Kalank Review: Great cinematic experience, but is it worth a watch?

KalankUAAction Drama HistoryDirectorAbhishek VarmanCastVarun Dhawan Alia Bhatt Madhuri Dixit Sanjay Dutt Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur RatingNot one to get wooed by the scale and production value of a film I cant help but be smitten by the sheer beauty of Abhishek Varmans Kalank In 2019 when Netflix rules our lives this film is a rare cinematic experience that blends in opulence glamour with a solid story about a family torn by its own skeletons in the closetStar crossed pairs their infidelities and how it destroys the world around themDrawn to forbidden pleasures and immoderate love is Roop played with heft by Alia Bhatt Varmans vast screenplay primarily plays off the luminous chemistry between Bhatt and costar Varun Dhawan Theres a tantalising quality about their pairing and Varman uses this element to full effect But a lot of the emotions drown in its self imposed ornate design of the film which gives it a synthetic qualityWatch the trailer of Kalank hereSo when a feisty Rajputana girl Alias Roop is compelled by circumstances to marry a man Aditya Roy Kapurs Dev she cant even recognise in broad daylight you want to discover more about their faulty dynamics Or even how a welleducated woman like her who has opinions strong enough to be voiced in front of an allmale team of writers running a flourishing newspaper would fall for a visibly dubious man Varun Dhawans Zafar with a promiscuous life All of this and much more about the periods sociopolitical submerges beneath Binod Pradhans gorgeous cinematographyIts almost as if there is a barrier between the audience and the characters a gulf presumably created because of the directors reluctance to delve deeper into the plotKalank movie posterIts at the casting department Varman scores big Raging with simmering pain Varuns aching performance beautifully transcends from showing him as a bitter man thirsty for revenge to a kind soul softened by loveAdityas character has little graph but he adds soul to his act supported adequately by Sonakshi Sinha who keeps her brief role serene all through The seniors Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt bring their effortless experience in a climactic sequence which packs a punch Kunal Kemmus grey part is portrayed with flairAlso ReadKalank Heres everything you should know about the multistarrer filmBy no means is Kalank an unbearable film despite being nearly 2 hours 48 minutes long But there is a constant tryst to divert our attention from its storyline Varman distracts us with his suggestive background scores special numbers and sometimes even the perfectly created Manish Malhotra costumes Its also equally problematic that a film set in prePartition doesnt stir up much political conversations throughout the narrative There are stray mentions of their noble intentions but it remains largely detached from the divisive politics of the time it is set in It also pays a tribute to Sanjay Leela Bhansalis school of filmmaking by borrowing a lot of his trademark sequences especially Alias entry which reminds one of Aishwaryas first scene in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Varmans prism is fresh his women arent caricatures his characters arent perfect Roop is innately flawed her decisions are damaging but she fights back for love with all her might His men arent all heroic and larger than life they stumble are unforgiving and equally faultyWatch the video of the Kalank movie review hereI was reminded of Deepa Mehtas masterpiece 1947 Earth rightly melodramatic potently emotional which walked the tightrope of a love triangle in stormy times in a balanced way Kalank doesnt aim for that depth Its content in being pretty even when it has the potential of so much moreKalank screening Janhvi Kapoor Alia Bhatt Aditya Roy Kapur attendAlso ReadKalank Celeb Review Btown cant stop praising this period dramaCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates