Rautu Ka Raaz: Nawazuddin Siddiqui Gives A Blunt Murder Mystery Its Edge

NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI’s acting prowess is effortless; even in dull scenes when nothing is happening, his resting face emotes more than all the actors of a film put together. At the beginning of his career, his need to prove this quality was apparent: the dramatisation of his expression, the interjection of his swagger as a pause between intense dialogues, his giving nature as an actor in scenes that required him to practice silent artistry.

With experience and an expansive filmography, this emphasis on his talent has given way to a collected, composed brand of acting — one that doesn’t try too hard. And this couldn’t be more apparent than in a telling scene in Siddiqui’s latest movie, ZEE5 Original film Rautu Ka Raaz.

A warden of a school for visually impaired children in Rautu, Uttarakhand, is found dead. Deepak Negi (Siddiqui) gets pulled into the case with a call by his colleague, first thing in the morning. As the investigation progresses, it becomes clear there is some foul play involved and the case is not as simple as it seemed. Negi’s response to this is, “Abbe yaar, kaam badh gaya ab toh.” On paper, this is a straightforward scene. But Siddiqui’s natural presence and comic timing will extract a chuckle from you.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t really find its footing. Rautu Ka Raaz is a murder mystery so it keeps you engaged on a basic level, but if one were to take the lead actor out of the equation, it would be hard to sit through the film.

The warden’s murder brings a bit of a shake-up to the otherwise quiet and serene town of Rautu, nestled amid majestic mountains. There are plenty of suspects, including the warden’s assistant, the principal, and builders who want to tear the school down for a more lucrative real-estate project. Negi patiently chats with all of them, including school children and teachers, to understand their world a bit more. On chasing one of the main suspects, school founder Kesari (Atul Tiwari), he unearths the politician-police nexus in the area, and the attempt to minimise the repercussions of the murder. Clearly the warden was sitting on a goldmine of information.

Rautu Ka Raaz has a peculiar tone. The narrative ambition is apparent but ultimately the film buckles under the pressure to be a “smart film”. The police procedural plays out slowly, with the police personnel, school folk and students speaking to each other about the murder like a fresh piece of gossip that’s hit the town. A sweet subplot involves two taus (village elders) chatting with each other about the happenings of the case, almost like they’re the sutradhars (narrators) of this story.

The issue here is that the case itself is bland. No red herrings, no twists, no big reveal, just a pat moral-of-the-story to neatly tie things up. Director Anand Surapur (The Fakir of Venice, 2009) and writer Shariq Patel don’t seem to be interested in a nail-biting, edge of the seat experience. So Rautu Ka Raaz plays out as slowly as a hush-hush story would pass on from person to person in a small village. This pace and treatment may work for a few, especially since this is a direct-to-streaming release, but I do believe we’ve been spoiled by modern murder mysteries that play a delicious game with our attention spans.

Scenes between Dimri (Rajesh Kumar) and Negi are a necessary respite from the slow-burn narrative of Rautu Ka Raaz. It’s no buddy-cop camaraderie but the humour helps take the story ahead. And yet, despite these hiccoughs, I breezily sat through the film. Rautu Ka Raaz is undoubtedly watchable, but unfortunately, it remains merely that. This is a pity because the film has immense promise. With a 113-minute run time, Rautu Ka Raaz is a good weekend watch if you like slow-burn murder mysteries with no sucker-punch of a final reveal. Siddiqui certainly is the cherry on the film’s cake.