With a running time of nearly 95 minutes, Kadakh, that’s streaming on Sony Liv, keeps you engaged throughout. This is because at the heart of it is a very interesting premise. In a rather bizarre turn of events, upmarket Mumbai couple Sunil and Malti are forced to hide a dead body in their bedroom just hours before their Diwali house party. The body in question is of Raghav played by Chandrachoor Rai.
The party begins, guests start trickling in and our couple tries their best to keep calm.
Welcome to the world of Kadakh. Like every house party what keeps this one going is the guests. These are people you meet at every Diwali bash and that’s why you identify with them so much. Watch out for Sagar Deshmukh who plays Joshi. Whether it’s his love for mutton or his attempts at flirting that border on sleazy, this newly divorced Thane resident is unabashed. Then you have Kalki Koechlin as Joshi’s French friend Francoise Marie who’s a mind-reader. That scene where she’s offering her mind-reading services in the kitchen is one of the high points of the film.
Comprising the rest of the guest list are: Shruti Seth, Cyrus Sahukar, Tara Sharma Saluja, Rajat Kapooor, Palomi Ghosh and Nupur Asthana. You even have chacha-chachi Manoj Pahwa and Yamini Das dropping by unannounced. Every little character is well-written and that’s what makes them so endearing.
While watching Kadakh, there are several moments when you think the secret will be out, but the narrative smartly moves forward, much to the credit of director Rajat Kapoor.
Look out for those lovely scenes where he deftly manages to build up tension before carefully defusing it.
Ranvir Shorey and Mansi Multani hit all the right notes, playing a couple whose marriage has been suddenly rocked by a series of unfortunate events. Chandrachoor Rai is effective despite his limited screen time.
As the on-screen party progresses, more revelations come to the fore and skeletons tumble out of the closet. There’s also a rather unexpected, but funny twist towards the end connecting the dead person to one of the guests.
All in all, Kadakh is an enjoyable, little film absolutely worth your time.
Our verdict: This is one house party you must attend! The film is streaming now on Sony Liv.
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