Sanjay Kapoor's 'House of Lies' film on Zee5: Crypto coins & a whodunnit where the butler did it, sort of

Sanjay Kapoor plays special investigation officer Rajveer Singh Chaudhary in 'House of Lies', a free-to-stream film that dropped on Zee5 at midnight on May 31. (Images courtesy Zee5)

Anupamaa actor Rituraj Singh died from a cardiac arrest on February 20, 2024. 'House of Lies', which dropped on Zee5 on May 31, is among his last performances.

'House of Lies' is a whodunnit. The story begins with the death of Albert Pinto (Rituraj Singh), a self-made man who may have made a fortune by investing in cryptocurrency. The victim's wife Ragini (Ssmilley Suri) calls the police. The free-to-stream film starts here.

House of Lies verdict

An hour and 15 minutes long, 'House of Lies' can feel longer. It also has the feel of a stage play. Characters come, answer questions and go away till they are recalled. There is some reconstruction of events, but this is largely limited to the deceased Albert.

Director Saumitra Singh has copped to being "an ardent admirer of the murder mystery genre, from the mind-bending classics by Agatha Christie to edgy modern noir thrillers". And it shows in this film that can feel derivative at times.

The film won't challenge you or stretch belief in any way. As a free-to-stream film, it is watchable without being a must-watch. If you do start watching, try to stay till the end for the twist and resolution.

House of Lies: what to expect

As special investigation officer Rajveer Singh Chaudhary (Sanjay Kapoor) and local inspector Abhay Mathur (Hiten Paintal) drive to the victim's home, we get to see the landscape. As is often the case for such murder mysteries, the setting is at once beautiful and remote. Empty beaches and miles of green cover build a sense of isolation and mystery around the place.

The murder investigation is the primary mode for unpacking the story. Indeed, there's more dialogue here than action - we mostly see the characters plotting or being interrogated. Intermittently, we see them getting drunk or getting anxious. It's all a bit on the nose, but the moodiness is just right.

Investigating officer Rajveer is joined by an ED officer (Simran Kaur Suri) who is there to investigate a possible case of money laundering and fraud. Words like crypto and blockchain are thrown around at regular intervals, as the ED officer follows the murder investigation closely.

From the start, there's tension between Rajveer and the ED officer. While she insists that the way to find the murderer is through chasing the money, Rajveer insists "let's solve the murder first, the money will fall right in".

We are told that everyone in the family and friends set invited to Albert's birthday party on August 5, which also ends up being the day he's killed, seems suspicious. We are also told that there's more afoot than meets the eye. As mentioned before, there's more conversation in the film than action: Apart from the investigation, there's the voice-over that seems to want to drum up the sense of mystery and intrigue. It reminds us not to believe what we see and hear as this is the house of lies. Later, investigating officer Rajveer re-iterates this message.

House of Lies cast

Rituraj Singh became a household name when he appeared in TV shows like 'Banegi Apni Baat' and hosted 'Tol Mol Ke Bol', India's version of 'Price is Right', in the 1990s. More recently, he did films like 'Badrinath ki Dulhania'. As Albert Pinto in 'House of Lies', Rituraj embodies a complex man. Albert is dutiful towards his family, humble with friends and shrewd in money matters. When push comes to shove, he refuses to share his crypto trading account details with anyone. Yet this is not Rituraj's finest work or one that he will be remembered by.

As Rajveer, Sanjay Kapoor is measured (he seems to have carved out a niche on OTT, with series and films like 'The Last Hour' and 'Murder Mubarak'). His skirmishes with the ED officer offer a break from the Q&A format of the investigation. Indeed, it becomes apparent later that this chemistry between his character and the ED representative is crucial to the plot.

However, if Sanjay Kapoor is understated as the cautious and scheming investigating officer, Simran Kaur Suri seems less sure-footed in her role as the ED officer. She seems exasperated and almost shouty in more frames than one cares to count.

The rest of the cast is competent. And they play their mostly duplicitous roles with ease.

Cast of House of Lies on Zee5.