It took Karan Johar almost fifteen years to make this dream of his father, Yash Johar, come to life. This has also been one of the most awaited films of the year. Kalank has definitely been worth the wait. The film is brilliant in every way.
Written by Shibani Bathija, Kalank is an epic drama set during pre independence. The film is an intense love triangle. Satya (Sonakshi Sinha) is married to Dev Chaudhary (Aditya Roy Kapur) and the two are madly in love but unfortunately Satya has very little time left with Dev (Why? Well no spoilers here, watch it for yourself!). Staya wants to make sure that her husband is not left alone after she has gone away, so she asks the beautiful Roop (Alia Bhatt) to get married to him and stay with them so that they can get to know each other.
Because of certain circumstances Roop has no choice left but to accept Satya’s request. Roop is treated well and her every demand is met with at Dev’s haveli. They even bend age old family rules for her and allow her to learn music from a tawaif, Bahaar Begum (Madhuri Dixit). It is when she starts going to learn singing from Bahaar Begum, where she bumps into Zafar (Varun Dhawan). Roop and Zafar fall in love and that is the beginning of how things take a turn in everyone’s life. Some well hidden family secrets are also revealed and the real turmoil begins.
The film opens with a song, where the beautiful, happy and carefree Roop, is seen singing and dancing on the streets, and the next moment life takes a turn for Roop. The makers don’t waste time to delve into the main crux of the story, they come straight to the point in the first scene itself.
Everything from the performances to the sets, costumes, background music, songs, choreography and cinematography are par excellence. The first half of the film moves a little slowly but by the time it reaches the interval, the momentum builds up, and the audience is left wanting to know more.
Kalank brings the 1940s, and the societal expectations that came with it, back to life. The love and passion between Roop and Zafar prove that the risk to love is worth it, no matter what life-changing obstacles stand in the way.
Alia is undisputedly one of the most beautiful actresses we have, but in Kalank, she looks surreal. She looks gorgeous in each and every frame! My favorite shot of her was when Satya comes into her room, to speak to her, and she draws the curtains, the sunlight from outside, falls on Roop’s face, making her look so unbelievably beautiful! Besides looking beautiful, Alia has outdone herself when it comes to her performance in Kalank. She gets every emotion, and every move right and makes her character so believable.
Varun as Zafar, is the perfect choice. He has this ‘casanova charm’ at the same time he plays the role of the angry young man, whose life has not been an easy ride, very well. Zafar, is the kind of ‘bad boy’ you can’t help but fall in love with.Like Alia, Varun too has outdone himself in this film. He never ceases to surprise us with the constant improvisations he makes in his performances, with every film. He only gets better and better with every film. It’s not surprising that he has established himself as one of the most versatile and adaptable actors. My favorite scene was when he walks up to Madhuri and holds her by her neck in anger, then slowly breaks down, hugs her and cries.
Aditya looks ‘drool worthy’ good, as Dev, a man of few words. There are so many moments in the film, when your heart goes out to him. He plays a husband who is deeply in love with his wife but there is a beautiful, subtle chemistry between Dev and Roop too. . My favorite scene is the one in the library when Roop is trying to reach out for a book and he comes forward to help her and he asks her if she likes reading.
Madhuri as Bahaar Begum, is graceful and her dancing skills are still intact. It is difficult to believe that this is the same actor who danced to Ek Do Teen! and now plays the mature Bahaar Begum. Madhuri plays a woman who has seen the ways of the world, and is full of wisdom. There couldn’t have been anyone else who fit this role perfectly than her. I love the scene where she confronts Zafar and later comes back and break down.
Sanjay Dutt is one character, who I felt had very little to do. He plays Balraj Chaudhary, the strict head of the respected and elite Chaudhary family. We have seen him do similar roles in films earlier too. He doesn’t bring anything new to his character.
Sonakshi as Satya plays the role of a doting wife and a loving daughter in law, who binds the family together, well. But there are some scenes where you feel her performance could have been better.
Kunal Khemu as Abdul, Zafar’s most trusted friend, is a surprise package in the film. There are many shades to his character and it’s nice to see him do a role like this. His expressions of anger and pain in the climax scene, is noteworthy.
What needs a special mention is the cinematography, by Binod Pradhan. He creates a brilliant visual atmosphere, of a different era. Every frame is beautifully lit and phenomenally shot. The film is a visual delight!
Provoking, romantic and historical, Kalank, is not just an intense love story, but also about human relationships. The film is proof that a lot of effort and hard work has gone into the making of the film. It is arguably one of the best period romances I have watched in a long time.
