Written and Directed by : Amarjit Singh
Produced by: Binnu Dhillon, Sargun Mehta, Karan Soni, Harsimran Dhillon, GS Dhillon, Navaniat Singh, Achal Kaushal
They say few things are fixed in the stars – one’s birth, one’s death and one’s marriage. When stars decide something, it’s bound to happen. Something like this happens in the life of Lovely, a dusky guy who is constantly ridiculed because of his complexion! Let alone the society, even his own family members don’t leave any opportunity to make fun of his, and as a result, a notion is permanently ingrained into his subconscious mind that he is less worthy than others as far as his chances of finding a life partner are concerned. His confidence is low, but this guy has a soft and kind heart and even better mind.
Not once or twice but many many times, poor Lovely gets rejected by girls and their families because of his dark complexion. The guy doesn’t lose heart, goes to tie a ‘dhaga’ (a ritual to make your request heard by the Almighty) and there he ends up falling in love with a girl, who’s in total contrast of his complexion. Not only this, the girl is already in love with another guy (Jordan Sandhu) who’s much fairer than our Lovely. However, as destiny would have it, somehow, owing to some special case of circumstances, much to Pammi’s chagrin, she ends up getting married to Lovely. From there on, ensues a series of several situations – some of them totally shocking (Pammi’s Suhaag Raat Avatar) while some of them fairly predictable but fun nevertheless.
[h4]Sargun, who apart from looking ethereal in gorgeous Punjabi suits and phulkari dupattas, raises the film to an all-new high with her chutzpah.[/h4]
Film’s first half is really entertaining especially after the entry of Sargun, who apart from looking ethereal in gorgeous Punjabi suits and phulkari dupattas, raises the film to an all-new high with her chutzpah, endearing expressions and unique voice. On one side, her cute chemistry with her best pal, Taaro (Shehnaz Gill) goads one into giggles, on the other Lovely’s attempts to look a shade lighter than jet black with his barber friend add up to the laughter quotient.
The second half which mainly features the post-marriage sequences hasn’t much to offer in terms of storyline as more than 80% of it revolves around just Pal’s wedding preparations, where Pal is hardly visible. A series of repetitive tasks involving Jaggi (Jordan Sandhu) occupy much of the screen space, sending pangs of jealously in Lovely but not adding much to the screenplay. This is where the film drags a bit as there’s not much for the actors to do either apart from giving each other the “looks”.
[h4]The scene wherein Lovely cries while hugging the restaurant guy is probably one of the best in the movie and proves once again, what a terrific actor Binnu Dhillon is.[/h4]
However, thanks to the terrific acting by the lead pair – Sargun and Binnu – that the movie gets saved from faltering. One enjoys just looking at their facial expressions even when there’s not much happening in the screenplay otherwise. The songs are pretty nice and capable of sending one to an emotional zone. The scene wherein Lovely cries while hugging the restaurant guy is probably one of the best in the movie and proves once again, what a terrific actor Binnu Dhillon is.
If the film suffers a bit owing to its dragged screenplay in the 2nd half, it is brilliantly redeemed by the climax, which appears strangely fresh despite being similar to the likes of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or even DDLJ. All the dialogues in the climax scene are thoughtfully written as well. The whole railway station scene is going to make you emotional and you might come out of the cinema hall with moist eyes!
Apart from Binnu Dhillon and Sargun Mehta, all the performances are top-notch. Surprisingly, Shehnaz Gill who makes her acting debut with Kala Shah Kala, manages to make a strong impression with her bubbly acting. Veterans like B.N. Sharma and Nirmal Rishi are once again amazing. Jordan Sandhu should’ve been given something better to do than just serving tea and carrying buckets of food items. Karamjit Anmol and Harby Sangha are first-rate.
Overall, Kala Shah Kala is a complete family movie that other than entertaining you, shall also leave you emotional and perhaps, make you ponder about one issue which has been plaguing our society for ages – that of judging one’s value through one’s colour! A film, which is bound to set the cash registers ringing at the box office, Kala Shah Kala is a winner all the way.
Rating: 3.5/5
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