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[/amazon_link]Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2014
Running time : 1 hour 38 minutes
Director : Vijay Raaz
Cast : Vijay Raaz, Manu Rishi, Raj Zutshi, Vishwajeet Pradhan
Kidwise : PG
I saw this film mostly because of the fact that Vijay Raaz had directed and acted in it. If you are unfamiliar with Raaz’s work, know that he is the impeccable actor we saw in Dedh Ishqiya, Delhi Belly etc. Although impeccable actors have been known to falter when it comes to direction, (like Naseeruddin Shah for example, who directed “Yun Hota to Kya Hota”) one always hopes for the best. Bollywood needs fresh, new talent after all.
KDKL is a war film about two soldiers from opposite sides of the border. There are just two main characters in this film – quite a rarity for a Hindi film. They appear on the screen most often. Other characters come and go, but these two remain.
Vijay Raaz plays Rehmat Ali, a soldier of the Pakistani army, pushed into going across the border to the Indian outpost to retrieve information about the supposed tunnels India has been building. Manu Rishi plays Samarth Pratap, the cook at the Indian outpost, left all by himself as the Indian soldiers are out at a skirmish. The film details out all that happens when the two come face to face.
First things first – this film is predictable. I knew what was going to happen when I read the little blurb for the film, and saw the trailer. The fruitlessness and the costs of war have been the subject of many a film. KDKL treads the same path, emphasizing the fact that underneath the animosity we are all the same people.
Raaz is marvelous as always. I was not too impressed with Manu Rishi; he appeared to be more of a blubbering idiot than I would have liked. Granted that Rishi’s character is just a humble cook in the Indian army, but he is still a soldier! While the Pakistani soldier, played by Raaz, plots and plans and is generally fearless, Rishi’s character, Samar, either seems to simply keel over in fright or dissolve into snotty, sniveling tears.
KDKL is interesting enough for the 98 minutes although there is precious little going on, action-wise. These are two lone men, in a godforsaken jungle, each taking potshots (both verbal and of the gun-powder variety) at each other. We are supposed to feel for them, and feel for them we do, although sparingly (Rishi’s incessant bawling seemed to drown out all other emotions – I’m not kidding).
This film was tepid. It left me largely unmoved. If you are tired of the other in-your-face masala Bollywood has to offer, and have nothing better to do, this slow-paced drama might be the thing.
Kidwise : Some violence, although not gory or explicit. The pace of the film and subject matter is probably only suited to older kids.
