ram-solo

The energetic 'Kaal Dhamaal' song in the opening is a highlight for the SRK fans out there, pairing him once more with Malaika Arora Khan. {Last seen in Dil Se (1998) which was the first Bollywood film to reach the Top-10 in the UK movie charts.}

'Kaal Dhamaal' sets the pace nicely for what is to follow ..

Personal Review: An introduction to the film through a kill in the jungle, followed by the introductions of the key characters & how they end up in the jungle. though a fairly slow paced start, with some clichéd jumps in sound volume, introduction of dodgy looking characters, mixed with the signs of inauspicious events (including the black cat crucial for a film of this genre), unfolds & sets the mood of the film quite well. It could perhaps have been a little more effective if we saw more from the green skewed perspective from the 'eye of the tiger' in these earlier scenes.

You expect it to pick up pace once all the main characters collaborate their efforts to reach safety & though it does, I felt this part was a tad slow & does test the patience of the viewer a little, especially the number of times they seem to have trouble with their respective vehicles. There is a subtle and dry comedy that appears every once in a while. It lightens the mood some & keeps viewers focused during this time. Having said this I feel this may have been intended to maintain a steady progress in the storytelling & also emphasize the following sequences.

The sequence where we see the main characters first confrontation with the tigers & the introduction of Ajay Devgan's character is superb and sticks out as a mark above the rest. At intermission we are left with the possibility that the cause of the killings may be more than just tigers, it is timed well to let the viewer know this quite early on so they don't feel cheated once the plot does unravel itself. Its also an ideal time to have a break at this juncture to leave the viewer pointing fingers & anticipating a charged up second half.

As expected the pace picks up a fair bit in the second half & as the mystery unravels you do find yourself pointing fingers in almost every direction. The chases, the deaths, it all leads up to an unexpected climax which has been handled with much sincerity.

The background score by Salim – Sulaiman and cinematography by Santosh Thundiyil need a special mention. Besides the performances, direction & screenplay, these are the two major assets to this film without which an experiment like this could easily crumble.

As for the performances, Ajay Devgan emerges as the shining star despite having a small role. His performance is sure to be admired & applauded. There couldn't be a more perfect performance for his role, he proves he's a veteran & the rest of the new generation cast have plenty to learn from him. His dialogue delivery is truly awesome & his character is etched into your memory even after the show. Vivek Oberoi seems to fit his role successfully without much effort making his presence felt. His repeated line "Cut The Crap" and constantly irritated character does require him to display a certain arrogance & attitude. He'll probably be remembered for his instant anger & wanting to kill everyone. John Abraham suits his role well & is progressing as an actor in each film. Lara Dutta and Esha Deol are strictly okay for what they do. Admittedly they don't get much to do except look pretty, scream & irritate. In this venture Lara excels in the screaming & looking pretty, Esha in the irritating. The supporting starcast fill their relevant parts precisely as required.

Soham Shah who has previously assisted Ram Gopal Varma & Karan Johar, two exact opposite end of the Bollywood industry finds his feet with an excellent screenplay. He has rightly combined Johar and Varma's skills to generate something that is far from usual. The cries of "we want something different" from the Indian audience have been heard! 'Kaal' undeniably defies the Bollywood stereotype & is certainly a step in the right direction. Its a unique film forwarding the current revolution to the Bollywood industry. Though I see what they're trying to do & it works to an extent, it does have some room for improvement. The film does have a slight amateur feel to it, but primarily I feel this is probably due to limitation in its budget, nevertheless its a respectable film for a first time low budget attempt & definitely worth a watch.

Overall a safe venture by Karan Johar & SRK, they couldn't really go wrong with this project. It marks their debut as a partnership in production where they've shown they are willing to experiment & fully support fresh ideas & fresh artists. Taking the back seat & supporting newbies in the industry should earn them deserved respect {& hopefully a fair amount of money}. A definite winner in the production point of view considering their investment wouldn't have been all that great with a fairly new cast & a new director with a fairly low budget.

an excellent homage to 70's cinema & music, but not at all in a bad way as typically assumed with this kind of genre. although the plot had a fair use of cliché'd scenes, we could see that all the artists were enjoying themselves working on this & it always reflects in good performances. with the big grins we certainly know from the outset that its meant to be cheesy & that is exactly why it works.

suniel shetty seems more than comfortable playing the villain, sushmita sen & her sari's will certainly adjust the people's views on saris being old-fashioned, shahrukh khan once more reminds us of why he's one of the most respected actors in the industry

amrita rao & zayed khan are adequate & show potential though its hard to judge them so early in their careers

but above all i think credit goes to farah khan for scripting & direction, you would not think this a work of a first timer. don't get me wrong its not perfect, but whats the fun in perfect anyway??!

additional comment: its good to see the hero being overpowered by the villain without bias {srk & farah khan being good friends}.

we shall look forward to her next venture ... already we know it will have Shahrukh Khan - Surprise Surprise!