Movie Review: Kalank

Producers- Karan Johar, Sajid Nadiadwala

Director- Abhishek Varman

Star Cast- Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Kemmu and Sanjay Dutt

Genre- Period Drama

Rating- **1/2

Lacks Soul!

Jyothi Venkatesh

Kalank is a sugar coated saga on pre-Partition rumblings between Hindus and Muslims in fictional Husnabad near Lahore and abounds with illegitimate sons, dutiful daughters, tawaaifs and kothewalis, all wrapped in love and betrayal and revenge. It is a complex love story set during India’s Partition era, where the young Roop (Alia Bhatt) is torn between respect for husband Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) and her newfound love for Zafar (Varun Dhawan). While their back stories and heart-breaking love saga unfolds, there is a lot of melodrama in store for the poor viewers in this arduous journey of 169 minutes.

Balraj Chaudhry (Sanjay Dutt) runs a liberal newspaper called The Daily News in the fictitious town of Husnabad. Dev’s life takes a sudden turn when under strange circumstances he gets married to Roop, because his wife Satya (Sonakshi Sinha) wants him to marry Roop (Alia Bhatt) as she herself is suffering from cancer. But the complexities in the story are just about to begin. During a visit to Bahaar Begum's (Madhuri Dixit) chamber where Roop is honing her music skills, she meets Zafar, (Varun Dhawan) the local blacksmith and develops strong feelings for each other.

In what is strikingly similar to the plot of Trishul, a la Amitabh Bachchan in that film, Zafar decided to avenge his father Balraj by slyly wooing the bride of his half brother Dev Chaudhry (Aditya Roy Kapur) to take his own sweet revenge for having ditched his mother Bahaar Begum. Though Varun’s Zafar is half backed with him being shown as a playboy who sleeps with various girls including Kiara Advani who gives a fleeting sleeping appearance with Varun, Varun scores with his sensitive performance. Kunal Kemmu is ill at ease in his first turn as a villain

The film is a lavishly mounted spectacle which lacks soul and goes on meandering from one track to another as the director seems confused on how to take the plot written by Shibani Bhatija forward with his screenplay which leaves a lot to be desired.

What saves the film from drowning are the soothing and soulful music by Pritam Chakraborty and Sanchit Balhara , wonderful performances by Madhuri, Alia and Varun and exquisite costumes and opulent sets reminding you of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Aditya Roy Kapoor scores in his role while Sonakshi Sinha has hardly any scene to impress. The film can be easily redeemed by trimming it after mercilessly scissoring off the tedious bull fight of Varun Dhawan and the item number by Kriti Sanon which do not contribute even a wee but to the pace of the labored story.

On the whole, though the film with a moth eaten plot has been mounted lavishly, it lacks soul. However, with absolutely no opposition at the box office and the vast number of screens it has got the film is poised to touch the 100 cr mark in the first five days from Wednesday to Sunday.

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