Unlocking the secrets of ‘Khufiya’
We humans are a bundle of paradoxes. We desire safety to avoid danger, yet we crave a full, adventurous life. We yearn for freedom, yet we seek the protection of higher authorities. We hunger for the truth, but often fear the full revelation. We wish to express ourselves freely, yet sometimes silence speaks volumes.
By now, it's no secret that the film Khufiya revolves around the mysterious world of secret services. Our curiosity is drawn to secrets, just as Adam and Eve were to the forbidden fruit. The rebel inside us resists authority, unaware that defiance may be part of the authority's grand design. As we delve into our curiosity, we realise that we have unwittingly become a part of a larger scheme, not intended for our amusement.
Based on Amar Bhushan's espionage novel Escape to Nowhere (2012), and deftly directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the latest Netflix sensation has compelled me to revisit the allure and peril of secrets. The film unveils a factual thread connecting Delhi's South Block to the hidden alleyways of Dhaka as well as to a smalltown in the US. Amar Bhushan's former role as head of the counter-espionage unit of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) lends unparalleled authenticity to his blend of fact and fiction. The film, with its surveillance operations, intrusions into private lives and complex stratagems, jolts us out of our comfort zone. Even the familiar Dhaka appears as an unfamiliar terrain, a credit to the cinematographer's use of soothing colours in the depiction of our capital city.
The story revolves around the mission of undercover diplomat Krishna Mehra, known by her initials, KM. Her mission is to apprehend a rogue agent responsible for the death of her contact in Dhaka. As a spy thriller, the film exposes the secret tools and mechanisms used to identify moles. The intricate web of cross-border and cross-agency intrigues pulls us into the clandestine world of espionage, where real-life events acquire new relevance.
At a time when India grapples with allegations of involvement in the assassination of a separatist activist in North America, the film's release is sure to capture attention. The timing is especially intriguing as the story unfolds against the backdrop of the early 2000s and the Kargil War. True to its title, Khufiya unveils many secrets. Character portrayals, such as the enigmatic political leader Brigadier Mirza and the socialite Heena, who is willing to trade secrets for her ailing father's treatment, reveal two facets of Bangladesh unknown to the common public.
The film both enlightens and confuses us. We do not know whether we are to read between the lines to make sense of Tabu's secret love (no pun intended) for her Bangladeshi asset, Heena, played by Azmeri Haque Badhon. It is perhaps better to limit the range of fiction to stop it from adding fuel to "the geopolitical chills." The film has local relevance before the national election as it harps on the familiar theme of fundamentalism. It also serves well in reminding us of the ideological divide that we have not been able to overcome in more than 52 years of our existence; a fact that makes us view nationalist politics in progressive and regressive terms.
The film can then be compared to a dog whistle; its message is understood by a particular group but eludes others. The sense of impending doom may influence political actors and their foreign allies, yet the film's ultimate celebration of motherly and "sisterly" love will bestow it with a more humane appeal.
The touching hidden love story of a stoic diplomat and a mother's unwavering fight for her son balance the intellectual elements of secret agents in the film. If your ears are attuned to love's melodies, you'll view the film as a tale of love and friendship. But if you have tuned into the world news channel, you'll discern how integrity is traded and loyalty becomes a pawn in a political chess game. You'll learn how everything is a commodity and can be purchased.
Frankly, the film left me disturbed. Vishal Bharadwaj, renowned for his skill in translating classics into cinematic art, has previously shown how Shakespearean themes can be adapted to contemporary Indian settings. He has earlier shown us how the theme of usurpation found in Shakespeare's Macbeth can be located in a Mumbai slum in Maqbool (2003). He has traced Shakespearean jealousy in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh in his adaptation of Othello into Omkara (2006). He completes his Shakespearean trilogy by characterising Hamlet as Haider (2014) in Kashmir, who is imbued with the rooh (spirit) of freedom and troubled by the killing of the rightful owner of the land. Khufiya is no exception; it demands that we delve beyond the spatial surface. We should also question the timing of its release and understand the motive.
The world is evolving into a perilous place where information is the ultimate currency. Access to such information can confer advantages on one group over another. How this information is employed, and for what purpose, is even more critical. A fictional film is an unlikely source of factual insight into our political and cultural reality. But when it does happen, we can no longer remain complacent. It invades our consciousness and gradually influences our decision-making abilities. The extent to which our minds are attuned to such frequencies will play a pivotal role. Lucky are those who would watch the film for its glamour and the breakthrough inclusion of a Bangladeshi actress in Bollywood. For others, the unlocked secrets of Khufiya may be quite disturbing.
Dr Shamsad Mortuza is professor of English at Dhaka University.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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