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Kaafila

Kaafila – Movie Review
11th Aug 2007 23.06 IST
By Nikhil Kumar

A good subject in the hands of an unskilled director can result in a bad film.

Kaafila had the potential to be an absorbing flick. But poor direction by Amitoj Mann and a ho-hum script prove to be the film’s nemesis.

‘Kaafila’ tells the story of a bunch of illegal immigrants headed to the greener pastures of the developed world. Their journey is fraught with danger, constant struggle and pain. The story travels and unravels through half of the world – India, Russia, Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Surprisingly and ironically, Sunny Deol plays a devout Pakistani – a robust agent of ISI, with clear conscience and a generous heart.

To drive his point home, Amitoj Mann tries to pack in as much masala into the story. Recurring events remind us constantly about the film’s theme – illegal immigration and human trafficking. To make things interesting the director incorporates the real-life incident of Malta Boat Tragedy in which more than 300 illegal immigrants perished.

On top of it, there are other ‘interesting’ angles like Russian mafia, a scientist with plutonium, Taliban, and much more.

To further pep things up, the director throws in two romantic tracks. Sunny Deol gets to romance Bulgarian model Polina, and Amitoj romances Monalisa.

If anything was left, the customary song-and-dance complete the p(l)ot-pourri.

The problem with ‘Kaafila’ is that it doesn’t follow a cogent and cohesive route. And the ordeal of illegal immigrants doesn’t look convincing because the movie keeps veering into escapist interludes (the song and dance and romance). In this attempt to pander to the tastes of the masses, Amitoj Mann ends up making a hodgepodge of a film.

Sunny Deol is once again his stern and macho self. There is no novelty in his performance. Amitoj Mann, too, fails to offer any moments of histrionics. Sudesh Beri is tolerable. Among the ladies, Pakistani actress Sana Nawaz leaves an impression. Monalisa and Polina are just passable. However, they do add some glamour in the dry filmscape.

‘Kaafila’ has an interesting subject. But the writers and director have failed to translate it into an engrossing story. The dialogues are banal. The music is ordinary. And the direction by Amitoj Mann is amateurish.

All in all, an avoidable film.

Rating: *1/2

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