Khufiya, the upcoming spy-thriller from Vishal Bhardwaj, finally gets a trailer. After almost a year of teasers with characters staring off into the distance, Netflix’s latest footage for its Tabu-led (Drishyam) film goes into detail about its espionage mission involving a mole within India’s R&AW offices, selling sensitive data to the enemy. Much of the plot revolves around hard-nosed agent Krishna Mehra (played by Tabu), forced to juggle her dual identity as a spy and a lover to track down the suspect. Bhardwaj draws the film from Amar Bhushan’s 2012 novel ‘Escape to Nowhere,’ but changes the lead character’s gender since he felt Tabu was better suited for the role. Khufiya is slated to drop October 5 on Netflix.
The Khufiya trailer opens with a voiceover from top agent Viraj Surve (Ashish Vidyarthi) briefing the mission, as we see field operative Krishna Mehra (Tabu) peeking out of an unsuspicious vehicle with dark curtains. “Somebody betrayed us. We have a mole in the agency,” he says. Enter, Ravi Mohan (Ali Fazal), the prime suspect who’s been photocopying India’s defence secrets and taking them back home, presumably to feed them to enemy nations in exchange for big payouts. Understandably, his entire family is put under surveillance with hidden cameras and microphones, resulting in some fruitful discoveries. Codenamed ‘Brutus’ by the R&AW, Ravi is overheard buying expensive gifts for his wife Mohini (Wamiqa Gabbi) and blatantly admitting to spying for another country. However, it’s unclear if he’s being serious, spawning a debate on whether the team should continue observing or take forceful action.
As panic sets in, it is insinuated that Ravi has somehow learned about his household being watched — indicated by a shushing motion when his wife walks into their bedroom. Not like she’s okay with it, given the Khufiya trailer soon shows a scared Mohini confronting him with the information. “I think two steps ahead of this country and that’s my crime!”, Ravi yells, before the family is seen relocating to a different country. “But I’m not a traitor! I’m a bloody patriot!” There also seems to be a secondary plot thread about agent Mehra’s past involving a close friend — or I’m guessing a lover — played by Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon, who’s seen partaking in some fieldwork when she was still considered as a valuable ‘asset’ to R&AW. Hopefully, we’ll get some more information about this character, closer to release.
“I am so happy to be once again working with my favourite director Vishal Bhardwaj, as we reunite for the third time after Haider and Maqbool. Vishal’s unique vision and storytelling have always intrigued me, and Khufiya is no exception,” Tabu said in a prepared statement. The film also marks Bhardwaj’s first Netflix outing, which he co-wrote with Rohan Narula (Office vs. Office).
Khufiya is out October 5, exclusively on Netflix.
