Almost 2 decades ago, I was driving to a conference with a Canadian colleague. It was a long, three hour drive. It was the time when The Lord of the Rings trilogy was doing the rounds. Being huge fans of it, we started talking about it and somewhere our conversation meandered, invariably, towards Indian mythology. I ended up telling him stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. His response was simple. That, based on those epics, we should be making movies much bigger than The Lord of the Rings.
Cut to 2024. The Indian film industry has made a few movies based on those epics by this time. A few historical movies have been made as well. But to the best of my knowledge they have not successfully explored a futuristic theme, set in a dystopian world and so on and so forth. And to base it on characters from the Mahabharata? Not even close.
Kalki breaks those barriers. It is arguably the first economically successful movie of the genre coming out of India. And the makers have given it an Indian tilt with a plot based on our mythology. Everyone knows the story of Kalki. Almost everyone at least. That a day will come when the world will rot in something unrighteous, immoral, sinful, wrong, wicked, unjust, unbalanced, or unnatural. That, by the way, is what you find on google when you search for Adharma. When Adharma rises, the savior will come. This is what I grew up with, every Sunday morning, watching the the Mahabharata on national TV. Sounds similar to the second coming you think? Of course it is. Every major religion in the world talks of the second coming. And this movie is supposed to be all about it.
The plot is built around the arrival of Kalki. Ashwatthama, son of Dhronacharya, is one of the seven Chiranjeevis on earth. For his role in the great battle of Kurukshetra, he is cursed to live on earth till he aids the birth of Kalki and protects the womb. He is alive in 2898 AD. Ganga has run dry. People of the land are oppressed. There is a rebellion. There are prophecies heralding the arrival of Kalki. There is also an all powerful antagonist who is out to stop Kalki from being born and while at it, seeks to add to his own power or vitality through some weird methods. A mother carries Kalki and the system is out to get her. Karna, in his rebirth, is roaming the earth as a random lone ranger going about his merry ways until he is reminded of his true self through divine intervention. You can fill in the blanks. Two great characters in Ashwatthama and Karna. One can argue they are noble and loved, but had negative shades in the Mahabharata. This story is about those characters attaining redemption.
While breaking some barriers and ushering in a new genre to mainstream Indian cinema, this movie reeks of heavy inspiration from its Hollywood cousins. A desperate recreation of sorts.
The story unwinds from a city that can be Zion from The Matrix. Then there is a part of the city that is exclusive to the higher echelons of the ruling power, akin to what you will see in the Dune or pick any imperial city from the Star Wars movies. A desert or what is called the wasteland in Mad Max. Weird looking automobiles from the same franchise or similar to the land vehicles in Star Trek. Soldiers dressed in uniforms similar to any of the Star Wars or Star Trek franchises. There is even a light Saber fight.
For those uninitiated to these Hollywood cousins, Kalki brings in a mix of all of it. It opens possibilities. Realms outside what typical Indian movies are made in. For those familiar with the originals, this movie can look like a rip off. I do think that a large part of India’s movie going population might see this as a new experience.
Some action sequences beg for a 1.2x speed up button. There is the unnecessary song dance sequence in the first half, but what is an Indian movie without one you ask? It takes about 80 minutes to even arrive at the plot. Costumes are so unoriginal and over the top. The artwork is good in some places, especially considering the fact that this is a new experience for art directors in India. Please do ignore some of the weaponry people brandish. The screenplay for the most part keeps ticking. Dialogues and acting could have been tighter.
This movie has the potential. The genre, though an expensive one, has a ton of potential when mixed with Indian myth. The commercial success of this movie can open the doors for more such.
Will I watch Kalki 2? You bet.
Should you watch Kalki? At the theatre. Consider this a long term investment.
No comments:
Post a Comment