Having premiered in late June on ZEE5 Global, “Rautu Ka Raaz” is the latest movie on the OTT platform. The film is directed by Anand Surapur and stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Inspector Deepak Negi. We follow Inspector Negi in his investigation into the suspicious death of the warden of the school for the blind located in the picturesque mountain village of Rauti Ke Beli in Uttarakhand. Framed by luscious mountains the mystery quietly unfolds in a laidback manner.
The film opens by presenting us with the main mystery of the film: who killed warden Sangeeta Nihau of the local school for the blind? The rag-tag team of police officers led by Siddiqui’s Negi seems rather relaxed about the investigation. They’re more concerned with having the day off or going on an outing than digging deeper into the crime. But this unlikely group and Negi, who as it turns out is quite good at his job when he applies himself, eventually get around to making headway into the investigation. Negi however, is frequently plagued by visions of his past which haunt him. As expected, by the film’s conclusion the mystery has been untangled. But I will leave the resolution of the investigation for you to find out for yourself.
We as the audience follow along as little by little the pieces of the puzzle, that is what exactly happened to the warden of the school, come together. In a little under two hours, the filmmakers crafted a compelling mystery which still matches the relaxed vibe of the serene mountain town of Rauti Ke Beli. The film is filled with transition shots of the beautiful views of the mountains engulfing the village, which beautiful to watch. The mystery itself is quite well written too. Even when it seems everything has been resolved the writers keep surprising us until the end. Furthermore, as someone who is not a big fan of gore and suspense, this mystery “thriller,” if one could even categorise it as that, is suitable for viewers who want the brain-turning allure of mysteries without having to subject oneself to graphic violence and jump scares. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as expected, excels once again as he leads this cast. The ensemble of police officers especially is a delight to watch as they bring the right amount of comedy to balance out the seriousness of the investigation. It was also nice to see the focus being a school for blind underprivileged children, and that the casting of the students accurately represents the characters they are embodying.
Despite the aforementioned praise, “Rautu Ka Raaz” is not without it’s shortcomings which without could have elevated it to the next level. The pacing and tone established in the first half of the film, that initially works to its advantage, start to drag in the second half. The action slowly concludes without much fanfare, which was to be expected because of the relaxed nature of the story, yet could have been handled in a way that would have been more satisfying. The colourful cast of supporting characters that make up Negi’s investigation team, who were a delight to watch, are then relegated to the sidelines. It would have been an interesting addition to see more of them and explore how the team as a whole worked and supported Negi. Even though Siddiqui’s character Deepak Negi was the lead and we were shown some brief snippets of his personal struggles and past trauma, these moments felt superficial. They did little to fully round out his character, thus cheapening his character’s arc.
Nevertheless, the film is an enjoyable watch for a cosy night in. Tag along with Negi and his team as the mystery in the village of Rauti Ke Beli unravels, and see if you can catch the clues of who murdered the school’s warden before Negi can.
“Rautu Ka Raaz” is now streaming on ZEE5 Global
Written by Dafne Mistrangelo
