Berlin movie review: The film stars
Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh, Rahul Bose and others.
Berlin Movie Review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh Are Involved in Dodgy Pursuits Which Lead to Torture, Seduction, Blackmail, and Death.
Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death shows how production design takes the lead in creating a visually compelling yet narratively dull experience.
The core of Berlin is built around two men – Pushkin Verma, played by Aparshakti Khurana, and Ashok Kumar, portrayed by Ishwak Singh. Khurana’s Pushkin is an ordinary teacher at a deaf-mute institute, while Singh’s Ashok is a speech-and-hearing impaired individual suspected of being a foreign spy. As they navigate through their moral dilemmas and suspicions, the movie unfolds against a background of murky espionage.
While the story has all the right ingredients—spies, secrets, and suspense—the execution leaves much to be desired. In fact, Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death suggests that the film misses the essential thrill that spy films should deliver.
A key strength of Berlin lies in its production design. Director Atul Sabharwal and his team have crafted a world that perfectly reflects the grey, depressing atmosphere of Delhi in the early ‘90s. The gloomy winter days, with their overcast skies, set the tone for a film shrouded in mystery. The colour palette is intentionally drained of vibrancy, leaving the audience with a sense of cold detachment.
Even the setting of the Berlin café, supposedly tucked away in the iconic Connaught Place, is meticulously constructed to serve as a clearinghouse for secretive conversations and shady deals. Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death makes it clear that the production design is the real hero of this film, capturing the soulless nature of the espionage world it seeks to depict.
The performances in Berlin are solid, with Aparshakti Khurana and Ishwak Singh bringing depth to their roles. Khurana, with his everyman persona, convincingly portrays Pushkin Verma, whose name itself is a clever nod to the socialist era when Russian literature was widely available in India. Singh, on the other hand, excels as the vulnerable Ashok, a man trapped in a web of suspicion.
His expressive eyes do most of the talking, particularly in the scenes where he is interrogated. Yet, despite their strong performances, Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death highlights the absence of real tension in the film, a crucial element for any spy thriller.
Where Berlin falters is in its pacing and narrative structure. A spy film typically builds tension through a slow burn, with each layer of intrigue adding to the suspense. Unfortunately, Berlin struggles to achieve this, leaving the audience feeling disengaged. Even with the presence of accomplished actors like Rahul Bose as Sondhi, the head of the investigating team, and Kabir Bedi as the overarching chief, the characters lack the depth needed to make their actions impactful.
Anupriya Goenka, as a seductive Mata Hari-esque figure, and the rest of the ensemble are involved in various acts of torture, seduction, and blackmail, but these scenes fail to create the desired edge-of-your-seat feeling. As Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death reflects, there is no real sense of danger or impending doom, which is a critical shortcoming for a film in this genre.
The rivalry between local agencies, labelled as Wing and Bureau—presumably stand-ins for India's RAW and CBI—feels contrived. It lacks the punch that such inter-agency rivalries usually bring to spy narratives. Moreover, the assassination plot surrounding the Russian president’s visit, which serves as the film’s central event, never quite manages to grip the viewer. Even the interrogations and back-and-forth spy games between Pushkin and Ashok, which should have been rife with tension, come across as tepid. Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death effectively conveys the disappointment in the film’s failure to evoke any real suspense.
However, there are a few moments of brilliance scattered throughout Berlin. Joy Sengupta, in a brief role as a sharp-tongued bureaucrat discussing India’s liberalisation, leaves a lasting impression, as does the actor playing his daughter, who brings a touch of lightness to Pushkin’s otherwise bleak life.
These fleeting glimpses of wit and emotion, unfortunately, do little to uplift the overall mood of the film. As Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death suggests, these bright spots are not enough to make up for the film’s overarching dullness.
Berlin is a spy thriller that promises much but delivers little. While its production design is impeccable, and the performances of Aparshakti Khurana and Ishwak Singh are commendable, the film lacks the essential thrill and tension that defines the genre. The murky world of espionage, as depicted in Berlin, is one of shadowy pursuits, but instead of intrigue, it leaves the viewer feeling cold and detached.
As Berlin movie review: Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak Singh are involved in dodgy pursuits which lead to torture, seduction, blackmail, and death makes evident, the film is a missed opportunity to create a truly gripping spy narrative.
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