Kaal: Run, run, while you can

Sumit Bhattacharya | April 29, 2005 17:44 IST


A quick Google seach tells me it was John Greenleaf Whittier -- please don't ask me who he was or I'll have to search again -- who said, 'For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, "It might have been!"'



Why was I Googling for those words? Perhaps because they are perfect to describe Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar's production, Kaal. It might have been a very good film.



It had, one must admit, an interesting plot, breathtaking locales, slick sound -- which startles you even if you were laughing a second ago -- as-good-as-Hollywood camera work and star power, with Shah Rukh and Malaika Arora Khan in a pretty peppy 'item' number that plays during the opening credits.



Special: Showcasing Kaal



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But all of that falls through, because of humongous holes in the script, corny dialogues and typical overdone Bollywood drama.



Krish (John Abraham) is a tiger expert. The kind that runs after anaconda-esque snakes and gives them bear hugs, not letting go of the jhappi when National Geographic calls to tell him to go to Orbit National Park (yes, that's what they've named the Jim Corbett National Park) where a man-eating tiger has killed a foreign expert. Adjusting a part of the snake around his arm, he hangs up to tell his wife Riya (Esha Deol), 'Holiday over.'



Dev (Vivek Oberoi) is a yuppie who loves all things gizmo. He revs his SUV on a holiday with his girlfriend Ishika (Lara Dutta) and two friends Sajid and Vishal (Kushal Punjabi and Vishal Malhotra), says 'cut the crap' at every near-death experience and ignores his mini-skirted girlfriend's advice that running over a black cat on a Friday is 'ashubh.'



Dev's Lexus goes kaput and he hires an ominous looking driver and his jeep to continue the joyride. The spooky driver spots Sajid's revolver (which he keeps caressing the way Krish caresses anacondas) and asks them if they want to go to Orbit, which is big game country.



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The two Orbit-bound teams meet in the middle of tiger country when Krish's hired car goes kaput and Dev's drunk driver rams into it.



All the while, ominous sounds and camera angles convince you, as Sherlock Holmes would have put it, that 'the game is afoot.'



Soon, it becomes clear why. A growl and Krish's erstwhile driver vanishes. The same night, the guide -- who has been waxing eloquent about his jungle skills -- is dragged away into the jungle, to be discovered later without his head.



Meanwhile, Dev, Krish and party move around in the 'core area' of the tiger infested jungle, stopping where they want to, or where their car wants to, armed with a revolver that would do some serious damage to a fly, were it to sit on a tiger's back.



They meet a stick wielding, mysterious figure Kaali Pratap (Ajay Devgan). Mysterious because there's shloka chanting in the background every time he appears (could only make out the word pushtivardhana, which to my limited knowledge has something to do with nutrition) and he saves the tourists from three tigers. Obey the rules of the jungle or the jungle will kill you, is Kaali's advice to the tourists.



Run, run, while you can, the forest officer tells the now scared group. But routes out of the jungle are closed because of landslides, and only Kaali can show them the way out.



That you have to write so much to explain the plot and not give away the twist (yes, there is one) itself is a tribute to Soham, the debutant director whose brainchild the film is.



But how the tourists escape death will have you in splits.



Shots and sounds inevitably remind you of Bhoot and Vaastu Shastra, which, to my mind, were better.



And you wonder why the 'Orbiters' go about doing things that scream 'Aa tiger mujhey mar' -- as a scribe did, very aptly in the middle of a scary sequence.



Blair Witch meets Bollywood bloopers, I say. Karan Johar (Kaal is definitely more Ram Gopal Varma than Johar) might soon have his career's first flop, I say.



You might differ, and want to watch a mindless horror movie which, actually, has very little to do with tigers.


** I thought all johar/chopra flicks are mindless extravaganzas anyways!

I would recommend THE INTERPRETOR instead for real THRILLS!

Kaal

By Taran Adarsh, April 29th, 2005 - 1000 hrs IST


Dharma meets Varma!

When a trainee learns the ropes of film-making from two accomplished players -- Karan Johar and Ramgopal Varma -- the expectations from his directorial debut are inestimable.

So, has Soham learnt the ropes assiduously? Has Soham proved to be a worthy and efficient shishya to his two gurus? Most importantly, does KAAL live up to the massive expectations?

