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KAALAKAANDI
ABOUT KAALAKAANDI
Director Akshat Verma shot to fame unexpectedly when Delhi Belly, which was written by him, became a major hit and catapulted him to the big league. Again, Verma decided to raise the stakes and try his hand at direction with Kaalakaandi. But does this movie, which features three separate stories, prove to be as enjoyable and quirky just like Delhi Belly. Saif Ali Khan, Deepak Dobriyal and Vijay Raaz's deadly combination churns out a full entertainer. After playing a family man in Rajakrishna Menon’s Chef, Saif Ali Khan essays a madcap in Akshat Verma’s Kaalakaandi. Kaalakandi offers you a madcap ride into the world of dark comedy, the genre which still remains untouched in Indian cinema.
Three parallel stories threaten to intersect in a Nagesh Kukunoor way, making us wonder if this forced collision would amount to anything. As per first story, a sober banker (Saif Ali Khan) is told that he has stomach cancer and a few months to leave and this pushes him over the edge, leading to an encounter with LSD and whacky adventures on a rain-slicked night in Mumbai. In the meantime, his sibling Angad (Akshay Oberoi), who is about to tie the knot, has been offered a night of unbridled passion by a ‘firang’ ex-girlfriend, leading to further complications.
In another part of the city, a woman and her boyfriend (Sobhita Dhulipala and Kunaal Roy Kapur) decide to attend a pal’s birthday party before the former’s flight to the US and end up being embroiled in a drug bust and a wild chase ending in a tragedy. There's a drug bust, an accident and a change of heart — all for the price of a multiplex ticket.
In yet another story of the metropolis, two small-time henchmen (Vijay Raaz and Deepak Dobriyal) plan to double-cross their boss and make away with a score big enough to set them up for life. There's also a Feroz Khan-inspired cowboy-of-sorts who ends up shooting his groin in a holster accident, thus earning the nickname 'omelette', given the nature of the damage.
Delhi Belly writer Akshat Verma is brave to embark on this celluloid experiment which has a few well-imagined sequences. If only he would have invested more in storytelling and character development, this could have been a memorable watch. But then it would have been another film altogether.
Saif Ali Khan in a yellow fur shrug, tiny ponytails and bleeding mascara made some curious about Kaalakaandi. Saif Ali Khan, who has enthralled us with his act in movies such as Ek Hasina Thi, Omkara and Being Cyrus, delivers a solid act as the dignified banker, who decides to let his hair down and the scenes between him and transgender commercial sex worker Sheela (Nary Singh) are the highpoints of his portion in the movie. Saif is outrageous and susceptible in equal measures and it is fun to watch him goof around. Akshay and Isha Talwar are good enough and provide capable support to the tale.
In the second story, Shobhita, Kunaal and Shenaz Treasurywala have acted well while Shivam Patil (last seen in Ghayal Once Again) is a lovely surprise. Vijay Raaz and Deepak are too good in their roles as thugs planning to pull off a big score and their repartee is sure to provoke quite a few giggles.
As for the movie itself, Kaalakaandi is a very good film and it is especially for multiplex viewers. The special effects, the background score and other technical aspects are quite good and the movie is a fun and madcap ride for sure. The edge-of-the-seat dark humour and the short runtime are the two reasons why you’ll find yourself hooked to the screens. The dialogues, though mostly in English, are quite relevant and contemporary. Akshat Verma makes a fantastic entry into direction and we’re looking forward to more such movies like Kaalakaandi.
Overall, if you are a lover of whacky films then it is a praiseworthy film to watch once with its dark humour elements.
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