‘Neeyat’ trailer: Vidya Balan tackles a murder mystery

Reminiscent of Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’, Anu Menon’s film follows a detective investigating a high-profile death

Vidya Balan in ‘Neeyat’

The trailer of Neeyat, a new murder mystery film starring Vidya Balan and directed by Anu Menon, was released on Thursday.

Unfolding in a luxurious villa on the coast of Scotland, the film follows CBI officer Mira Rao (Balan in bangs and ponytail) as she investigates the death of an exiled billionaire.

AK (Ram Kapoor) throws a lavish party for his friends and family members on his birthday. However, on the fateful and stormy night, he’s sighted jumping off a cliff and dying. “Mr. Kapoor didn’t die by suicide, he’s been murdered,” declares Mira, showing up at the villa and corralling the 10 suspects. They all appear dubious and grasping, many with a probable motive to kill RK. As Meera investigates, fissures of jealousy, secrecy, heartbreak and animosity blow up in the group, revealing their ‘neeyat’ or inner character.

The suspects are played by Rahul Bose, Neeraj Kabi, Shahana Goswami, Amrita Puri, Dipannita Sharma, Niki Walia, Shashank Arora, Prajakta Koli and Danesh Razvi. The premise bears comparison with Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery, Knives Out.

Neeyat is directed by Anu Menon. The film is written by Menon, Priya Venkataraman, Advaita Kala and Girvani Dhyani with dialogues by Kausar Munir. It is produced by Abundantia Entertainment and co-produced by Prime Video.

Balan and Menon had previously collaborated on the biopic Shakuntala Devi(2019).

Neeyat will release in theatres on July 7.