Soham amalgamates his two gurus' styles meticulously. KAAL has that edge-of-the-seat excitement of RGV movies, but the look/mounting is as lavish and also international as Karan Johar flicks.

The industry is going through a major transition in terms of creativity. The worn-out, depleted, washed-out formula is being abandoned, with the Gen X directors opting for themes that were hitherto alien for Bollywood.

KAAL is a shining example of new-age cinema. Cinema that enlightens. Cinema that entertains. Cinema that defies the stereotype. KAAL is the kind of impeccably crafted film that burrows deep into our psyche and connects with the dark, hidden terrors that lurk there.

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In a nutshell, KAAL marks the birth of an accomplished storyteller in Soham.

Ace conservationist Krish [John Abraham] and Riya [Esha Deol] are entrusted with the job of finding out the reason behind the mysterious deaths caused by man-eating tigers in the past two months.

Dev [Vivek Oberoi], with his group of friends [Kushal Punjabi, Vishal Malhotra] and girlfriend Ishika [Lara Dutta], set out for an adventure trip for the weekend. Destiny diverts them from going to the farmhouse they had planned to visit and they are led towards Orbit Park, a jungle, for an unexpected ride.

The two groups bond together, but the same night the fear that revolved around the jungle comes alive. Now starts a journey with fear, panic and trauma as death is felt in the air.

The gang comes across Kali [Ajay Devgan], who takes the challenge of helping them escape out of the jungle. Together they must fight the unseen force in order to survive.

At some point, KAAL reminds you of Spielberg's masterpieces JAWS and JURASSIC PARK. Also, it bears a slight resemblance to three Hollywood films, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, WRONG TURN and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

The man-against-beast struggle, if executed efficiently, can make for a compelling motion picture and must say, KAAL does complete justice to its genre. It succeeds in scaring the living daylights out of moviegoers at several points in the narrative. The atmosphere is right, the horror is mostly low-key and the story seems to be building to something.

And when the climax unfolds and the mystery unravels, you're in for a shock. The cleverly executed finale works primarily because most Indians believe in the supernatural.

As the writer of the film, Soham deserves immense credit not only for attempting something daringly different, but also succeeding at presenting it efficiently. The film has several sequences that leaves you frightened and shocked alternately.

While there are many memorable moments, a few sequences stand out above the rest --
The introduction of Ajay Devgan a few minutes before the intermission is fantastic. The three tigers come face to face with the characters at this point, giving you the goose bumps.

The killings of Dayashanker Pandey, Kushal Punjabi and Vishal Malhotra send a chill down the spine.

Esha's sequence at the well is bloodcurdling.
Yes, the pacing is erratic in the post-interval portions, but it's necessary to unravel events slowly and lead to the climax.

Besides Soham's razor-edge execution, three more departments that shine brightly are cinematography [Santosh Thundiyil], sound [Dwarak Warrier] and background score [Salim-Sulaiman]. In fact, the three factors are the three pillars of this enterprise. But towering above everything else is Soham's deft execution.

The songs have been placed intelligently in the narrative. Since there's no scope for the song-n-dance routine in a genre like this, the first song [Shah Rukh, Malaika] comes at the very start and the second [on the four characters], at the very end. Both the tracks are well tuned and stylishly choreographed [Farah Khan]. However, the songs are not part of the screenplay.

Special mention should be made of the SRK-Malaika track, which is simply mind-blowing. SRK's toned physique is sure to catch a lot of people by surprise!

The performances of the three lead characters are perfect. No one shows a hint of artifice or fakery. Ajay Devgan finds the right tone for his character and delivers a knockout performance. Vivek Oberoi is likeable; the role suits him to the T. John Abraham continues to show signs of a gifted actor and his performance in KAAL only cements his position further.

The girls don't have much to do in the film, except wear good make-up and appear in skimpy clothes. Both Esha Deol and Lara Dutta are strictly okay. Vishal Malhotra is efficient. Kushal Punjabi is equally good. Parmeet Sethi, as the cop, does an okay job. Dayashanker Pandey impresses in a brief role.

On the whole, a thriller like KAAL signifies the changing face of Hindi cinema and that's a step in the right direction. At the box-office, KAAL is already off to an excellent start thanks to the terrific advance booking. For its investors, the recovery from the first three days itself will be phenomenal, with multiplexes screening the film in approx. 10 shows every day and 30 shows in the first weekend itself, thanks to its short length [12 reels; 2 hours' duration]. The first week billing itself will be fabulous and by far the best this year. A sure-shot success all the way!

