Lost Movie Review:  Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's movies carry a relaxed approach to stories with heightened emotions at the right moments. Given the tales he spins, this approach works as with the case in Pink or Antaheen (Endless). Lost too has a similar style of storytelling with an investigative thriller at the core of it. But it progressively starts losing steam ending on an underwhelming note. Lost Actor Yami Gautam Dhar Talks About How She Prepped For Her Crime Reporter Role.

Eshaan Bhat (Tushar Pandey) a theatre artist, goes missing in Kolkata and Vidhi Sahani (Yami Gautam), a crime reporter, decides to unearth the mystery for her publication. She is faced with several challenges in the form of Varman (Rahul Khanna), a young and influential politician, death threats and hostile witnesses. And one day,  when she manages to figure it all out, Vidhi is left betrayed.

To give credit where due, Lost  hooks you from the first scene. I am extremely impressed with the way the background of Eshaan to his disappearance is narrated by Yami Gautam to Pankaj Kapoor who plays her grandfather like a conversation over tea. That's a very Bengali way of narrating a story, be it a murder mystery or a fairy tale, slow, profound and effective. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury manages to portray that perfectly in this scene.

The buildup is extremely strong. As Vidhi keeps discovering newer details, you are more and more invested in it. So many years of watching thrillers have taught us that nothing is what it seems and that thought keeps you locked in the storyline. Unfortunately, that backfires after a while.

Lost is also one of the rare crime thrillers where the catchy buildup is failed by a dull end. Chowdhury perhaps wanted to treat it like Kahaani but forgot that the latter's biggest high was its climax. Don't expect a grand reveal at the end as that, it seems, is not the purpose of this movie.

As the first half wanes, Lost tries to pack too many commentaries on social issues. So there's the oppression of Dalits, police apathy, political manipulations, extremism, brainwashed youth and more. The problem is none of it is fleshed out well. It's as if the director is not sure which issue to prioritise.

What's even more hurtful is certain characters have no purpose in the film. Pankaj Kapur's Nanu is the quintessential grandfather in the family who sides with the protagonist regardless. That's all. Even when he is given a scene of merit, it's half-heartedly presented. The same is the case with Neil Bhoopalam's Jeet, Vidhi's partner. He becomes a token male character who finds it difficult to align with the demands of his wife's job. Even Kaushik Sen, one of the most talented and brilliant actors in the Bengali Film Industry, gets a raw deal. Yami Gautam: I Was Lost After the Success of My First Film Vicky Donor.

Watch the trailer of Lost

Yami Gautam is the star of the film. She has grown leaps and bounds as an actress. Subtlety is her strength here. Pankaj Kapur is fun to watch but deserves so much more. Kaushik Sen and Neil Bhoopalam are wasted. Rahul Khanna is a complete misfit.

Yay!

-Brilliant buildup

-Yami Gautam

Nay!

-Too many subplots

-not well flashed-out plots

-characters wasted

Final Thoughts

It's a shame that a film like Lost which shows amazing promise in the first half is treated with such a jaded end. Still watch it for Yami Gautam. Lost streams on Zee5.

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2023 09:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).