A powerful base that loses its way once it gets us close to the edge of the couch, Lost Reminds us that a good start is only half done. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury who gave us a tough fight pink, here sacrifices pace and poise to generate politically correct drama. For a film drawn from a real-life case to comment on the changing socio-political landscape, the message of hope in the end feels contrived.
Conveniently located in Kolkata, Lost Follows the quest of intrepid journalist Vidhi Sahni (Yami Gautam) to solve the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of theater activist Ishaan Bharti (Tushar Pandey).
Prima facie it seems to be a simple affair but as the layers unfold, we see how a girl’s ambition sabotages a relationship and becomes a political opportunity for a wily minister. A tale of two journalists, Ankita Chowdhary (Pia Bajpai) is an aspiring television journalist who is in love with Ishaan. But when she catches sight of powerful minister Varman (Rahul Khanna), their relationship starts showing cracks. She seeks political power and Varman assures everyone that the young activist has joined the Naxalite movement. Vidhi, however, feels otherwise. The reality is somewhere in between, but the path to it is somehow not as interesting as it seems. Some scenes are engaging and the performances persuasive, but they fail to cover up the flaws in the writing.
Afterwards Vicky DonorThis is perhaps the first film where Yami gets to play a wholesome character and the capable actor does not disappoint. Investigating the story with a strong human angle, she plays the part of a hard-hitting journalist who is at risk of becoming an activist.
Pankaj Kapur is aggressive as ever as his grandfather with a backbone. The scenes between Kapoor and Yami are full of affection and provide a strong moral underpinning to the narrative.
Rahul seems convincing as a two-faced politician and resembles some of our young politicians who have come straight out of a front-loading washing machine but carry layers of mud inside. Neil Bhoopalam has been typecast as an actor who plays second fiddle to career-oriented female protagonists. Piya also shows promise in a half-hearted morally ambiguous role but after a point, it seems like Anirudh has lost control of his characters and they go wherever they want. The jerks in the editing make it more obvious. Looks like the makers want to expose the mess without getting involved in it.
While the dramatic build-up to a big story creates interest and serves the script, it’s hard to believe that a news organization would hold onto an important story for so long because the method didn’t cover all angles of the mystery. Is. While the performances are convincing, the presentation of the news business is an idealistic one.
After the build-up, Anirudh is more interested in ticking the customary boxes for girls in the working environment, long distance relationships, journalism as a profession, and family pressures without integrating into the mainstream. They may serve the purpose of a daily soap, but don’t add much to a politically incisive narrative. By the time he comes back to the point, he’s lost the connection. It is only Yami who does not give up; She keeps knocking on someone’s conscience.
Lost is currently streaming on ZEE5