 A FilmExposed Film Review |
 Dir: Soham Shah, 2005, 140 mins, Hindi with subtitles
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Esha Deol, Lara Dutta
Krish (Abraham), a conservationist, is sent to a National Park to research a recent spate of incidents involving man-eating tigers. Whilst there, he and his wife Riya (Deol) meet a group of tourists including Dev (Oberoi) and Ishika (Dutta). They become stranded and witness a series of bizarre and tragic incidents. Thinking the tigers are to blame, they try to escape aided by a guide (Devgan) who offers to help them. But tragedy strikes again and it becomes apparent that the threat is from something other than the animals.
Kaal is indicative of the different type of cinema emerging from Bollywood today. It is essentially a thriller with a hint of the supernatural. There are no songs puncturing the narrative and the overall tone is much darker. Generally, Bollywood is not noted for its thrillers, concentrating more on romance and family dramas. However even existing thrillers like Raaz have relied on romance forming the main plot, and the inclusion of songs. Further, the technology has advanced and the photography and effects are more polished than the previous films in this genre. Set entirely in the wilderness, Kaal is unusual in an industry that often relies on extravagant set pieces and exotic locations. The film has a modern feel to it in its storytelling, but at the same time it embraces the traditional beliefs in superstition and destiny.
The action is fast-paced and the tension is built up nicely technically and through the script. The view through the tigers' eyes is shown in monochrome, as are some of the night scenes, all of which facilitate the necessary eerie effect for the thriller to work. And despite the lack of songs, dramatic tension is effectively maintained in the dialogue with the characters playing off each other enough to create the fear factor.
Kaal works well on a couple of levels. Firstly although thrillers are common in the West, the difference here is the treatment of the supernatural, the existence of which is more readily accepted in the Asian culture. Secondly, the film is also a cautionary tale of man's disregard for nature; the fate that befalls the tiger-poachers can be seen as retribution for their actions. Here Director Soham Shah takes an unusual step raising an important environmental issue. Such a move in a Bollywood film is rare.
Kaal is a brilliant effort from a first-time director Shah. And if you're of the view that most of what Bollywood delivers is lightweight schmaltz, then this will dispel that view. Recommended. |
