Zindagi Shatranj Hai Review - An Old Femme Fatale Turned Into A Game Of Chess

Dushyant Pratap Singh's latest thriller, Zindagi Shatranj Hai, features Hiten Tejwani and Kavita Tripathy in the lead roles. If you remember watching all the old femme fatale drama from old Hollywood, ie. 40s and 50s, then this one has got some recall value for you. You know, the idea of a female acid is very old, and that's why it's a big bore nowadays, so there has to be something more in the film. There have been films like Double Indemnity, Body Heat, Perfect Murder, and Bollywood's recent attempt with Hate Story 2—all these films are somehow connected to Zindagi Shatranj Hai. It's an average affair anyway, but it can be sustained in one single viewing.Zindagi Shatranj Hai is a thriller revolving around a wife who is not ready to accept a man as her husband. The man has all the proof he needs to confirm his identity and blames it on his wife's mental condition. Meanwhile, a thief is creating havoc in the city, and the investigation leads the police to the same house where this false identity game is going on. The wife receives death threats and loses her stability due to weird things happening around her. However, there is more to her story than meets the eye. The murder mystery, false identity, and robbery cases are somehow connected, but you'll have to watch the film to find all the answers.Zindagi Shatranj Hai is an outdated story for someone who has seen many so many Hollywood crime thrillers from the old days. But yes, there's a bit of Desi humour and daily-soap-driven storytelling, which saves it from drowning. The contemporary effects are clearly visible, as the writers do not try anything new out of the box. The screenplay is pretty enjoyable due to its short runtime. Although there are a few twists at the end that surprise you completely, the main course of the story still remains half-baked. What went wrong? Actually nothing, but the novelty factors and unique ideas of scene-making.The film has a big star cast, which includes a few known names and many unknown artists. Hiten Tejwani is the best of them all, as he was the only man who had enough experience facing the camera. He does a decent job, but it could have been better. Kavita Tripathy looks gorgeous and sexy, but her acting isn't that beautiful. Shawar Ali, Pankanj Berry, Zaid Shaikh, Rajkumar Kanojiya, Ashutosh Kaushik, Hemant Pandey, Ekta Jain, Bruna Abdullah, Arjumman Mughal are somewhat watchable, and that's the softest thing I could have written here.Anjjan Bhattacharya and Indrani Bhattacharjee's music is underwhelming, and the lyrics are as cheesy as regional Desi YouTube songs. The cinematography will remind you of TV serials, and the editing too isn't noteworthy. The production budget is the main issue here. Dushyant Pratap Singh's direction is bearable, and with few drawbacks and outdated theories, Zindagi Shatranj Hai can be seen over the game of chess. Love all that checkmate stuff? Experience it here then. Overall, an average thriller that can be enjoyed by femme fatale lovers, while others can go for something else.