Rating:- * * * *.

Kaal
Not Happening!

By Prema K. ©2005 Bollyvista.com


Continued: Next Page >>



Credits
Producer/s: Shah Rukh Khan & Karan Johar
Director: Soham Shah
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Esha Deol, Vishal Malhotra, Shah Rukh Khan (Special Appearance), Kushal Punjabi
Music: Salim Sulaiman
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed

This is new-age cinema but could have been much better. 'Kaal' shows debutant director Soham's 'Bhoot' as well as the 'Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham' hangover. He happens to have directed Ram Gopal Varma and Karan Johar in their respective films. The sound is so typically 'Bhoot'. Not surprising for it is Dwarak Warrier at work here too. The look of the film and that of the cast has also been given a lot of attention to, so typically Karan Johar. But unfortunately this is one of the downers of the film. The actors are stuck in the jungle but are dressed like they are out on a fun trip.

The only person who looks true to character is our own dependable Ajay Devgan. But unfortunately in this film, he cannot perk up the on-screen proceedings. However, his entry creates an impact.

http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/ ... b2d10396d3

Saw Waqt in theatre. It's a bigger tear jerker than Baaghbaan with equal amount of comedy. Good old formula: romance, comedy, tears, romance comedy tears, romance comedy trears,-------

I and family did like it.
Waqt sure will do better than Baaghbaan.

BTW, stayed till End Credits. No DTS prints for Waqt. SO, at AMCs you get the back up audio as AMCs don't have DD.

Same AMC in Ottawa is showing KAAL from the coming week. Kaal being an effects film is sure to have DTS prints and based on the competence of our Desi Distributors, for sure, KAAL too will be screened in AMC's DTS theatre with back up audio.

Status on 'Kaal'

By Our Correspondent ©2005 Bollyvista.com






A Still from Kaal
While 'Kaal' has received a largely mixed response from cine-goers, the collections in single screens across India are showing a decline. Fortunately, the multiplex sector is strong.

By the looks of it, while producers Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan will not lose money, 'Kaal' will not be a terrific money-spinner.

Kaal
Producer: Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar
Director: Soham Shah
Starring: Ajay Devgan, John Abraham, Vivek Oberoi, Lara Dutta, Esha Deol
Music:Salim-Suleiman, Anand Raaj Anand, Kailash Kher, Bobby Friction.
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed, Jeanne, Anand Raaj Anand

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Genre: Horror Suspense Thriller
Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance
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Released on: April 30, 2005
Reviewed by: Vijay Venkataramanan
Reviewer's Rating: 3 out of 10
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Cumulative Rating: 3 out of 10
Rated by: 1 unique user
Enter your Rating: 1 out of 10 2 out of 10 3 out of 10 4 out of 10 5 out of 10 6 out of 10 7 out of 10 8 out of 10 9 out of 10 10 out of 10
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It seems like A-grade blockbusters have started boring Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan, for one cannot think of any other reason why these two quality entertainers would ever pump money into this sorry excuse for a B-grade horror flick called “Kaal”.

Directed and supposedly written by a highly inexperienced, amateurish, and confused storyteller (Soham Shah), “Kaal” oscillates between trying to be an adventurous thriller and a predictable horror film, failing miserably in both attempts. Barring one scene that marks Kali Pratap Singh’s (Ajay Devgan) entry, Soham Shah’s cheap thrills and scares are so childishly executed, they would make the laughable Ramsays look like masters of the horror genre. Ditto for the attempted surprise twist that viewers have perhaps already predicted by merely watching the film’s trailers.

National Geographic researcher Krish Thapar (John Abraham) and his wife, Riya, who for some strange reason is always dressed as a call girl in the middle of a tiger reserve, want to “save the tiger” by tracking down the truth behind poaching in the Orbit Park. A broken down jeep leads to a chance meeting with a group of annoying tourists, Dev (Vivek Oberoi), Ishika (Lara Dutta, also dressed like a call girl), and a couple of their friends. The tourists break the rules by stepping out of the jeep and the tigers come after them. Enter Kali Pratap Singh (Devgan), the only man who can keep the tigers away without lifting a finger. As a storm brews, the visitors are trapped in the core area and Kali becomes their guide out of the reserve. Random growls, ear shattering screeches, laughable acting, a few severed heads, failed attempts at Hitchcockian distractions, and a complete disregard for any sort of logic leave you with nothing but a headache by the end of the painful two hours this move lasts for.

