Samay: When Time Strikes 2003

ACP Malvika Chauhan, Sushmita Sen, is a widowed cop with a 10-year-old daughter who is handed a perplexing murder case against a respected businessman, where the killer leaves no trace or evidence behind. Before Malvika can even start connecting the dots, another high-profile tragedy strikes—the murder of a famous heroine—prompting her to consider the possibility of a serial killer at work. The case quickly unfolds in a troubling pattern: the victims seem unrelated, and even those with plausible motives are not found at the crime scenes. As the investigation stalls, Malvika becomes aware of a shadowy presence watching her every move, a stalker who grows bolder with each step. When she finally confronts him, the man admits he’s acting on behalf of Suleman Bhai, a criminal mastermind reputed for sending killers who leave behind no forensic footprints. Bolstered by the stalker’s admission, Malvika believes she’s found her elusive killer—until she arrives at Suleman’s house only to discover Suleman himself dead, turning her theory on its head and deepening the mystery.

With the trail cold once more, Malvika digs back through the case files of all three victims, determined to uncover hidden links that might stitch the murders together. She identifies four subtle connections that keep resurfacing: a shared visit to a single optical shop, a cryptic clue from an assistant who insists the killer’s eyesight is impeccable yet the vision is poor, and a troubling pattern in the customers listed by the shop. Among the names, a man named Amod Parekh—a regular with an eye power of -2—had visited the shop on the same days the victims did, raising a strong suspicion that he could be connected to the killings. The realization pushes Malvika to thread together the seemingly disparate clues, even as she senses that someone is always a step ahead of her.

To close the net, Malvika sends Satya on a dedicated reconnaissance mission to locate the killer’s whereabouts while she concentrates on protecting potential targets. Her persistence pays off when she learns that a renowned musician, who also shares the -2 eye power, is a customer at the shop and is due to perform that very evening. Malvika frantically arranges tight security around the performance venue, hoping to avert the next tragedy—yet the killer does not fulfill the 9 pm deadline, leaving everyone on edge and the case still unsolved.

As the investigation advances, Malvika’s associate uncovers a chilling revelation: the killer’s address lies exposed, and Amod steps out of the shadows to confront Malvika in front of the musician. Amod Parekh, Jackie Shroff, confesses that he belongs to the same 1994 police academy batch as Malvika and claims his qualifications surpassed hers—yet his career was derailed by a crippling flaw: poor eyesight. He argues that his misfortune allowed his victims to achieve fame, implying a perverse sense of justice in his actions. He insists he did not want to kill them, but time and an array of motives left him with little choice, painting himself as a genius in his own brutal logic. Malvika wrestles with the unsettling implication that brilliance can masquerade as evil and that her own rival’s grievances might have fueled the killings.

The tension crescendos as Amod’s cruelty and arrogance become increasingly personal. Malvika challenges him, asking why he would spare the musician who was scheduled to perform that night. In a grim twist, her associate returns with a broken pair of glasses found at Amod’s residence, a taunting clue that seems to confirm Amod’s intimate familiarity with Malvika’s world of sight and danger. Amod taunts that Malvika’s eyesight may be perfect, but her vision is nonetheless clouded by a personal tragedy—the murder of her daughter, who also wore the same -2 eyesight and had visited the same optical shop on that fateful evening. The implication—that Malvika’s own daughter’s name had slipped from the customers’ list—cuts deeply. Despite pleas from Satya and the realization that Malvika is entangled in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, she resolves to act on justice rather than fear. In a decisive, shocking turn, Malvika confronts the killer at the stroke of midnight and shoots him dead, ending the immediate threat but leaving the truth of the case to linger in the shadows and in Malvika’s mind.