Review: 'Lost' has Yami Gautam once again proving her mettle while being a soul-searching tale

Lost review

Following Pink, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury raised the threshold for excellent and fearless storytelling with "Pink," and now he offers up another another intriguing thriller, "Lost," which explores important pillars and social themes. The same is true of Yami Gautam, who is currently soaring high following her performance in "A Thursday" as the movie's leading lady. Having had the chance to watch the collaborative effort of Annirudha and Yami, this is what I think about the film.

The Plot

The Kolkata-based tale Lost is based on real-life events. It recounts  the story of a tenacious young crime reporter who is seeking answers regarding the mysterious disappearance of Ishaan, a young theatre activist. The city police in Kolkata are eager to paint Ishan's disappearance as a case of Maoist radicalization when he becomes untraceable there. The story unfolds further with other political elements and Ishaan's girlfriend Ankita coming in the picture and a crime journalist from the city, Vidhi (Yami Gautam), intends to see this case through to the end. 

Annirudha's packaging

The director, jumps immediately into Vidhi's captivating quest to investigate all conceivable perspectives and sources in order to comprehend her story. The storyline and the screenplay does end up having loose ends, making the 2 hour watch a little draaged.  The first half in particular feels a little weak.  The second half, though, is where things get engaging as feels like the tension is heading someplace.

The Main Theme Getting Lost

Lost attempts to explore too many aspects but misses the mark of doing any of them justice. There are references to corporate sexism, entrenched patriarchy, systemic corruption, marital problems, and naxal terror. In one of the sequences, Vidhi's disapproving parents refer to criminal journalism as the "mardon wali field." There is also an ideological conflict over how journalists and extremists both attempt to "manipulate" the facts by portraying their version of an event and its repercussions as fact. While all of them seem appropriate for the story, they also become loose ends for the screenplay. 

The Performances

After A Thursday, Yami Gautam delivers with Lost once again. She firmly grounds it  demonstrates her tenacity as Vidhi. She portrays her role without trying to overdo any of the ideals she represents. She definitely carries the film on her shoulders and makes a mark.

Pankaj Kapur (Nanu) as always pours out his kindness and calm demenour for the character. Pankaj Kapur and Yami Gautam have some really wholesome scenes and banters that are heartwarming. Rahul Khanna is great and makes a lasting impression as the slick, dishonest politician. Pia Bajpayee as Ankita and Tushar Pandey as Ishaan also leave their mark.

The Dialogues, Setting and BGM

The movie does have some strong and remarkable dialogues. In the end Yami Gautam narrates a story with a beautiful message that is heart touching. It goes like, "Us andhere mai kisi khidki ke khulne ki ahat mujhe mili hai, chaand ki roshni sach ki tara baadlo se jhaakne lagi hain. Saaf, ujli roshni jo zindagi main bharosa jagati hain."

With a sepia tone infiltrating every frame, cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay has expertly portrayed the vintage charm of Kolkata. The film's score maintains the suspense high, and Shantanu Moitra's lyrical music enhances the story.

The verdict

Lost is an ode to investigative journalism which also caters to various other subjects getting dilluted amid the main theme, while offering some excellent performances. 

Rating: *** stars (3/5)