Kaalidhar Laapata
Introduction
One of the fundamental (relative) stumbling blocks of the new Hindi film Kaalidhar Laapata remains the adapted translation of the protagonist here from the original Tamil film KD (2019). The protagonist in KD was an 80-year old man who suddenly wakes up from coma only to overhear his near and dear ones plotting to perform euthanasia on him. The hook in that screenplay was immediately through this passage that eventually did take you on an emotional coming-of-age drama wherein your sympathies were always with the protagonist. But in Kaalidhar Laapata, its protagonist Kaalidhar (Abhishek Bachchan) is shown to be mildly suffering from early stages of Alzeimer’s owing to which he hallucinates, much to the dismay of his brothers. It must also be noted that Kaalidhar is 40 years old, and almost at half the age of KD, so you can’t help but be perplexed about his state or even his backstory that isn’t necessarily age related here. And so the dip in your sympathies for the character is exactly reduced to half, that just about plateaus as the film progresses. Thankfully, the broader soul of the film is retained to offer some heartfelt moments along the way.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Amitosh Nagpal and Madhumita, the seed of Kalidhar Laapata slightly borders on the premise of Baghban (2003), with the ill (fated) protagonist being pitted against his own members of the family. The roving eye of his family members remains on the property, whilst Kaalidhar himself remains a disposable asset. In this heavily-coded spiritual universe of Baghban, the trip to the Kumbh Mela to eventfully leave Kaalidhar stranded becomes a premise for its world-building that remains a rather tried and tested one for Hindi films (interestingly, the setup also matches that of the recently released Hindi film Vanvaas (2024)). It feels slightly manipulated as the route designed for Kaalidhar to step away from his family, and begin his new life at the footsteps of a temple, and eventually take up odd jobs to earn a living. This even as his ‘illness’ is heavily plot-curated, only to conveniently disappear and be partly forgotten about in the larger context of the drama.
However, the writers tap into the soul of the drama rather well while focusing on Kaalidhar’s heartfelt dynamic with an urchin Ballu (Daivik Baghela). Ballu remains a dynamic character himself, proudly boasting of the fact that he had once been abandoned at the steps of a temple, only to earn a living through his street-smart antics. In the purest sense, the worst possible start in life for Ballu has now become a boon for acceptance, even as you see him being his brutal self while complaining about the ‘free-food’ at the temple, signalling the authorities of the issues pertaining to the eventual distribution. In that sense, Ballu remains fearless unlike Kaalidhar who is still finding his foothold in a new environment, unsure of his future and woefully worried about his present even while partly missing his youngest sister Gudiya (Priya Yadav) with whom he shared the warmest bond.
In a way, it is like a role reversal for Kaalidhar and Ballu who form an unlikely team, even as the latter rekindles hopes for Kaalidhar to live a pleasant life. Right from bonding over Kaalidhar’s love for Biryani, to making him list down his bucket list, the proceedings offer a more wholesome and heartwarming setup to the tale that will indeed melt your heart. Kaalidhar’s escapades from free Biryani to riding a bicycle, and from consuming alcohol for the first time to aspiring to meet the once-love-of-his-life Meera (Nimrat Kaur), does account for a heartfelt restart to his life, even whilst the drama around it partly feels like a checklist.
A parallel plot-point of inspector Subodh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) feels slightly detached given how the writing zooms in and out of his character far too quickly, something that doesn’t quite allow us to settle into his arc of believing in superstitions to eventually having a realisation that it may well be Kaalidhar who doesn’t want to return to his family. There is a coming of age arc in play too, but it feels slightly underwhelming with the writing.
The drama faithfully follows the footsteps of the original film, particularly towards the concluding chapter of the film. There is a bittersweet energy that engulfs the narrative, something that also comes with a sense of realisation for Kaalidhar, and the bond that he shares with Ballu. The crux and sentiments around this bond is filled with the right kind of emotions that are in play, something that also extends (once again) to the Baghban-coded finale. But what set KD (2019) apart was a sense of loneliness that would engulf the character all over again at the end, a feeling that left you hollow from within. What the alternate love angle in this film does, is negate the emotional quotient of the film, leaving you with an ending that is quite sanitized but never raw and hollow. The screenplay here isn’t bad and has its moments to shine, although it felt several notches below the emotional core of the original film.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are understated and quite grounded to reality, a trait that adds authenticity to the drama. The music is hummable and the heartwarming songs convey the emotional core of the film beautifully. Likewise, even the BGM elevates the emotional core of the drama that eventually contributes in making this adaptation serviceable. The cinematography comprises of frames that allows the surroundings to be quiet by-standers to the emotional bond that Kaalidhar shares with little Ballu. And hence, the idea of shooting at real locations almost immediately adds texture to the narrative. The editing is quite patchy, particularly at the start with multiple jump cuts and shifting POVs that doesn’t quite allow you to settle into the emotional core of the drama. Ideally, the editing pattern needed to be subdued in order to seamlessly draw in the viewers into the drama. Director Madhumita who was also at the helm of things in KD (2019), does a fair job here although the compromised and partly misplaced emotional core of the protagonist here doesn’t fully allow the drama to blossom. The changes are imminent that makes the directly partly wobbly, and much lesser of an attempt from the original version that was emotionally driven seamlessly as opposed to be slightly forced. Yet, the direction shines during the passage highlighting the emotional bond that the protagonist shares with his young friend. And those account for the best moments in the film, even as the direction remains decent!
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Nimrat Kaur as Meera (notice the name that has a deep mythological reference in parallel to the tale here) is understated and manages to impress with her sparkling screen presence. Richa Meena (excellent once again), Mahadev Singh Lakhawat, Priyank Tiwari as Sundar, Madhulika Jatoliya as Neetu and Vishwanath Chatterjee as Manohar have their moments to shine, and do a fine job here. Priya Yadav as Gudiya delivers a heartfelt performance that contributes to several emotional moments in the narrative. Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub as Subodh delivers a dignified performance even though his character is seemingly a touch underwritten. Daivik Baghela as Ballu is excellent here as the chirpy, street-smart kid who acts as a catalyst to reinvigorate the beauty of life in Kaalidhar, by giving him renewed hope. And it is yet again Abhishek Bachchan who impresses as Kaalidhar. The smaller nuances with respect to the tone of his speech or the softness in his body language is incredibly mastered, wherein we are witness to the excellence of an actor who is devoid of any box office baggage or his onscreen image, while simply wishing to surrender to the vision of the filmmaker. He is brilliant to the core here.
Conclusion
Boasting of solid performances, Kaalidhar Laapata is a flawed but heartwarming drama that accounts for a satisfactory adaptation of the Tamil film KD, thereby making it a decent watch. Available on Zee5.
