Set in India and England, and starring two of the greatest living acting legends of our times - czar of the Indian film industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Academy Awards Winner Ben Kingsley - Teen Patti is an emotionally riveting and razor sharp thriller about greed, deception and giant feats of imagination. Relayed against the backdrop of modern India - made internationally beloved following the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Teen Patti is one of the most fascinating new films to emerge from Asia, its themes and narrative are so profoundly particular to India that it is ultimately transcendent and therefore universal in its appeal.
Ben Kingsley, who essays Perci Trachtenberg, widely regarded as the word`s greatest living mathematician, meets Venkat, played by Amitabh Bachchan, a reclusive math genius from India, at a high rolling casino in London. Venkat tells Perci about an equation that could not only change the dialogue on mathematics forever, but one that has already left an indelible impression of guilt - for many painful reasons - on Venkat`s life.
As it turns out, the reclusive genius Venkat has cracked a theory that could redefine the principles pf probability and randomness. However, as with all exceptional knowledge, his equation has its upside - as well as its dark underbelly. Aware that he is on the precipice of an extraordinary discovery, one that could find applications across various sciences, Venkat is encouraged to test his theory in the real world by professor Shantanu essayed by Madhavan (the super star from South India), an ambitious colleague of Venkat. Although Venkat has no interest in the money that could come from practicing his equation to crack Teen Patti, (a poker game) which could rake in all the moolah, he eventually succumbs to Shantanu`s charismatic persuasion. Soon, with the help of a few students, each with a complicated and singular fate of their own, they explore the addas (underground gambling dens) of wild Bombay, and a series of edge-of-your-seat escapades keep the film moving faster than a bullet.
But what starts out as an experiment between a charismatic young professor and an eccentric older one soon descends into a game neither of them can control. When their lives sink into maddening chaos, the greed and desperation that had fueled them on can no longer save them.
As the film, super-slick and fast-paced, follows the escapades of each of the characters, all their lives secrets are laid bare, their motives exposed, and the darker side of the human heart illuminated with strobe lights of avarice and desperation. A tragedy occurs, which then sparks an investigation that not only threatens to destroy the careers of both Shantanu and Venkat but also eats into the very moral fiber of each of their being.
Now the film oscillates back to the casino in London. Convinced that Venkat`s discovery has the originality and significance to change the narrative arc of mathematics, Perci understands that Venkat`s theory in essence, questions the idea of what is random - and what fated. A surprising and deeply moving redemption, initiated by Perci, closes this stupendously modern film that is as much about the private equations of honor and change, and about knowledge that can change the world. But what if the price of this knowledge is life itself?
Director :
Leena Yadav
Cast :
Amitabh Bachchan, Ben Kingsley, R Madhavan, Shradha Kapoor
Ready for a razor sharp teaser? Watch Teen Patti. The film is a taut thriller that's not only done with loads of style and attitude, it also showcases a fine ensemble cast of youngsters who represent the edginess of today's youth. And if that's not enough, there's further enticement in the character and currently in-form status of Amitabh Bachchan, who is hell bent on a second, third and fourth coming. After the mesmerising Auro in Paa, Amitabh's eccentric mathematical wizard who talks to Albert Einstein, when he's alone, is immensely watchable in Teen Patti. Of course, there are his musings with Ben Kingsley too...
But one would have wished the film makers had made more substantial use of the tumultuous talent of Mr Kingsley than reducing him to a mere listener.
Needless to say, most of Teen Patti unfolds in down market gambling dens as the odd assortment of newbie gamblers -- four students, and a professor, along with Mr Bachchan -- test the theory of probability through the game of cards. But didn't grandmum tell us gambling is addictive. So, before you know, probability is set aside and greed sets in. Along with a bit of blackmail. For even if the professor wants to opt out of this game that's getting dangerous with each passing day, he really can't. Someone's threatening to harm the babalog, if the booty stops coming in the dirty plastic bag that's to be regularly discarded in the bin. But more than all the external threat, it's the insidious changes that are occurring within the group that are a greater cause of alarm. While a young couple aspires to become the next Bonnie and Clyde, greed's corroding some others. Will the days of innocence return? Is crime reversible?
Now these are just a few tantalising queries Teen Patti chooses to address. The second half does get somewhat repetitive, with the film refusing to move out of the gambling dens and the climax gets somewhat hurried. But majorly, the film holds as a taut thriller that keeps you glued for most of the screen time. Watch out for Sunidhi Chauhan's item number, Teri Neeyat Kharab Hai. It rocks.
