Tarkieb
- Director
- Aadesh Shrivastva
- Studio
- Prathima Films
- Release Date
- 23 June 2000
- Language
- Hindi
- Budget
- ₹5.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹9.24 Cr
Review
Tarkieb operates as a competent whodunit that leans heavily on procedural mechanics rather than character depth, with director delivering a film that sits comfortably within the "average verdict" territory we've come to expect from this genre. The premise—a dismembered body with no head, four suspects, and mounting threats against the investigating officer—has genuine intrigue, and the film doesn't entirely squander it. The investigation unfolds methodically enough to maintain viewer engagement through its runtime, and the twist regarding Bishan Nanda's true culpability comes with sufficient setup to avoid feeling completely arbitrary. However, the execution falters in execution: performances lack the conviction needed to elevate predictable dialogue, the supporting characters blur into archetypal shadows, and the "mysterious phone calls threatening the hero" subplot becomes more repetitive than menacing. The film's modest box office success (₹9.24Cr with 85% ROI) suggests it found its target audience in single-screen markets, but commercial viability doesn't compensate for narrative shortcuts and undercooked character work.
What ultimately undermines Tarkieb is its unwillingness to complicate the moral and psychological dimensions of its premise. A murdered girl juggling four different men deserves more narrative complexity than she receives—she's merely a plot device around which male egos collide. The climactic confrontation between Jasraj and the actual killer feels perf
Storyline
A washer girl stumbles upon a severed hand in the creek, and within moments, the whole neighborhood's buzzing with cops and investigations. They keep pulling up body parts, but here's the thing—no head, no identification, nothing! The case hits a wall so hard that Inspector Pyare Mohan just wants to bury it, but then BAM, new evidence surfaces and CBI Officer Jasraj Patel swoops in with his assistant Gangaram ready to shake things up.
Turns out the body belongs to Roshni Choubey, a poor girl who'd been juggling four different guys from the Army Hospital—Dr. Kamal Dogra, Mohan Multani, Captain Ajit Verma, and Bishan Nanda—each one looking shadier than the last. Jasraj's convinced one of them's the killer, but every time he gets close to the truth, mysterious phone calls threaten to end him, and the actual murderer keeps trying to take him out! It's a dangerous dance where every lead could be his last, and he's running out of time to crack it.
The twist hits hard when Jasraj finally realizes none of those four were the real culprit—it's Bishan Nanda all along, consumed by twisted lust and rage. The cop refuses to back down despite the threats, digs deeper than anyone thought possible, and finally corners the killer. Justice wins, the murderer's behind bars, and Jasraj proves that even anonymous threats can't stop a relentless cop from bringing a killer to justice!
