Kaalakaandi Movie Review: Saif Ali Khan's Antics Cannot Save This Loose Attempt Of Recreating Delhi Belly

The trailer of Kaalakaandi promised to give us a raucous tale of life, death and karma that barrels through one monsoon night in Mumbai. How much of that gets reflected in the final product? Read on the full movie review to find out...

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Kaalakaandi Movie Review: Saif Ali Khan's Antics Cannot Save This Loose Attempt Of Recreating Delhi Belly
two stars

What's It About!
Kaalakandi comprises of three different stories unfolding simultaneously on one crazy Mumbai monsoon night.

The first story is about two brothers (Saif Ali Khan & Akshay Oberoi) who are out in the streets to get a haircut in the middle of the night because one of them is getting married later that night.

saif ali khan approaching a woman in kaalakaandi

Saif Ali Khan In Kaalakaandi

The second one is about a woman (Sobhita Dhulipala) who is getting ready to fly to the US for a doctorate and her boyfriend (Kunaal Roy Kapur) is trying to not let her leave. But before they head to the airport, they decide to drop by a birthday party thrown by her friend (Shenaz Treasury), which gets raided by the Mumbai police.

The final story is about two gangsters (Vijay Raaz & Deepak Dobriyal) who have come up with a plan to divvy up between themselves a stash of money rather than passing it on to their boss. Neil Bhoopalam as well pops up in this part in a role as a hitman.

Kaalakaandi saif smile

Saif Ali Khan In Kaalakaandi Driving A Car

How these three stories interlock and impact each other is all what Kaalakaandi is about.

What's Hot!
Saif Ali Khan's antics are the sole highlight of the film. His character as a divorce man who learns on the day of his brother’s nuptials that he has stomach cancer and has only a few months left, is simply outstanding.

saif ali khan in kaalakaandi

Saif Ali Khan In Kaalakaandi

Singh's chemistry with Saif, who is high on a hallucinogenic pill, is unpredictable, dangerous, exciting and strangely fulfilling. The two running amok through the streets of Mumbai while a police constable chases them is sheer brilliance of the two actors.

Then there is gorgeous Isha Talwar, who will charm you in every frame. She has less screen time which is disappointing as you want to see more of her and Saif’s chemistry.

isha talwar
Isha Talwar

To sum it all, among all the story-lines running parallel to each other, it is Saif's character which will keep you engaged.

What's Not!
As a writer-director Akshat had a brilliant star cast to work with, but he couldn't capitalize their full potential. He attempted at making another Delhi Belly (which was written by him), but ended up making not even 30 percent as close to the 2011 flick.

kaalakaandi full stills
Kaalakaandi Movie Stills

While you await the loose plots to come together, the film comes to a dissatisfactory end. You are left with some doubts, a lack of closure, like there’s something that slipped between the writing and the final edit. 

Verdict
Despite Saif's flawless performance, the film is amiss.

So, if you were expecting Akshat to deliver another Delhi Belly, sadly Kaalakaandi isn't the answer.




Image Source: twitter/kaalakaandithefilm