Review : Kaal

This film, although trying to break new ground, is poor. As far as pioneering something new, it doesn’t succeed very well. The script is thin and shaky and meanders unbelievably.Krish Thapar (Abraham) is a wildlife researcher, on assignment for the National Geographic. He journeys to investigate the sudden spate of killings by man-eater tigers in Orbit National Park, accompanied by photographer wife Riya (Esha). Meanwhile, Dev (Oberoi as a rich wastrel), his girlfriend Ishika (Dutta) and 2 friends are driving to a farmhouse when his new Lexus LX470 breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They manage to get a ride with an ominous sounding jeep-driver, who lures them into Orbit Park with promises of hunting some game. They meet-up with Krish and wife who’s vehicle has also broken down, and offer them a ride.

As they progress into the jungle, mysterious deaths and dissapearances start occuring. Heads are lopped off, bloody bodies are decimated, and a general atmosphere of impending doom looms large. And the tigers are considered responsible until the party meets Kali Pratap Singh (Devgan), a darkly clad man of the jungle, who warns them of bad vibes and unnatural powers emanating from the deep woods. Now the group led by Kali, who claims to know the jungle, aim to leave the jungle, fearing death and worse. Are they able to make their escape ?

The storyline is weak, with characters not very well fleshed out. Acting is poor all around, and the women have little to do, save nod in assent to suggestions by boyfriends/husbands, or scream and act petrified when required. They also wear skimpy clothing, apparently immune to jungle insects/plants and suchlike. The attempted “ghoulish” visual effects are not ghoulish enough, i.e.; not enough to even mildly chill the marrow in your bones. The director tries to induce fear via the “shock” factor and sound effects, but fails. Direction is splotchy and the film’s pace does not manage to keep the viewer engrossed.

The background score is poor and reminded me of the music of a film I detested “Daud”. The songs (2 in the film, 3 if you see this on DVD) are good, and well shot. The film however, lacked the groundwork and the “reading in between the lines” that scary films require. Although the camerawork appers to be polished and some shots are stylistically taken to emphasize the macabre, the film in totality lacks maturity, focus and depth.

One would hope that in the future, quality entertainers like Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar would view the films they produce, before unleashing such disasters on the unsuspecting public. Needless to say – this film is best when avoided.