Raazi: An Exciting Spy Thriller!

This is an Indian film, so, if you don't want to read subtitles for 2 hours and 20 minutes, you should pass.  The movie is based on the novel "Calling Sehmat," written by Harinder Sikka.  It's directed by Meghna Gulzar, who apparently is well-known and respected in India. It's 1971 and war between India and Pakistan appears to be imminent.  Sehmat (Alia Bhatt) is a 21-year-old young woman, still attending college.  Her father, Hidayat (Rajit Kapur), is a spy dying of lung cancer.  He has been spying on a Pakistani army officer, Brigadier Parvez Syed (Shishir Sharma).  Hidayat concocts a diabolical scheme to arrange a marriage between Sehmat and Parvez's son, Iqbal (Vicky Kaushal).  Sehmat is given the opportunity to refuse, but, like her father, she believes "nothing is more important than country."  Sehmat is sent to spy school where she undertakes a crash course, but she still isn't adequately prepared for the mission.  Time is of the essence, however, since war may break out at any moment, so Sehmat is soon shipped off to Pakistan, where she marries Iqbal. Sehmat starts spying, but keeps having extremely-close calls.  Iqbal and his family turn out to be wonderful people, and Iqbal and Sehmat start developing genuine powerful feelings for each other.  Eventually, the situation spirals out of control.  It's a very exciting and suspenseful film, although it should have been about 2 hours.  (As I often say, "If a film has an intermission, it's too long!") The ensemble cast is terrific, and the cinematography is beautiful – which is why it needs to be seen on the BS.  The movie is like a long "24" or "Homeland" episode, so, if you enjoy that edge-of-your-seat, cliff-hanger genre, don't miss this one.  The film has excellent character development and some depth, exploring how deceit can destroy one's soul!