Film Review: Kalank

5 May 2019

The film Kalank  is directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Fox Star Studios. This can be categorised as family film without any bold scenes. While watching film I have marked many points which raise conflict in the ideologies of Rich and Poor, Man and Woman, Hindu and Muslim. This is not mere romance drama but there is Pre-Partition rumblings.
Flashback technique is used in which Roop (Alia Bhatt) narrates entire events to the journalist and in between the narration, film is taking shape. Costumes, Lights, Camera etc is perfect. Set is highly decorative which catch the eyes of audience. There is one extra scene in which Zafar( Varun Dhawan) is fighting with Bull. That is useless computerized scene and nothing is connected to proceed the story. This is serious scene but makes audience laugh because of bad computer graphics in which the horrible bull is looking funny while jumping just like any animated cartoon.


1. Sacrifice

In the very first scene after "Masaledar song of Rajvadi Odhni" Roop (Alia Bhatt) take serious mode of action. Satya Chaudhary (Sonakshki sinha) the rich Rajputani who is struggling between life and death wants Roop to become life partner of Dev Chaudhary (husband of Satya). Roop denied her proposal because she did not want to sacrifice her dream. But her father forced her to go with Satya because her sacrifice will make her younger sister's life easy.

The second big sacrifice is done by Satya herself because she is sacrificing her husband's love and ready to organise marriage between Roop and Dev.

The third sacrifice is done by Bahaar Begum (Madhuri Dixit) who sacrificed her son for getting love of Balraj Chaudhary (Sanjay Dutt), the father of Dev Chaudhary.

What these women get in return?
The sacrifice of these women leads to the tragic end. They didn't get anything in return, Roop has to spent entire life with Dev and has to forget her lover Zafar, who died while partition. Satya died with cancer and after her death, Dev attracted towards Roop. Bahaar Begum didn't get love by Balraj and lost everything, her son, her hope to get her love back.

2. Patriarchy

Power of patriarchy is clearly visible through the character of Balraj Chaudhary, Zafar, Dev Chaudhary. They make use of women' feeling for their own benefit. They are in ruling power because important family decision is taken by them only. This shows the real picture of society and it will take decades to change the mindset of society. Even women are accepting their rule with happiness.

Zafar, who is illegitimate child of Balraj Chaudhary wants to take revenge and therefore uses Roop, to fool her in his love trap, Balraj easily leaves Bahaar Begum when she becomes pregnant, Dev Chaudhary is ready to marry with another woman.


3. Conflict between Hindu and Muslim (Conflict between Modern and traditional ideas)

The story takes place in Husnabad city, near Lahore, where Muslims are in majority. Chaudhary family is ruling over the majority group even if they are in minority. They are not listening the problems of Blacksmith and wanted to establish huge industry. Dev Chaudhary wants to estanlich huge industry, his thoughts are modern whereas  Abdul doesn't wanted industries because he thinks that with the establishment of industry, there handwork will carry no meaning and they will loose their job. These two characters are holding different ideologies: Traditional and Modern and conflict between these ideologies.

4. Old Archetype of two lost brothers

In these story Dev and Zafar are brothers, but the truth about their relations reveal at the end of the story. Balraj himself tell this truth to Dev. This is common and very old archetype because many films have same kind of story in which two brothers realised their relationship at the end. From beginning they are fighting with each other, but when truth reveals they stop everything and becomes brothers in true sense.

Deconstruction theory

Reading with the aim of unmasking internal contradictions: In this film there is one scene in which Roop is arguing with Satya to learn music from Bahaar Begum. Satya tell her that the place Hiramndi where Bahaar Begum is living is not for noble people. But Roop wants to go there and her obstinacy forced Balraj to allow her to go there. In this scene may be the director wants to prove that in front of women stubborneess no one can win and wants to show women empowerment may. But he fails because even if she is allowed to go, she has to carry servant with her who will notice what she is doing, like a surveillance camera. It means that freedom is given in part not whole. At one hand there is theme of women empowerment and at another there is still some kind of  rule by power structure which doesn't allow them to do what they want to do.  In the next scene when Roop wants to publish her article about the story of Hiramandi then also her story got rejected by her husband. This is another example of patriarchy also. Whatever be the reason behind the rejection, the interpretation come out is that there is not full freedom for women, they got freedom in parts rather than whole.



In the end Alia Bhatt ask to audience that what they have seen in the film because there are number of possible interpretations. Some will look at film as an Political satire, some will think about conflict in religion, some will find it as only romantic film. There are different angles and it depends on the eyes of audience that what they want to look or want to interpret as per their own thinking or belief.