Talaash: The Answer Lies Within is indeed a 2012 Indian Hindi-language psychological crime drama film written and directed by Reema Kagti, co-written by Zoya Akhtar, and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani as well as Farhan Akhtar under Excel Entertainment and Aamir Khan Productions, with Reliance Entertainment serving as distributor and presenter. Khan, Kareena Kapoor, and Rani Mukerji appear in the movie, which also has Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao, with Shernaz Patel in important parts. Ram Sampath created the movie’s music and soundtrack, and Javed Akhtar wrote the movie’s lyrics.
The movie’s principal photography took place in Mumbai, Pondicherry, and London from March to November 2011. On November 30, 2012, the movie was released. Talaash: The Answer Lies Within grossed over 174.21 crore globally, making this one of the highest-grossing Bollywood movies of 2012.
Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena), a well-known (in-film) actor, loses control of his automobile late at night on a desolate road, ostensibly trying to escape something, and crashes into the sea. An inquiry is launched by Senior Police Inspector Surjan “Suri” Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) and his subordinate Devrath Kulkarni (Rajkummar Rao).
Surjan’s personal life has already been in disarray since his 8-year-old son Karan perished on a family outing lately. Surjan has acquired a guilt complex, which causes him sleeplessness. His wife, Roshni (Rani Mukerji), is still mourning.
Surjan discovers that Armaan was travelling with $2 million in cash on the night of his accident, which is now gone. Armaan had handed the money to a pimp named Shashi, a blackmailer (Subrat Dutta). Shashi had done a cover-up for Armaan and his pal Sanjay three years before (Suhaas Ahuja). Shashi flees with the money after learning of Armaan’s death.
Sanjay is blackmailed by Shashi’s buddy Tehmur (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Sanjay assassinates Shashi in secret as a form of retaliation.
Roshni takes consolation from a medium neighbour, Frenny Mistry (Shernaz Patel), who is in contact with Karan’s spirit. Surjan is approached by an escort, Rosie, one night (Kareena Kapoor). He rejects but asks if she may become an informer. One night, after reaching home with Devrath, he discovers letters from “Karan” in Roshni’s wardrobe and finds her with Frenny, disrupts their meeting and whisks her away, but she tends to leave in sorrow. Shashi’s body, as well as the blackmail money and a DVD, are discovered by the police.
Armaan and his pals are seen on camera leaving a hotel with a female on the DVD. Rosie tells Surjan that she was picked up by Armaan and his pals, Sanjay and Nikhil, three years ago, but she doesn’t say much else. Surjan finds that Nikhil has been brain-dead for three years after the tragedy.
Sanjay is the next to be slain by Tehmur. Surjan apprehends Sanjay when the authorities discover he is responsible for the killings of Shashi and Tehmur. Sanjay admits that he, Armaan, and Nikhil hired an escort three years ago to celebrate Nikhil’s birthday. Nikhil started kissing the girl in the backseat.
Nikhil as well as the girl were thrown out from moving car into the road when the car door accidentally opened. Armaan and Sanjay took Nikhil to the hospital, but because they didn’t want to cause a fuss, they left the girl on the street. Sanjay had dispatched Shashi to look after her. Shashi reported to them that perhaps the girl had passed away and that he had video of the three of them departing with her. Shashi had continued to blackmail them with money since then. Surjan views the video again and recognises the girl as Rosie.
As he drives Sanjay to the police station, they approach the same road where Armaan had his car accident. Rosie is in front of both men. They manoeuvre the car to avoid colliding with Armaan in a reenactment of her accident, and it crashes into the water. Surjan tries to get out of the automobile despite Sanjay’s death. Rosie comes to his rescue. Surjan’s boss instructs him not to disclose the unbelievable narrative, and in the official report, Surjan claims Armaan died in an accident. He returns to the riverbank where he first met Rosie and unearths her bones, which Shashi had buried. He gives her a proper funeral, remembering what he was warned about “the dead coming to people who are disturbed.”
Surjan discovers a letter from Karan, written by Frenny, now that he is more receptive to the supernatural. Karan informs Surjan in the letter saying he shouldn’t blame himself for his death and that he wants both of his parents to be happy. Surjan weeps and apologises to Roshni. Two workmen are seen installing a caution signboard on the same accident site in a post-credits sequence.
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