Movie Review: Kedernath

Movie Review: Kedarnath
Rating: 2/5
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Sara Ali Khan, Alka Amin, Nishant Dahiya, Pooja Gor

Kedarnath Movie Trailer

Director Abhishek Kapoor’s “Kedarnath” kind of wears its premise on its title. It is sensitive, competently crafted and appears genuinely regional in flavor.

It also brings together two opposing worlds of Indian cinema; the narrative of the traditional cinemas of the 70s and the modern technicalities of the 21st century. There are sequences that remind you of films like “Waqt”, “Jai Santoshi Maa” and “Mother India”.

Mansoor Khan (Sushant Ali Khan) is a pitthoo in Kedarnath who ports the visitors on his back helping them to cover the trekking distance and reach the temple. Mandakani Mishra aka Mukku (Sara Ali Khan) is the daughter of a wealthy priest who also owns some hotels in that area. They both are fond of cricket & that helps them to get so close to each other so they kiss in a cave. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest Entertainment and Lifestyle news.

The plot is actually an interesting one that feels both timeless and current, in the way that it plays with romance and a recent natural calamity.

What holds your attention is the cast. While Sushant Singh Rajput delivers a sincere performance, all eyes are on Sara Ali Khan who makes her debut with this film. As the spunky Mandakini, she reminds you of her mother Amrita Singh in her debut “Betaab”. And, while Sushant and Sara deliver their chops earnestly, their on-screen chemistry lacks charisma and the fault lies not with them, but the script.

Supporting the couple in conventional roles are; Nishant Dahiya as Kullu the local politician and Mandakini’s fiance, Nitish Bharadwaj as Mandakini’s father – “Pandit”, Pooja Gor as her sister and Alka Amin as Mansoor’s mother. They deliver a uniformly strong performance.

Technically the film is astutely mounted. Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray uses the fluidity of the hand-held cameras in an attempt to capture the freshness of a spontaneous experience. The action and melodrama sequences too are competently handled.

Sushant Singh Rajput is marvellous in his act. He carries a bag of various expressions with him with the confidence of using it at the proper time. He fails to grab the accent of a Pahari guy but is perfect with his body language. Also read: ‘Abhishek Kapoor & the journey of Kedarnath‘

The beautiful reflection of her mother, Amrita Singh, Sara Ali Khan leaves a mark with her debut performance. She’s very good in most of the scenes barring a few of the emotional ones. Still, need some brushing but she’s definitely a star to look out for.

Alka Amin is pretty good as Mansoor’s mother & emotes her expressions beautifully. Nishant Dahiya faces the flak of poor writing & his character just doesn’t click even for a single scene. Same as him, even Pooja Gor’s role adds nothing substantial to the script.

Hitesh Soni’s music brings Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics to life. The songs “Qaafirana” and “Namo Namo” sung by Arijit Singh and Amit Trivedi respectively, add a mystical flavour to the narrative.

Chandan Arora’s editing has also got that finely-tuned, perfect blend of every technical element that it takes to make a great film, especially the climax, which is painstakingly done by incorporating effects with sound design and music into a seamless fabric that is emotionally satisfying