one have their own dark secret..

Not a perfect Muder Mystery but not boring either

[cseabhi · 6/10 · 7 September 2020]

This was an average movie and not completely worthy of the praise this is reciving. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as always delivers a powerful performance and as Jatil Yadav he looked damn convincing. Radhika Apte is good too and so is Tigmanshu Dhulia and other supporting cast but the pace of the movie is slow and does not bind the audience completely.

The suspense and tension looses it steam midway. This could have been a great suspense thriller if the makers could have sliced at least 20-30 minutes of the movie. This is definately a long movie.

Must watch movie

[dipikasingh-64599 · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

Plss go and watch it .. i love this movie . And solve the murder mystery. Its fantastic murder mystery.

A well-cooked murder mystery that works due to its performances and screenplay! [+69%]

[arungeorge13 · 7/10 · 12 August 2020]

There's plenty to like about Raat Akeli Hai - the incredibly detailed screenplay, the solid performances from the ensemble (led by a superb Nawazuddin Siddiqui), the cinematography (by Pankaj Kumar, of Tumbbad fame), the statement it makes on inherent patriarchy that runs in a wealthy-but-dysfunctional family, and the way everything neatly ties up in the end. Nawaz is in top form here, and as Jatil Yadav (a desi incarnation of Detective Hercule Poirot), he impresses.

The film starts off with two murders that take place five years apart. The plot moves forward at its own sweet pace, giving insights into the general uneasiness at Raghubeer Singh's household, the elaborate mansion and its secretive inhabitants. Jatil and his mother often have offhand conversational arguments about his impending marriage and how he has given up on finding a life partner. When someone rejects him for his dark complexion, he immediately gets defensive about it and question's the girl's attire.

With her sharp writing, Smita proves that Jatil is cut from the same patriarchal cloth as most other men in the film. Just because he's the protagonist, it doesn't mean that he can't be flawed. But his outlook towards strong, opinionated women changes as the story progresses. In fact, he falls for one too. Enter the conventional damsel-in-distress Radha (the slain Raghubeer's mistress-turned-wife; played by Radhika Apte) who, we get to know, has history with Jatil. Smita Singh's screenplay doesn't overlook the little details around the crime scene. In short, it never takes you for granted - that's one quality I appreciate in my whodunnits.

Raat Akeli Hai remains a whodunnit from beginning to end but diverges into a few subplots in the latter half. The grip starts to loosen with what seems to be a case of "too many suspects" and "too many connections to the crime". Thankfully, the final half-hour is where all the dots connect quite convincingly. And it takes a much-needed dig at toxic masculinity while at it.

We need more directors like Honey Trehan.

[alvinsilvester1995 · 9/10 · 31 July 2020]

For starters it resembles alot with "Knives Out" but then it's more than that. What "Lunchbox" made us feel I'm sure this must have the same impact. And I don't need to say anything about the cast, it's that obvious.

Even with a thin plotline, Raat Akeli Hai is an enjoyable watch primarily due to the sterling lead performances of Siddiqui and Apte!

[nidhunmoviebuff · 7/10 · 4 August 2020]

#MovieReview #RaatAkeliHai #Netflix #NawazuddinSiddiqui #RadhikaApte #Bollywood #SpoilerFree

Raat Akeli Hai from debutant director Honey Trehan is an engaging watch primarily die to the compelling performances of its two leads-Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte.

Although the plot runs thin towards the end and ends along predictable lines, the viewer remains glued till the climax purely due to sincerity and authenticity imbued into their roles by these two sterling performers.

Siddiqui is in superb form as the overtly over-confident and brutish inspector Jatil Yadav, who is secretly very insecure and vulnerable especially when it comes to his looks.

Apte is terrific as Radha, the mistress turned widow of a wealthy old Thakur whose murder triggers the investigation that forms the crux of the movie.

Don't watch it as a murder mystery but as a pure dramatic experience and you won't be disappointed!

Special mention of Aditya Srivastava and Padmavati Rao who are simply brilliant in the supporting roles of MLA Munna Raja and the Thakur matriarch Pramila Singh respectively.

A mediocre murder mystery which requires patience

[Peter_Young · 5/10 · 9 October 2022]

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.

Inspired by Hollywood some where ?

[shashankpatel-37369 · 7/10 · 4 August 2020]

A movie circling around the murder of a powerful man. Nawaz was as usual fabulous. He is shown as a police inspector who does anything he could to get to the roots of the whole conspiracy. Real roots of the murder lies back in the past and the directors and writers has done a good job for keeping the secret alive until the last moments. But you have to watch it constantly and closely in order to see where the movie is going, may be because there are too many characters..I guess. Overall a good conspiracy theory, equally supported by nice acting.

🔥 Must watch .......

[jsubhadey · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

When 2 gems like Nawazuddin and Radhika were casted,the destiny of this dark thriller was already written...bdw the movie is marvelous with various twists...a complete entertainment with strong story,acting,scripts and thrill...A must watch.

Good watch

[sayanti-09036 · 7/10 · 1 August 2020]

It's a good crime thriller but the romance angle was unnecessary.

Social Drama warped with Thriller

[souvikriju · 10/10 · 31 July 2020]

Released in Netflix today. Just Watched it and loved the film.

This is a thriller specifically Who done it thriller but it gives a strong message about male dominated situation of society, and about the violence against the women in our society. So it is kind of a SOCIAL DRAMA warped by A THRILLER. Which is kind of a new or Unusual approach. Also the Dark Comedy of the film was so enjoyable.

Thriller portion is very engaging. Whole Cinema has a Dark Tone Which was awesome.Cinematography is also superb. It is the first feature film of director as a debutant his direction is also very good.

Now coming to the best section Which is acting. Nawaz is outstanding as Inspector Jatil Jadav. His charecter has some complexions and layers. Also Radhika Apte & others are too good. Only negetive points are, there are some loopholes in the screenplay and a bit stretched. But performances completely covered those.

It is a must watch for those who likes good content.