Bollywood
Khufiya Web Review: Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi Deliver Remarkable Performances In This Gripping Thriller
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Tabu, Ali Fazal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Atul Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, Azmeri Haque, Shataf Figar
Where: Streaming on Netflix
Rating: 3.5 stars
Based on author Amar Bhushan’s Escape To Nowhere, Khufiya, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj is a tense, suspense-filled thriller that encapsulates a RAW agent’s strive to uncover the mole in her unit, when his dangerous intentions lead to a mysterious murder of another colleague.
Tabu plays Krishna Mehra, a clever move by director Vishal Bhardwaj to flip the gender of his principal protagonist. Mehra is torn between her duty towards her country and her inexplicable, unconditional feelings towards her colleague, whom she has lost to the hands of the enemy, because a fellow agent in her own unit has been leaking out key secrets that concern national security, at large.
Her suspicions lead her to track down the movements of fellow agent Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal), who is otherwise your average Joe living the perfect family life with wife Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi), their little son and his aged mother.
Bhardwaj’s direction masterfully ensures that the audience is engaged in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase between Mehra and her suspects. Tabu easily delivers another knockout performance in the film, which is frankly, expected by her ardent fans. Using her expressive eyes to her advantage, she walks the tightrope act between playing a shrewd officer who is watchful while also dealing with her own demons, which include a failed marriage, shaky parenting and unfulfilled love. But it’s also Wamiqa’s moment to deliver another effective performance, exactly a week after she starred in Bhardwaj’s Charlie Chopra And The Mystery Of Solang Valley. This is clearly the young actress’ year. Wamiqa’s act as Charu could easily be reduced to a fly-on-the-wall in the hands of a lesser director. But with able guidance by the Bhardwaj, Wamiqa does a fine act between playing a woman who loves her stolen moments of embracing her sensuality but also being uninhibited when it comes to displaying hurt and vulnerability. Ali is an effective casting choice to play Ravi because his effortless charm can trick you into disbelieving that he is capable of possible harm. Atul Kulkarni and Ashish Vidyarthi offer heft to their respective roles. A word of appreciation is also reserved for Azmeri Haque who plays Mehra’s fellow agent Heena Rehman. She holds an arresting presence in her brief scenes with Tabu. Shataf Figar as Brigadier Mirza proves that he is an apt casting choice when it comes to portraying a commanding man in uniform.
Written by Bhardwaj and Rohan Narula, Khufiya benefits from a reliable source material in Bhushan’s novel. With espionage and global terror as its backdrop, the film offers a complex take on the challenging lives that intelligence agents across the world face and how it affects their personal and mental well-being.
Yet another worthwhile offering by Bhardwaj, which makes for a perfect weekend binge. The film can be viewed on Netflix.
Bollywood
Mini Mathur calls ‘Alliance’ the best digital detox experiences of her life: Had so much fun

Mumbai: Mini Mathur, the winner of the reality show ‘Alliance’, called it the best digital detox experience of her life. She shared that she did not miss her phone at all during her time in the show.
Mini said that, given it was her first experience of a reality show, she was surprised that she ended up having so much fun.
The ‘Mind the Malhotras’ actress was asked, “This was your first reality show, while many contestants had years of experience in this space. How challenging was the learning curve in the beginning, and what surprised you the most?”
Mini believes that the fact that she did not enter the show with any preconceived notion ended up working in her favour.
“I did not come with the sole intention of winning. Of course, I did not come to lose either, but my focus was simply to enjoy every challenge and give it my best. I think people connected with that enthusiasm,” she added.
Explaining her strategy for ‘Alliance’, Mini added, “Many people told me that reality shows are all about creating drama, speaking to the cameras, and manufacturing conflicts. But I never wanted to be known for that. I wanted people to see me exactly as I am—authentic. That is how I played the game.”
Talking about her learning curve, she said, “The learning curve lasted through the first couple of weeks. Fortunately, many contestants were also new to reality television, so we were all learning together. That made the environment much more comfortable because there were fewer preconceived ideas.”
Mini also revealed how the show unexpectedly turned out to be a fun experience for her, also becoming the best digital detox of her life.
“What surprised me the most was how much fun I ended up having. I honestly thought I would come out mentally exhausted, physically drained, and probably needing therapy. Instead, I came out feeling sharper, more focused, and fitter than I have felt in a very long time,” she concluded.
Bollywood
Catherine Zeta-Jones says ‘You are everything to me’ as son Dylan turns a year older

