Dinesh Kamath's column on film (Talaash: The Answer Lies Within) that was published in Newsband

Talaash: The Answer Lies Within is an upcoming Indian suspense drama film directed by Reema Kagti. The project is jointly produced by Excel Entertainment and Aamir Khan Productions, and stars Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles. The soundtrack is scored by Ram Sampath along with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Principal photography for the film occurred during March–November 2011 taking place primarily in Mumbai, Pondicherry and London. Talaash is scheduled to release on November 30, 2012. Talaash has got U/A certificate.

The film has an interesting plot. Seeing reflections of Mumbai under the red light, Talaash is a tale of love lost, fatal attraction, and above all, the quest to solve a perfect crime. Suspense at its core, Talaash explores Mumbai’s underbelly like never before. Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) who receives a phone call early in the morning, informing him about death and an accident and how everything starts to unfold from there. The case turns into a life altering chase for Inspector Shekhawat when he is forced to reel under the repercussions of a broken marriage with his wife, Roshni, (Rani Mukherji) and come face to face with his suppressed grief. Being on his investigational quest and fighting it out with personal struggle, Inspector Shekhawat meets a sex worker Rosie (Kareena Kapoor) who further adds shades of mystery to the puzzle. What looks like a simple car accident investigation turns into a haunting mystery as further investigations show many anomalies linked to the victim`s death.

The film has Aamir Khan as Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat, Rani Mukerji as Roshni, Kareena Kapoor as Rosie, Raj Kumar Yadav as Devrath Kulkarni, Shernaz Patel, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sonam Kapoor as Rekha.

The principal photography for the film started in March 2011 with Khan and Mukerji in Mumbai. For a scene involving Khan and Kapoor, it was reported that both the actors would shoot in a red-light district. However, Kagti dismissed it and explained that it wouldn't be safe to do so. The scene was later shot at the Leopold Cafe on Colaba Causeway. The film's second phase continued with the entire cast in Pondicherry and was completed by the end of August. The final phase was expected to commence the following month in Khopoli with an underwater shot. Due to visibility problems, it was cancelled and later filmed at an undisclosed water studio in London. The filming was completed by November 2011 after some of the remaining shots were executed at the Bandstand Promenade.

The soundtrack of Talaash features music composed by Ram Sampath with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. It consists of six tracks.

The film has songs like Muskaanein Jhooti Hai sung by Suman Sridhar, Jee Le Zaraa by Vishal Dadlani, Jiya Lage Na by Sona Mohapatra, Ravindra Upadhyay, Hona Hai Kya by Ram Sampath, Laakh Duniya Kahe by Ram Sampath and Jee Le Zaraa (Remix) by Vishal Dadlani.

Talaash's first teaser trailer debuted in theatres to a positive response. Aamir Khan promoted the film on the crime detective series C.I.D.

After winning over audiences with his fun-loving and enduring character Rancho in 2009 film 3 idiots, actor Aamir Khan is set to take his fans on a thrilling trip with his next film Talaash, which is ready to hit screens Friday.

Directed by Reema Kagti, the film promises a lot of suspense, drama and thrill. It is among the list of much-awaited Hindi movies of the year, and comes two weeks after two big-ticket Bollywood releases - Shah Rukh Khan's Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Ajay Devgn's Son Of Sardaar.

Co-produced by Aamir, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, Talaash has been given U/A certificate by the censor board. Made at a budget of Rs.40 crore, the movie is co-written by Kagti and Zoya Akhtar. The film also features actors Raj Kumar Yadav, Shernaz Patel and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Aamir, who is playing a police officer after Sarfarosh, flaunts a moustached look in Talaash. Rani plays a simple Indian wife and is clad in saris, while Kareena has gone glamorous in short dresses and heavy make-up.

Remember Aamir Khan's shower scene in Ghajini, which turned out to be a turning point in the film? A similar shot will feature in the actor-filmmaker's new film Talaash too. The shower scene in Talaash will also play a pivotal part in the movie. It will see Aamir, who plays Inspector Shekhawat, get to the root of the problem that he fights against. The scene in question was shot in a flat that belongs to hairstylist Avan Contractor's mother. It was a one-take shot. Considering the success of Ghajini, there could be a possibility that the actor feels the shower scene is his lucky charm.

Aamir Khan was a part of two episodes of TV crime thriller C.I.D. He was on the Sony TV show to promote his movie Talaash, which as I told you earlier, is a suspense thriller, releasing Nov 30.

Rani Mukherjee chose to act in Talaash since the movie had a lot of heart and soul and that really touched her. Rani Mukherjee, the Queen of Bollywood, has given Hindi cinema fans many performances that make their favorite lists of all time. Mukherjee always presents new characters and stretches herself as an actress giving outstanding performances in each new film. She once again tackles a new genre in Reema Kagti’s Talaash. According to the actress, Talaash is a style of film not seen in Indian films before.

So do watch the film Talash – The Answer Lies Within when it gets released on 30 November 2012. You’ll like it!