'Khufiya' trailer: Tabu sets her eyes on 'mole' Ali Fazal
The trailer of the spy thriller Khufiya was released on Monday. Directed, written, and produced by Vishal Bhardwaj, it will be released on Netflix on October 5. It features an ensemble cast featuring Tabu, Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Wamiqa Gabbi, Shataf Figar, and international actors Alexx O'Nell and Azmeri Haque Badhon. Going by the trailer, it'll be a story of betrayal against the nation.
Why does this story matter?
Khufiya marks Bhardwaj's third project of 2023 after the short film Fursat and the series Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley. Before these, Bhardwaj's last full-length feature film directorial was Pataakha (2018). Khufiya reunites Bhardwaj with Tabu, whom he has directed earlier in Maqbool and Haider; she also starred in his son Aasmaan Bhardwaj's debut directorial Kuttey in January 2023.
The trailer hints at betrayal by a close one
In the trailer—which spans over two minutes—we repeatedly hear allusions to the classic story of Julius Ceaser, who was infamously betrayed and stabbed by his close friend and confidant, Brutus. Here, Brutus refers to Fazal, who is suspected of betraying India by selling the top secrets of R&AW. Tabu, who plays intelligence officer Krishna Mehra, is tasked with catching him.
The drama draws its story from a novel
Khufiya is based on Amar Bhushan's espionage novel Escape to Nowhere, which was reportedly inspired by real-life incidents surrounding the Indian intelligence agencies. The film's official description is, "Krishna Mehra is an operative at Indian spy agency known as R&AW. She is assigned to track down the mole selling India's defense secrets while grappling with her dual identity as a spy and a lover."
It's not like a regular spy thriller: Tabu
Tabu earlier told PTI, "The film is Vishal's dear project, which was conceptualized long back but couldn't happen. Then the pandemic happened, which is when it picked up again. We were casting for it during COVID-19. It's the world of intelligence, agents, and espionage but not like a regular spy thriller." Notably, Bhardwaj made changes to the lead protagonist's character to specifically cast Tabu.
