Kaal – handled competently, signifies changing face of Hindi cinema

Rating:- ***

KAAL is a shining example of new-age cinema. cinema that defies the stereotype and, at the same time, entertains. It’s an impeccably crafted film that burrows deep into the cinegoer’s psyche and connects with the dark, hidden terrors that lurk around.

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 well and undertake a journey marked with fear, panic and trauma, a journey during which death is felt in the air.

The group comes across Kali [Ajay Devgan], who takes up the challenge of helping them escape out of the jungle.

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 KAAL does complete justice to the genre. The atmosphere is right, the horror is mostly low-key and the story seems to be building to something.

And when the climax unfolds, 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 credit not only for attempting something daringly different, but also succeeding at presenting it competently, as a director.

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 the film.

The only two 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 by Farah Khan.

The performances of the three lead characters are perfect. 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.

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 just about 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. Above all, it’s a triumph for the debut-making director Soham.