ReviewRaat Akeli Hai movie review: Netflix Indian murder mystery keeps you guessing till the end

This is a compelling tale of marriage and murder in a wealthy Indian family from first-time director Honey Trehan

The story, set in Lucknow, emphasises the rich/poor divide and the caste system in India

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A still from Ratt Akeli Hai, a murder mystery now streaming on Netflix. Photo: Netflix

Published: 2:15pm, 6 Aug 2020Updated: 4:28pm, 7 Aug 2020

3.5/5 stars

A struggling city policeman falls for the prime suspect in a high-profile murder investigation in Raat Akeli Hai, an engrossing noirish whodunnit from first-time director Honey Trehan, now streaming on Netflix.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte play the star-crossed lovers, who become embroiled in the duplicitous shenanigans of a wealthy high-caste family with strong political ties, after their ageing patriarch is murdered on his wedding night.

Filmed in and around Lucknow, Raat Akeli Hai, literally translated as Lonely is the Night, is immediately reminiscent of Knives Out , Rian Johnson’s similarly plotted, Agatha Christie-influenced comedy from last year. Trehan and screenwriter Smita Singh play things straight, leaning into the ubiquitous caste divisions that separate Inspector Yadav (Siddiqui) from the Singh family, all of whom are potential suspects.

With their inheritance in jeopardy, the family is quick to finger new bride Radha (Apte), whose questionable background and low status make her a desirable scapegoat. Yadav is instantly smitten by Radha, and instinctively suspicious of the arrogant Singh family.

He decides to dig deeper into the case, despite the protestations of his superiors and, soon enough, events lead back to the mysterious death of the first Mrs Singh five years earlier.