After the serial killer genre, it is the Whodunnit genre that I enjoy the most. If done well, it really keeps your mind ticking as you as an audience play the guessing game while solving the jigsaw puzzle. And it has been a while since I have watched one. So I have just finished watching the new whodunnit on Netflix, Raat Akeli Hai, does it play the guessing game well, stay tuned.

Raat Akeli Hai is the story of a cop investigating a murder at a house. What seems like a straight forward case holds a few unexpected twists. The premise is similar to the Hollywood flick Knives Out, but thankfully the similarities end there. The screenplay is needed to be layered here. And it is indeed! It takes a good amount of time to build up while introducing characters and their possible motives. However, the gears change in the second half with several twists thrown in the narrative that makes you play the guessing game. The Big Reveal is a good one though I would have liked to push it further towards the end. Also, the climax is a tad underwhelming. Yet, the screenplay is well written and holds your attention throughout. The dialogues are well penned. Music is average. Casting Director turned Debutant Director Honey Trehan has done a fabulous job. This work seems to be a job of a veteran and doesn’t seem to be his first work.

Tigmanshu Dhulia as Lalji Shukla shines in a cameo. Ila Arun adds that comic relief to an otherwise dark drama. Khalid Tyabji as Raghubeer Singh is decent. Aditya Srivastava as Munna Raja is first rate. Padmavati Rao as Pramila Singh is pretty good and has a good amount of mystery surrounding her character. Shweta Tripathi as Karuna Singh shines in a cameo. Riya Shukla as Chinni is utterly impressive. Shivani Raghuvanshi as Vasudha has tremendous screen presence and wish she gets more such opportunities to shine. Nishant Dahiya as Vikram has a good personality and holds his own here. Radhika Apte as Radha is wonderful in her comeback Netflix movie. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Jatil Yadav is a treat to watch and through his character the audience is rooted to and plays the guessing game.

Raat Akeli Hai is a satisfying murder mystery that is intriguing and twisted and leaves you guessing till the end(almost). Available on Netflix and Highly Highly Recommended!