Thrillers have been Vikram Bhatt's forte and THREE - LOVE, LIES, BETRAYAL, scripted by Vikram Bhatt and directed by Vishal Pandya, takes the legacy forward. This time, it's a simple setting, involving three people. But it's not as simple as you think. The relationships are complicated, the characters are crooked and double crossing is almost a habit for this trio.Unpredictability is the strength of THREE. Also, the culmination should come as a jolt - that's a must that any suspense thriller - and the twist in the climax meets the requirements, catching you by surprise.
But THREE is not without its share of hiccups. The writing is not consistently engaging and also, the length could've been concise. Yet, all said and done, THREE is a notch above the ordinary.
THREE revolves around Anjini [Nausheen Ali Sardar], who is married, is also a violin teacher and runs the house with whatever she earns. Her husband, Rajeev [Akshay Kapoor], who has not been able to earn much, lives in her house and on her money, which is the reason for his anger and frustration.
Rajeev finally gathers the courage and asks her to sell her house and give him the money to invest in the business; she refuses as her house is her only connection with her parents, who are no more. She decides to help her husband and give one portion of her house on rent so that her husband can use the money for his business.Sanjay [Ashish Chowdhry] comes to stay in her house as a tenant and reads the tension between the couple. He sympathizes with her and in the process, she falls in love with him. Is Sanjay's love for real?
Not once do you feel while watching THREE that it's helmed by a first-time director. Right from the shot compositions to extracting the performances, the debutante director seems in control of the situation. But the writing could've been cohesive and more impactful.
For instance, the wife is subjected to domestic violence at two vital points, but not once does she report to the cops. The women of today are well aware of their rights and wouldn't cow down to any abuse. Also, the game of one-upmanship towards the end gets a bit complicated and could've been simplified.
Chirantan Bhatt's musical score is pleasant. Raju Rao's background score enhances the impact considerably. Pravin Bhatt's cinematography is truly arresting. The veteran DoP captures the beauty of Scotland on his lens admirably. The dialogues [Vikram Bhatt] deserve special mention.All three actors fit into their roles well. Nausheen Ali Sardar is a revelation. She's excellent all through. THREE should act as Ashish Chowdhry's showreel, frankly. He has gradually evolved into a fine actor and this film proves it. Akshay Kapoor enacts his part with complete understanding. He knows the grammar of acting right. Achint Kaur is first-rate. Wonder why film producers have ignored this talented actor for so long.
On the whole, THREE - LOVE, LIES, BETRAYAL is a well-made thriller, but it remains to be seen how it fares in the Ramzan period and also how it competes with simultaneous multiple releases.
