RGV once said that Karan Johar couldn’t make his type of cinema even if he tried-the result is KAAL...and we must say Mr Varma...you have the last laugh! KAAL is a good idea gone totally wrong.......
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What may sound like something exciting on paper ends up being a daft and turgid horror wanna-be which plays like a C-Grade Hollywood horror film. Writer Soham Sha draws inspiration from many Hollywood films including THE BLAIR WITH PROJECT, WRONG TURN, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, FINAL DESTINATION and also from the Bollywood film DARNA MANAA HAI.
As a director Soham Sha fails to prove himself as a good storyteller. He may have assisted both Karan Johar and Ram Gopal Varma but he fails to show any learnings from either of his mentors. It is clear that he is inspired by RGVs style of film making and for the most has his technique and technical aspects correct-but its the story(soul) that the movie falters in horribly.
As a writer Sha fails to write cohesive story which can grip the viewer for 2 hours. The screenplay of the movie is just as worse. The situations are cliched....the death scenes are predictable and don’t provide any excitement or ’’thrill/chill’’ factor at all which is a MUST for a film of its genre. By the time the climax of the film arrives and the suspense is revealed to the audience the viewer is glad that the film is over!
Many scenes in the movie make the viewer cringe in their seat-and crucial scenes are treated so amateurishly that the viewer feels exasperated. Take for example the scene where Esha Deol goes to the well. In a film of this genre 3 things are most important-
1) The reason behind the killings(the story)
2) The thrill and chill factor-how the characters die
3) Building a bond between the viewer and the character.
Sha fails in all 3 aspects. The characters in the movie are cardboard for the most and don’t connect with the viewer in anyway and aren’t even that likeable for the audience to care! The only two scenes Sha handles very well are Ajay Devgans entrance which is superbly canned and where Vivek finds out the ’’truth’’ at the well.
In terms of performances the film is average.
Ajay Devgan is brilliant in the role of Kali. As always one can depend on Devgan to deliver a knockout performance despite having minimum footage and not being the typical ’’hero’’ of the film Devgan has all the best dialogues and his delivery is superb. His presence alone elevates the movie and his performance is top notch!
John Abraham plays his part well although one feels saddened to see Abraham wasted in this film. He excudes confidence as always and plays the strong, silent type really well.
Vivek Oberoi plays his over confident, jerk type again and offers nothing new. The role does suit him-but Oberoi yet again is bland and dull. Nothing to talk about here
Esha and Lara both don’t have much to do except look gorgeous, scream, shout and look scared which they do very well.
Esha is slightly better than Lara. She looks cute and camera friendly on screen and plays her poorly etched role well.
Lara on the other hand is downright annoying. She bears one expression throughout and can’t even scream properly as she ends up sounding rather manly. Her teasing mini skirts and ample may please the front benchers but I found her thunder thighs quiet distressing!
The supporting cast don’t have much to do and don’t impress. Parmeet Sethi, Dayashankar Panday, Vishal Malhotra and Kushal Punjabi are wasted.
Shahrukh Khan and Mallika Arora Khan put in their sensational appearence and dance very well to Farah Khans dance steps. The sets by Sharmistha Roy are also very good...but one asks WHY??? Why have Shahrukh Khan parading in tight leather pants and dancing at the start of a 2 hour songless horror film? The song seems forced and doesn’t gel at all. Sha should take tips from his master RGV and see how he used the DARNA MANAA HAI theme track!
Technically the film is great as one would expect. The camerawork by Santosh Thundiyil is first rate and the ambience and mood of the film has been well captured. Salim-Sulaiman prove yet again that they are the best when it comes to horror/thriller and provide a brilliant background score which acts like a character of its own in the movie and better than the actual characters. Action by Allan Amin is also top notch and well executed.
Avoidable!