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'Kalyug' – It's Different

By Nikhil Kumar
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

“It’s different” – a cliché smothered to death, but relevant in this case – describes director Mohit Suri’s film Kalyug very well.

For one, the movie is based upon a subject that has not yet been tried on the Indian screen. Second, the movie attempts to expose the workings of the multi-billion dollar porn industry, although in a very simplistic way. Thirdly, the movie also shows how some people get sucked, willy-nilly, into porn rackets.

The

movie marks the debut of actor Kunal Khemu as a hero (he has worked as a child artist before). It is the first film of the ‘Babydoll’ girl, Deepal Shaw, too. She plays a porn star. The movie also has Amrita Singh returning to films after a long gap. She has quite an interesting role. Emraan Hashmi doesn’t get substantial footage, but he knows well how to leave an impression even in brief stints.

The film tells the story of Kunal Darr (Kunal Khemu), a Kashmiri pandit living in Mumbai. He falls in love with Renuka (Smiley), a girl who lives with his family.

Kunal and Renuka get married. They go for their Honeymoon to a hill station where their very first night in bed is captured on camera and then put on the Internet.

The married couple is arrested for producing pornographic content. For Renuka, the humiliation is too much to bear. She commits suicide. Kunal is shattered within. In his heart is the resolve to hunt down the pornographers who inadvertently sealed his fate.

Kunal gets bail. In his search, he has one lead – a pornstar called Annie (Deepal Shaw). His search takes him to Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland. There, he meets Ali (Emraan Hashmi), the owner of a sex shop who can help Kunal as long as his pockets get filled.

As Kunal zeroes in on Annie, he discovers that she is just a small pawn in the big game. It turns out that Annie is an earthquake victim who got sucked into porn trade.

The strings of the business are controlled by the ‘big fish’ – Simi Roy (Amrita Singh), a suave woman who runs the international porn mafia.

What follows is a logical conclusion to the story. The climax has a shock element and it questions the human morality.

Despite the accusations that Mahesh Bhatt has a penchant for presenting titillation in different possible packages in his celluloid presentations, the filmmaker (he acted as a mentor in this project) certainly deserves credit for attempting to openly tell the truth that many would personally acknowledge, but seldom speak about.

Kalyug talks about the things that are ‘sign of the modern times’.

The film is not path breaking, but it treads a new road. The movie has romance (in the initial portions), voyeurism, tragedy, drama and the exposé of a porn world where sex begins to get kinky.

Kunal Khemu is effective in his performance, but he looks a bit young for the character who takes on the porn mafia. Deepal Shaw is adequate. And don’t expect much titillation from her. Frankly, she may show as much flesh, the truth remains that she hardly looks enticing.

Amrita Singh makes a noticeable comeback in an unlikely role. She is particularly good in her sequences with her daughter, and with Kunal.

Emraan Hashmi plays his flashy-funky character with élan and conviction.

In short, Kalyug tries to mirror a vague picture of the reality of the present times when we have seen real instances of sex-related stuff being taped clandestinely (or intentionally) and then getting circulated for the pleasure of many.

Mohit Suri, the movie’s director, has dealt the subject sensitively. Although he presents a highly simplistic view of things, but that much of cinematic slack can be cut for him.

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