Kedarnath Review: This Sushant Singh Rajput And Sara Ali Khan Movie Tries Quite Hard To Float!
So the big Bollywood debut of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh's daughter, Sara Ali Khan is here. Yes, Abhishek Kapoor 's Kedarnath hit the theatres today amidst the excitement and even anger (yes, some people had complained about the film for various reasons). But what was there in the film for people to lose so much calm? Nothing, to be honest. Even the much hyped passionate kiss between Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan was zoomed out!
The film is a love story between the feisty Mandakini aka Mukku and a pithu in Kedarnath, Mansoor Khan. Did the name ring a bell? The love story has been pitched against the backdrop of the Kedarnath floods. The entire film looks like an effort to recreate Titanic in Bollywood, honestly. But the film lacks at so many points that it just remains as a cheap rip off, failing to bring out all the emotions to its fullest.
The film falters because of a weak screenplay. The first half is dominated by easy breezy romantic sequences comprising of not-so-stolen glances, drinking tea from the same glass, stolen moments, basically, things that you associate with the cute early stages of love. The problem is, this entire first half, spanning over an hour, could have been significantly shortened. This would be felt even more because the second half suddenly catches pace, so much so that you will feel the disjuncture. So intense is this that in the moments where a tear or two should fall off your eyes spontaneously. You just sit on your seats, staring blankly at the screen.
But let us be clear at one point. The romantic sequences are sweet and all, but in the entire sequence of the film, it is extremely stretched, beyond necessity. The film also moves from one point to other, never really settling on one!
The high points of the film are in its performances, in the cinematography and in the visual effects. Sushant Singh Rajput becomes Mansood Khan and he is superb in his portrayal of the character. He breathes life to the character of the pitthu and becomes one of them. He is the person who is not carrying the pilgrims on his shoulder, but also the film.
Kedarnath marks the debut of Sara Ali Khan and she is good. No, not as great as a probably Radhika Madan this year, but even not as terrible as a Nargis Fakri in Rockstar . She is there, she is ok. She goes OTT at some frames and even resembles the mannerisms of Kareena Kapoor Khan sometimes! There was a scene particularly that was supposed to be intense and high on emotion, but it looked quite bland. She does show the spark in some frames and she stands a chance for huge improvement.
The grandeur of Kedarnath is brought out well in the film. The VFX is also great, but just a little dimly lit. Overall, you will feel the goose bumps in the entire flood sequence, which undoubtedly is the best part of the film.
This is a film that you can definitely go and watch once, at least for the cinematography and for Sushant Singh Rajput. Do not go with a lot of expectations and keep your mind free. If you can live through the extremely long and stretched first half, you will like the second half.
P.S- The film also marks the debut of TV actress Pooja Gor.