Soham Shah is as inept at directing performances as he is at writing an engaging screenplay or building any sort of momentum or pacing visually. Lack of strong characterization tells on the dismal level of performances from the cast. Lara Dutta cringes, cries, and yells randomly, while Esha Deol consistently carries a strange expression on her face that suggests she might have just swallowed a frog. Capable actors, Vivek Oberoi and John Abraham are sadly curtailed by their cardboard characters. Ajay Devgan tries his level best to rise above the non-existent screenplay, but the daunting task of saving the film single-handedly proves too difficult even for him.

Talented crew like cinematographer Santosh Thundiyil and sound designer Dwarak Warrier who could have played a significant part in enhancing the film are wasted due to the director’s unimaginative vision, succumbing to the misfortune of excesses on all fronts. In an effort to capture the raw danger of the jungle, the storytelling loses any hint of subtlety, the overdose ultimately making the entire effort laughable.

One would expect a skilled writer like Karan Johar to spot a bad script, and the acute businessman in Shahrukh Khan to keep his money away from it. If a label can sell a movie, “Kaal” is the finest example of it, for Johar and Khan will more than recover their investment by cheating their audiences through a stunning publicity campaign. However, having set a precedent for themselves as quality entertainers, “Kaal” is Dharma Productions’ biggest failure. To put it plainly, this movie stinks.


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competence of our Desi Distributors

CONFIRMED
No DTS print here. Saw KAAL in back up SRD audio at AMC Kanata (Ottawa).

Film is utter crap. Only watchable scenes are the beginning credits and the end credits.

If you can get scared from the jungle scenes that actually look like nice park and/ or you do get scared from certain sounds, you may get scared, but the theatre audience was laughing. It makes no sense to build up a case hinting Tigers doing the killings and ending up concluding that it was a ghost. Un-acceptable.

-------------------------------

'Man Eating Tigers of SUNDERBAN' doccumentary is much more scary.
viewtopic.php?p=59814#59814

Is Waqt out already, even on a pirate DVD??

WELL I AM SURPRISED AND

that Kaali ka Kaal, Johar /SRK Ki Dhamal, and Devgund ke Daant, nothing worked to scare the hell out of you

What a contrast.
Poison (Zeher) Kills.
Time (Waqt) Heals.

Not only me but even my 9 year old did not find it scary at all, while he was terrified when he saw RGV's Bhoot and he didn't dare to go back in the theatre, once he came out.
We all did enjoy the starting and end credits (music video) though.

Well, watch it free here:

mms://70.85.11.2/kaal jbav ajsbjofgvajosnvguoaguiogasuioghjksagjvsgajkg vjkasgbjicvbgv sgsaguiwguiacbnisdgi vagsnidh gvhasdgiuvasibhd hjasvidiasbhdgviabsdvh

Waqt in Ottawa:

Waqt that's in its 4th week (or may be is it 5th) and in its 2nd week in Ottawa Rainbow Cinema 8:00 PM show daily (after aprox 20 shows at AMC in its 1st week), was almost full (Full by my standard) Yesterday. Over 120 viewers in a 140-160 seater.

At AMC, a much better theatre, there were hardly 30-40 per show.
Don't know what lures so many at a sub-standard theatre for a film in its second run??

Lure of cheap ticket; $3 on tuesdays and, $ 4.25 other days??
Word of Mouth publicity??
Convenient (central) location??

---------------------------
BTW, only Cinema #5 at Rainbow cinemas is Dolby Digital. All other are Dolby surround. Waqt is not playing in Dolby Digital theatre.

3rd Week at Rainbow Ottawa, (6th since premiere) they moved Waqt to their biggest theatre. Still going good and continuing on to next week.

Rainbow will be bringing in Paheli next.

-------------------------------
Encouraged by Indian film going attendence for Waqt, local Rainbow management is trying to convince their HQ to allow more Bollywood films, but they are not agreeing to use up one theatre for a non-English film. It's upto Ottawans to show their desire to see Indian films here, by bringing in more crowds so that local management get a better chance to convince the HQs. Waqt is not bad for a repeat viewing. It's only $3 on tuesdays and only $4.25 other days.