By and large, I'm not a fan of Bollywood Cinema (don't like that term much either, Bollywood and not cinema, just to be clear). There are definitely a few good filmmakers in India whose films are worth watching. However, most of the dynastic studios keep churning out the same old mediocre trash in the name of filmmaking and Khamoshiyan from the Bhatt camp is a perfect example of this.
Against my better judgement, I decided to watch this film for two reasons. Namely, Ali Fazal and the gorgeous locales of South Africa. I caught a glimpse of the scenery in the trailer and having lived in that country till some years back, I was simply hoping to revisit it through this film if nothing else. Unfortunately, the very first shock came when they attempted to pass it all off as Kashmir (and Bombay in one scene) instead. Really, who in their right mind would want to do that? If Kashmir is what they wanted, the film could have been easily shot in India.
Coming to the film itself, it's a mind-numbing amalgamation of a confusing storyline coupled with average on-screen performances and terrible CGI. It tries to do too much, and as a result, manages to get it all bogged down instead. For What it's worth, the plot could have worked a lot better had it been developed the right way by some capable storytellers.
