Critics’ Verdict: Saif Ali Khan Steals the Show in ‘Kaalakaandi’

Is it a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the critics?

Film: Kaalakaandi
Director: Akshat Verma
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Kunaal Roy Kapur

Excerpts from reviews of Kaalakaandi:

“Kaalakaandi braids together various narrative strands that unfold after-hours.... Despite some clever conversational humour and sight gags, these strands struggle to leave an imprint and only Shehnaz Treasury gets into the spirit of things. The best track, which really should have been the whole movie, revolves around an unnamed executive (Saif Ali Khan) who learns on the day of his sister’s nuptials that he has stomach cancer and has only a few months left.... In Kaalakaandi, Khan moves smoothly between behaviour that is outrageous and touching, delivers whacky lines with aplomb, and conveys the movie’s desired madcap quality without a trace of self-consciousness.”

Nandini Ramnath, Scroll

There’s a lot to love in Kaalakaandi: you never get the sense that Saif is the “star” in the film, as each parallel track is given its due time. Even though all the stories play out really fast — if you blink, you might miss something — it has enough to allow you to put two and two together. Giving away more from the core plot of Kaalakaandi would be criminal because it’s not one that can be the expressed in words. It’s an experience, and a crazy one at that. Saif is in top form: bringing the laughs, the intrigue and requisite amount of drama. Sobhita Dhulipala as an uptight but smart urban woman brings a unique flavour to the ensemble cast. Kunaal Roy Kapur and the combination of Vijay Raaz-Deepak Dobriyal are delights to watch. Neil Bhoopalam as the movie-loving thug is almost unrecognisable.  

Shwetha Ramakrishnan, Firstpost

(Source: Scroll, Firstpost)

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