Tekka

When a movie establishes its own rules, only to break them later, and still manages to make every prior event work in context-only few films manage to pull this off satisfyingly. *Tekka* is one of them.

It's been a while since a film had my jaw hanging down to the floor. Srijit Mukherji expertly crafts a series of events that feels like a well-executed magic trick, leaving you in disbelief.

The tension is palpable, with sharp dialogue exchanges and standout performances. The set design immerses you fully. Madhura Palit, the Cannes-winning cinematographer, uses minimal yet powerful techniques to shoot the same location through thousands of lenses. The script is tastefully witty, with almost every joke hitting its mark.

However, Mukherji seems to hold back, perhaps intentionally to cater to the commercial Puja crowd. Some plot points are deliberately dumbed down for accessibility. There's a bit of spoon-feeding in the exposition, along with a few jarring editing choices and camera angles that feel out of place. The sound design also feels unpolished-dubbing is often out of sync, and sound effects are not properly panned across the theatre. The score weirdly mimics Nolan's Tenet, with one section lifting the chord progression directly from Ludwig Göransson's "Rainy Night in Tallinn" unchanged.

Despite its few but present flaws, *Tekka* is an exhilarating ride. Avoid spoilers and trailers-going in blind is the best way to experience this. Highly recommended.