Film: Kalank
Genre: Drama, Romance
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kunal Kemmu
Direction: Abhishek Varman
Written by: Abhishek Varman
Duration: 2 hours, 48 minutes
Language: Hindi (U/A)
Critic’s Rating: 3.5/5
Story:
Set in the 1940s in pre-Independence India at Husnabad, the plot revolves around a Hindu family that comprises Balraj Chaudhury (Sanjay), his legitimate son Dev (Aditya) and his daughter-in-law, Satya. It also juxtaposes this semi-aristocrat publisher’s equations with Zafar (Varun), an ironsmith, who is being raised in the notorious neighbourhood of Hiramandi, where a tawaif, Bahaar Begum (Madhuri) runs her kotha.
Into this already complex world are thrown Roop (Alia), who is Dev’s second wife. And, Abdul (Kunal), an ironsmith with rabble-rousing ‘political’ qualities.
Review:
Kalank is many things. It’s a heady cocktail of deceit, love, vendetta and heartbreak. It also marries many styles of narration. Director Abhishek Varman (2 States, 2014), who has trained under Karan Johar but is inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, attempts to tells his story in multiple ways. There is K Asif, William Shakespeare, SLB, Yash Chopra and KJo; all thrown into one opulent pot and mixed languidly. Several parallel emotional tracks keep running with richly-mounted songs. And, there is so much happening at every given point that you feel overwhelmed.
In fact, the grandeur sometimes overtakes the plot, making you inhale deeply. You have to actually exhale again to continue absorbing more.
One already knows you have to follow seven key characters. But of course, you are partial to Zafar because he is the underdog here.
The thing here is to detach yourself from some aspects and characters and invest in just the young lovers — Zafar and Roop. Especially since they are Varun and Alia, Gen-Now’s current heartthrobs.
Otherwise, your head will go into a muddle. There is love running right through, but there is also political turmoil. There is the Hindu-Muslim community sentiment raising its head. It’s complicated. The film is also too verbose (the dialogues are heavy-duty), but all in all, it manages to emotionally manoeuvre and move. Guess, that’s the idea of making cinema effectively.
Frankly, cinema of this scale and opulence has to be experienced. It can’t be explained because if you attempt a reference to context, the film’s timeline, plot and even some situations fall flat. You could say, ‘Who sang Baaki Sab First Class Hai in 1944?’ Or you could attempt finding rationale in many self-style cinematic liberties? But nitpicking is not the idea here. The point is to let yourself go with the flow. This multi-starrer has first-rate performances, nice fashion display and an engaging music album. The Kalank title track, sung mellifluously by Arijit Singh, gets deep into your system. The other songs — First Class, Aira Gaira and Ghar More Pardesiya – also appeal. Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani, both visually appealing, show off their hour-glass figures in ‘dance-friendly’ songs.
The lead cast — Aditya, Sonakshi, Kunal, Sanjay and Madhuri – are good. But it is the young ones — Alia and Varun — who shine. Also, since the novelty of their acting is still there, these two leave a deeper impact than their seniors.
Verdict: Kalank is a visual treat. Three words to sum it up would be – it’s beautifully chaotic (incidentally, this is also Alia’s Twitter status). Anyway, some movies are best seen and less analysed. Go, watch it!