Los Angele : Hollywood star couple Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’ son Dylan turned a year older on Saturday, and celebrating his special day, the actress penned a heartfelt birthday wish for her son on social media.
Catherine posted a few throwback photographs of Dylan over the years on her Instagram handle, expressing her immense love for him in an emotional birthday wish that read, “Happy Birthday to my son Dylan!!!!! You are everything to me and you bring such joy to my life. Have a wonderful new year ahead sweetheart and thank you for all those thus far. @dylan__douglas I (red heart emoji) U (sic).”
Douglas and Zeta-Jones started dating back in 1999, and the lovebirds exchanged wedding vows in 2000. The couple has been blessed with two children – son Dylan Michael and daughter Carys Zeta.
In April, as Carys turned 23, both Douglas and Zeta-Jones dropped lovely birthday notes for their daughter.
Douglas uploaded a picture of himself with his daughter on a red carpet, and penned, “Happy Birthday Carys! May YOUR new year bring you joy and inspiration. All the love in the world! @carys.douglas Dad.”
Carys commented on the post saying, “Thank you Dadda I love you so so much.”
Zeta-Jones also shared a couple of old pictures of her daughter, along with the text, “Happy Birthday Carys! May today and all days be a special as you. I love you. Mama.”
Carys replied in the comment section saying, “Thank you my dear Mamma I love you so.”
Work-wise, in February, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she will once again be seen as the enigmatic Morticia Addams in the third Season of the acclaimed show, ‘Wednesday’, which is expected to premiere on Netflix in July 2027.
Featuring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, the latest season of the drama promises to be the darkest chapter of the story yet.
Bollywood
Salman Khan shares emotional reunion with ‘bada bhai’ Sanjay Dutt, says ‘Allah, Bhagwan, Jesus keep him happy’

Mumbai, Aug 1: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan treated fans to heartwarming pictures of his reunion with his longtime friend Sanjay Dutt.
Sharing an emotional note celebrating their bond, Salman expressed his heart out in the wee hours of Saturday.
Taking to his social media account, Salman dropped two pictures of him warmly hugging Sanjay Dutt. In the first picture, the two actors are seen hugging each other, at what seems to be at Sanjay Dutt’s house.
The second picture captures the same image but from the camera angle of Sanjay Dutt being more in focus.
Sharing the pictures, Salman wrote, “Babaaaa for ever baba aur baba, baba hota hai. Sanju baba hai hum sab ka baba n Sanju baba now apne bacchon ka baba, mera bada bhai Sanjay Dutt, Allah, Bhagwan Jesus sab iss Aadhmi ko khush rakhain, I love you Baba.”
The post received love from Sanjay Dutt’s wife Maanayata Dutt, who commented, ” brothers for life.” Sanjay’s daughter Trishala Dutt also dropped a string of pink heart emoticons in the comments section.
Talking about Salman and Sanjay’s bond, they have shared one of Bollywood’s most enduring friendships and have also collaborated on many films over the years. The duo has appeared together in “Saajan” released in 1991, followed byb”Chal Mere Bhai” in 2000.
Both movies went on to become superhits. While Saajan starred Madhuri Dixit as the lead heroine, Chal Mere Bhai starred Karisma Kapoor.
For the uninitiated, both Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt hail from respected Bollywood families.
Salman Khan is the son of legendary writer Salim Khan and Sanjay Dutt is the son of legends Sunil Dutt and Nargis.
On the work front, Salman will next be seen in “Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace” based on the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
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