Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

Kaafila starring Sunny Deol was released this Friday and here are some excerpts from the review done by IndiaFM.

In KAAFILA, the story begins in Delhi, moves to Russia, then the surrounding nations, then Afghanistan and finally, Pakistan, before returning to India once again. Not wanting to turn it into a dry, grim and disturbing movie, Amitoj Maan packs in songs and glamour to strike the right balance between enlightenment and entertainment. And that's where KAAFILA falters.

The portions depicting reality are watchable since the issue hasn't been highlighted in detail on the Hindi screen. But the romantic track [Sunny - Polina and Amitoj - Monalisa] stands out like a sore thumb. Also, the narrative tends to get lengthy in the second hour as the kaafila moves aimlessly from one country to another. A shorter duration would've only helped.

To sum up, KAAFILA is watchable in parts. The issue it highlights is its USP, but the writing as well as the length could've been controlled. The general feeling is, KAAFILA is about the Malta Boat Tragedy, while the fact is that the boat tragedy forms a small, but significant part of the story. In fact, the tragedy is depicted realistically and since it features in the initial reels, you expect the graph of the film only to go higher and higher.

But the writing could've been tighter. As pointed out at the outset, the romantic track of Sunny - Polina and Amitoj - Monalisa doesn't work. The Russian mafia track is also not convincing. Sunny Deol does well. Amitoj Maan dominates in a few scenes. But the real surprise is Pakistani actress Sana. This being her debut-making Hindi film and despite the fact that she's pitted against experienced names, Sana succeeds in making her presence felt. Sudesh Berry does well.

On the whole, KAAFILA is made with noble intentions, but is partly letdown due to its writing and length.