Mumbai, Nov 21 (IANS): Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi's riveting and deliciously sinister mystery-thriller film 'Kadak Singh' was inaugurated at the opening ceremony of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

A spree of secrets, lies and mysteries unveil themselves as a retrograde amnesiac Kadak Singh, who is seemingly timid and meek may just be something the exact opposite of that, as what looked like a warm family drama story quickly took a dark turn in the film's trailer.

Boasting suspense, drama, emotional weight, violence and great thrills, the trailer sees Panjak Tripathi as AK Srivastav aka Kadak Singh, a man who finds himself in a hospital with no memory.

Surrounded by what were once familiar and now unknown faces, Kadak Singh suffers from retrograde amnesia and at the surface appears like a very gentle, nice and meek kind of a person.

That may very well be the case for him now, as he can't tell who is his daughter, who is his wife, friend, boss or anyone at all as his mind is in a haze, and memory is surrounded in a fog.

Initially, it sees him bond with a woman who is supposed to be his daughter, played by Sanjana Sanghi.

However, this family drama is soon cut by a nasty bog of dark mysteries behind the man who is not what he seems to be.

Seemingly boasting a dark past, it is gradually revealed that AK Srivastav was a rather nasty person, and was so strict that he earned the name 'Kadak Singh'.

He is revealed to have been a Joint Director at the Department of Financial Crimes, and as of now he can't separate fact from fiction.

But amid the maze of half-baked memories, he is determined to uncover the truth behind him mysteriously landing up in a hospital and behind a significant financial crime, all of this while saving his family from falling apart.

But this is no loving family, but rather a dysfunctional one with a plethora of unforeseen events leading to a rollercoaster of emotions.

There are different perspectives present throughout the trailer, with explosions taking place, heists coming into place, and Kadak Singh's own status is under question.

Talking about the film, Pankaj Tripathi said in a statement, "'Kadak Singh' is unlike anything I have played before. He is an unusual character, and it was such joy portraying such a layered personality. Additionally, I got to work with some incredible talent, including Tony Da, Parvathy, Jaya and the young and enthusiastic ones like Sanjana."

"Everyone's combined energy and passion really transformed the film from the pages to the screen. Also, it was exciting to launch the trailer at IFFI last night and see the audience's reaction to the trailer for the first time ever. We are also screening the film here at IFFI so we are excited for that too," he added.

Actor Parvathy shared: "It's not often that every aspect of a movie-making experience hits a 10/10 mark. 'Kadak Singh' has been that rare phenomenon for me. From getting to create a character guided by Tony da and sharing screen space with none other than Pankaj ji, to witnessing brilliance in Sanjana Sanghi, Paresh Pahuja and Jaya Ahsan and being so perfectly supported by each departmental crew on set and a nurturing production team led by Viraf Sarkari that cheered us on non-stop, it was magical to say the least."

She further mentioned, "I feel in the times we are living in, we are in dire need of master storytellers guiding us to stay in touch with our humanity. Tony da and team created that experience for us in 'Kadak Singh'."

Jaya said: "This film and the character I played as an actress was very new, fresh and indeed an enriching experience for me. The whole team and the ensemble I got to work with specially Pankaj ji was incredible. As a director, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury was always one on my bucket list, to get to collaborate with him and attempt to make a step in a new industry, a different language was very exciting and also very challenging for me."

Directed by National award-winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary, the film stars Pankaj Tripathi, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Jaya Ahsan, Sanjana Sanghi, Dilip Shankar, Paresh Pahuja and Varun Buddhadev.

The movie is set to premiere on ZEE5 on December 8, 2023.