'Forensic' movie review: An engaging thriller

Forensic (2022)

Hindi (ZEE5)

Directed by: Vishal Furia

Cast: Radhika Apte, Vikrant Massey, Prachi Desai, Subrat Dutta, Rohit Roy, Vindu Singh Randhawa

Rating: 3/5

The Birthday killer is on the loose in picturesque Mussoorie and 'no nonsense' cop Megha (Radhika Apte) and impeccable forensic surgeon (who can drive like Jason Bourne when the script needs him to) Johnny (Vikrant Massey) are brought together to solve the case.

'Forensic', directed by Vishal Furia, is a suspense thriller that is not entirely convincing but it engages enough to believe in its world. Until the midpoint, the viewer may feel that they are ahead of the game as enough information to create this illusion. But half way in, the carpet is swept from under our feet.

Young girls go missing on their birthdays and surface dead a few days later. The duo that is appointed to solve the mystery (Apte and Massey) were in a relationship.

Megha’s sister was married to Johnny’s brother Abhay (Rohit Roy). They had two children, one of them died a few years ago and their mother died a few days later. Megha blames Abhay for these deaths and won’t let his daughter Anya see him. This intensifies her conflict with Johnny. Prachi Desai plays a child psychologist and steals the show.

Vikrant Massey is charismatic as ever. Some of his mannerisms are animated but fortunately he sheds them as the movie progresses. Unusually, Radhika Apte fails to fully embody the character but her performance is adequate for the film's zone.

The film accurately portrays forensic procedure but shifts to the realm of fantasy while depicting psycho therapy. The run time of two hours and 14 minutes is apt. No time is wasted for exposition. The story unfolds as the action escalates. Songs usually bog down thrillers but 'Belagaam', sung by Mikka Singh and Nikita Gandhi, energizes an already engaging sequence. Character actors Subrata Dutta and Vindhu Randhava try to provide comic relief but the jokes don't land.The chemistry between Apte and Massey is the fun factor.

The 'big reveal' at the end is a bit far-fetched. Some may even find it problematic. If you’re looking for moderately enjoyable content to pass the time and are not bothered by loopholes, then 'Forensic' is a good watch.