It's a spy story that eschews the action gadgetry and edge-of-seat thrillerism of spy stories to take a deep dive into the lived experience of a military family.

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

Sehmat is played by Alia Bhatt @aliaa08 . Same Alia Bhatt we saw in Highway. Same spectrum, same gut-wrenching authenticity. Her physical attributes – small stature, round almost childish face – are used to paint a vivid picture of an irreconcilable conflict:

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

A note on the fashion: as Sehmat wreaks havoc through the Syed family, her dress gets lighter and breezier. Her shalwaar kameez and dupatta take lighter shades of spring green, turquoise and pink as her actions get darker and spin out of control. She's like a killing angel

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

Raazi has no hero and no villain. We almost wish Sehmat had married into a family of jerks. But Meghna Gulzar is not telling a story of winners and losers. She avoids the black & white narrative to plunge into the complex grey waters of identity and sacrifice.

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

While Alia Bhatt's Sehmat is the beating heart of the conflict, Vicky Kaushal's Iqbal is the brain. As in Sanju, he plays a supporting character who quietly commands all the scenes in which he appears.

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

because he loves Sehmat. He is the exact opposite of Sehmat who loves her enemy in Iqbal but doesn't learn from that interior conflict. He remains the enemy despite her love for him.

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018

As with #Manmarziyaan , #Raazi is a master-class in perfectly balancing all the elements of film-making — music, casting, writing, direction, wardrobe, photography — to tell a single story.

— Veronique Bergeron (@veroniqueberg) October 11, 2018