Topsy-turvy: Saif outshines a sloppy script

KAALAKAANDI

Direction: Akshat Verma Actors: Saif Ali Khan, Vijay Raaz, Deepak Dobriyal, Shobhita Dhulipala, Shenaz Treasurywala, Amyra Dastur, Akshat Verma Rating:

“What is the meaning of all this,” Saif Ali Khan asks a woman, after kissing her. There is no answer. If you’re looking for meanings, lessons or even a few quirky laughs, Kaalakaandi is not the film for you. It’s in a genre of its own — attempted comedy. Which is a cruel joke in itself, given that it promised to explore the dark and twisted undercurrents of life, people, and Mumbai.

Another moment of irony is when you remember that the title is Marathi slang for when things go horribly wrong.

The directorial debut of Delhi Belly writer Akshat Verma, Kaalakaandi unfolds on three parallel tracks. There’s Saif, playing an unnamed executive who finds out he has cancer and three months to live. His doctor has a special way of delivering the news: “You do not have ulcers, therefore you also do not have perforated ulcers and you can stop your medication. You have cancer, stomach cancer.”

Saif launches into a predictable rant about how he has never had alcohol, smoked or done drugs. He then heads home to guests as his cousin is getting married and tries his hand at everything — alcohol, dancing with abandon and narcotics. He goes on a wild binge across the city and faces his inner demons.

The second strand follows a couple played by Kunal Roy Kapur and Shobhita Dhulipala and the third has Vijay Raaz and Deepak Dobriyal.

Handled well, this could have been a gripping movie. Instead, we get a sorry excuse for a narrative.

Saif’s uninhibited performance is a standout. Dobriyal has his moments too.

Otherwise it’s a fail.