During this pandemic, we have read about various species that were extinct but have now been spotted. Lets hope we are able to preserve it, once the pandemic is over. And so I have just finished watching Kadvi Hawa, a movie on climate change. Now ask yourself this(and there are many questions that I’ll be asking), when was the last time that A Hindi film was made on the theme of climate change. More importantly, is it worth it….lets find out. 

Kadvi Hawa is the story of an old villager and a debt collector who strike a deal to help each other out, while their lives are affected by a certain shift in the climate. The story is as relevant today as it was three years back(when the movie had released). The screenplay is a slow burn and moves at a leisurely pace almost as if the writer wants you to sink into the ‘bitter’ reality. It is extremely well written! To give you a perspective here is a scene – A teacher asks a student of how many seasons are there in his village, to which he replies two(summer and winter), as opposed to four, mentioned in his geography textbook. On being corrected, he replies, ‘Yahaan baarish garmi and thandi ke beech girti hai'(it rains a bit in summer and winter). Just a single simple line with a profound meaning! The dialogues are subtle yet sharp. Director Nila Madhab Panda(director of I am Kalam, highly recommended) has done a phenomenal job in successfully dealing with a relevant subject. 

Bhupesh Singh as Mulund is restrained. His wife played by Tillotama Shome is outstanding and you can almost make out her palpable tension which is buried beneath her outer demeanor. Ranvir Shorey as Gunu Banu is excellent and his character displays a contrast to the one with the protagonist. Also, he contributes to some of the lighter moments. And Sanjay Mishra as Hedu. A masterclass in acting! An actor that still may not have got his due, but he lives every bit of his character and the more you watch him, the more you feel his pain that his character is going through. Another towering performance. 

This brings me to my rant. For people really going all out on social media about nepotism in Bollywood(and yes it does exist but name one profession where it doesn’t), just ask yourself, how many of you have watched this movie(or Gali Guleiyan which I have reviewed yesterday) in a theatre? Leave alone these, have you even watched gems of Sushant Singh Rajput – Sonchiriya and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi in a theatre? If you as an audience keep supporting trashy movies, I am sorry but there is no one else to blame. And by the way, the debate should have been on mental health and not about nepotism, which was the need of the hour! The point really has been missed and how! Lets see how many of you will actually watch this movie after reading my review. I will wait(and do let me know in the comments below). Kadvi Hawa available on Zee5 and Highly Recommended.