KALANK: Movie Review

A famous proverb says, "Leave a mark, don't leave a stain". Although the makers tried to leave a mark with #KALANK, all they managed is an ode to the name of the film.

Ever since the trailer of KALANK made it's first appearance, every Bollywood movie lover was eagerly waiting for the release of the film. The makers also strategically set the release date in the middle of the week to avail the advantage of an extended holiday weekend (thanks to Mahavir Jayanti and Good Friday) at the box office. However, we fear that the makers of the film have chewed more than they could bite. The film KALANK personifies the proverb "All that glitters is not gold".

To make a successful film, you need a good story at the outset. Unfortunately, KALANK disappoints us both with the story and screenplay. You can't expect a film to be a super hit just because your sets resemble those of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films. The "netflixed" and "primed" audience of today are way more matured, and for them, the content is the king. Owing to the same factor, the movies made with a low budget such as "Andhadhun" and "Badhai Ho" were successful at the box office.

The film KALANK had all the ingredients of a blockbuster; however, the film lacked a soul. The movie may revolve around your heart, but it fails to tug at it.

A star actor like #SanjayDutt (Balraj Chaudhary) got only few dialogues in the whole film. #MadhuriDixit (Bahar Begum) tried her best to hold her ground throughout the movie (although she had limited opportunities). All the eyes were on #VarunDhawan as his character was the most complex of all the other characters in the film. His character "Zafar" falls in love with "Roop"(#AliaBhatt). Are Zafar's feelings for Roop pure or does he have ulterior motives? This section is something to watch out for in the movie.

Satya (#SonakshiSinha) is the first wife of Dev (#AdityaRoyKapoor), the chief editor of a renowned newspaper ʻDaily Timesʼ. Satya coerces Roop to marry Dev owing to some unavoidable circumstances. The complexity of the story begins soon after the marriage of Dev and Roop. The movie nosedives at this juncture and becomes extremely difficult for the audience to digest thereafter.

Varun Dhawan tries his best to make his character believable to the audience. However, the same could not be said for Sonakshi Sinha. Undoubtedly, the best performances in the film are given by Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor. #KunalKhemu, who plays the role of Zafar's friend, will surprise you. The plot of the movie was created with a political background of the pre-Independent India with special impetus on the Hindu-Muslim #riots during that period.

The direction of #VijayBarman is outright average throughout the film. The film is painstakingly long (2 hours and 48 minutes). The editing should have been crisper to keep the audience hooked throughout the movie.

The film is visually stunning; the sets are beautifully designed. The film fares well in the music department. #Pritam has forged his way back in Bollywood as a music director with this movie. The title track of KALANK will make you nostalgic (thanks to #ArijitSingh's melodious voice). "Ghar More Pardeshiyan" is also a nice song, and it is used well in the film. The item song featuring #KritiSanon seemed quite unnecessary with regards to the context of the film.

The cinematography of this film is brilliant. The cinematographer (#BinodPradhan, known for his cinematography skills in Devdas) has done a fabulous job. The set designing and costume designing departments have done a praiseworthy job. It will surely give you a feel of period movies like Padmavat and Bajirao Mastani.

Our Verdict: 

KALANK is certainly not a must-watch film for the audience. However, you can go to the theatres to enjoy the stunning visuals of the movie. Otherwise, you can wait and save your money for the upcoming film in the next week - "The Avengers: Endgame". The box office collection of the film will largely depend on its performance in the extended holiday weekend. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult for the big budget film to recover its expenses.

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Our Rating: 2.5/5.0

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Movie: KALANK

Director: Abhishek Varman

Writers: Shibani Bathija (story), Hussain Dalal (dialogue), Abhishek Varman (screenplay)

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjay Dutt, Kunal Khemu, Pawan Chopra

Genres: #Drama | #Romance

Release Date: 17th April 2019

Run-time: 2:46 Hrs