Kaalakaandi Movie Review:

Curious Title..Brilliant Saif Ali Khan!
Kaalakaandi is a bold movie showing three lives. Peddlers, users, & those caught in between.

Peddlers Deepak Dobriyal & Vijay Raaz plot to cheat their boss while sharing an insight into their eventless lives. We are shown the false lifestyle of the drug lords and mafia, their ego and their ruthless killings.

Seeing TV star & VJ Shenaz Treasurywala on screen after a long time. She is a delight as a user & has portrayed the role of a rich bitch very well.

Sobhita Dhulipala as her friend and someone caught up in a rave party raid has clear cut priorities of heading out of the country to pursue her dreams of an education abroad but gives in to guilt & confesses to the police by giving her flight a miss. Her whiny clingy boyfriend, Kunaal Roy Kapur has a small role but acts well as a heartless chap willing to cover up even death in an accident.

A bold sex scene between Amanda Rosario & Akshay Oberoi has been well shot and will be definitely edited for the theatre goers. The typical big fat Indian wedding has been shown well with hassled people, errands, & the sangeet adding a song or two that won’t be remembered for long though.

Saif Ali Khan facing the ultimate announcement of a life that’s soon going to end decides to tick off his bucket list in the most filmy fashion by wanting to see a transgender in the buff, try drugs, style his hair in the weird hairdo we saw in the trailer and kiss a stranger, Isha Talwar, whose calm presence leaves you wanting to know more about her.

The lucidity & electric psychoactivity of the small red pill have been shown way too temptingly. The warning in small print along the bottom of the screen against substance abuse is appropriate but not loud enough to dissuade any potential user.

Saif’s one liners are a delight but lose consistency while one gets a feeling the writer was trying to cram too many lives in one movie. Saif Ali Khan yoyos between fat & buff but is forgiven for taking up the challenge of going through half a movie with awful eye make up & multiple rubber bands in his hair.

The title “KaalaKaandi” meaning ‘Something’s Messed Up’ or rather ‘Kuchh Gadbad Hai’’ clearly fits! The movie is one of the few ‘black comedies’ of our Hindi film industry.

Reviewed by: Shyamala Nawab