If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

KALYUG will not really work for viewers who are not already conversant with the [Mahabharata’s] main story of the relationships and conflicts between two rival sets of first cousins. A hastily-sketched family tree in the opening sequence lays out the main characters; their epic parallels are immediately apparent to those in the know, while their sheer number can only overwhelm the uninitiated.

Kalyug was Shashi-produced and Shashi-starred, and we must shamefully admit that this time, we bought it because of Shashi’s name on the cover, not Shyam’s.

This is all very understandable, as scenes of funerals preceded the scenes of angst, hence implying that Shashi’s life was in danger. The end, which comes after several dragging scenes of yet more ambiguity, is bleak and hopeless. Even Kulbushan Kharbanda, who was playing Bal Raj (or was it Dhal Raj?), the hedonistic, fun-loving brother, was reduced to monotone seriousness.

Shashi was restrained and angsty for much of the film, very unlike his boogying mainstream trademark. Rekha had very little to do, other than appear bitchy, something which was never explained. Raj Babbar as the eldest brother was wonderfully Zen-like and calm, but we’ve never actually seen anything with Raj Babbar, so maybe he just is really Zen-like and calm. Kulbushan impressed us very much again, since we’ve now seen him run a lengthy gamut of emotions

Posted in: Movie Reviews |