'Berlin' Review: A little slow, but full of fun thrills, Aparshakti Khurana, Ishwak's film

Story of the film 'Berlin'

The story is set in Delhi in 1993, where Jagdish Sodhi (Rahul Bose), the head of the Soviet desk of an intelligence agency called the 'Bureau', arrests a deaf and mute young man Ashok (Ishwak Singh) as a suspected spy and assassin. Ashok is accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate Russian President Boris Yeltsin during his visit to India in 1993. He is also accused of killing an Indian intelligence agent. Jagdish believes him to be a German spy.

Pushkin Verma (Aparshakti Khurana), a sign language expert and teacher at a school for the deaf and mute, is assigned to interrogate the deaf and mute Ashok. As Pushkin interrogates Ashok, he learns about the workings of spies, bureaucracy, politics and the dark truth of the rival detective department 'Wing'. Pushkin finds himself caught in a dangerous espionage conspiracy. But he begins to feel a strong connection with Ashok.

The rival detective agency 'Wing' uses him as bait, taking the interrogation to a sinister turn that even Pushkin had not imagined, but now Pushkin is determined to find out the truth about Ashok. Will he be able to find out the truth about Ashok or will he lose everything due to the rivalry between the two agencies? You will have to watch the film to find out.

Trailer of 'Berlin'

'Berlin' movie review

Writer-director Atul Sabharwal has earlier also shined in the web series 'Jubilee'. He has written and directed 'Midnight Lost and Found' and 'Aurangzeb'. Dark and intense drama is his style and he has maintained the same style in 'Berlin' as well. The interesting aspect of the film is the unfolding of suspense layer by layer. Although the pace of the film is a bit slow, its thriller style keeps the audience engaged.

For the past several years, we have been finding the world of espionage revolving around India-Pakistan. Atul Sabharwal has based the story on the country's intelligence agency and the web of internal politics under the pretext of a conspiracy to assassinate the Russian President. This brings novelty to the story. This aspect of Atul's story is also interesting – how these mute and deaf people are used to keep the secret conversations taking place in a coffee house called Berlin in Delhi confidential. The screenplay is complex, so you cannot miss some scenes in between, otherwise you may lose connection with the story.

Irene Dhar Malik's editing is tight. Cinematographer Shridatt Namjoshi's cinematography deepens the mystery. The background music is powerful. The climax of the film is shocking, but it ends very quickly.

All the actors are at their best in terms of acting. Ishwak Singh as Ashok has won hearts with his eyes and expressions in the role of a mute and deaf person. Aparshakti Khurana is getting better film by film. He has given an honest performance. His and Ishwak's chemistry and the bond between the characters touches the heart. It is interesting to see both the characters talking in sign language. Rahul Bose is impressive as Kaanya and a sharp detective. Kabir Bedi, Deepak Kazi and Anupriya Goenka have done justice to their small roles.

Why watch- This film can be watched by those who are fond of detective and thriller films and those who love powerful acting.