Kaaf Kangana – Too intense to handle!

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

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Kaaf Kangana aims to broker peace between Pakistan and India but fails to make sense to the audience

Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar’s film Kaaf Kangana claims to be intense but not for the 2019 audience because, for them, it’s laughable. The songs and some of the performances are good but not good enough to save it from sinking. It would have done well had it been released in a more suitable time, let’s say the 1980s when anything was possible. Today, it will go down in history as something that came and went without making a dent!

The typical love story of a Pakistani boy, Indian Girl

Raise your hand if you want to watch an Indo – Pak love story with more emphasis on Kashmir? I doubt anyone would be interested in such a story, especially when India is butchering Kashmiris in Jammu. The plot is so 1990-ish that you are bored in the first 15 minutes of Kaaf Kangana. Who wouldn’t in a film that begins with a narration, a SAARC quiz competition, and a hero riding a bicycle! The second half takes place in India so be ready to change the gear from local dramas to Indian soaps. Be very very ready!

A border away but India seems to be on another planet!

For the writer-director of Kaaf Kangana, India may be a border away but their fashion isn’t. It seems everyone in India is always ready to attend a wedding, complete with makeup which isn’t the case. They are just another country where people sleep, eat and even the rich relax at home. Judging from actress Fizza Ali’s jewelry and hairdo, it seems she is a party animal who parties all night. The same goes for her folks for whom India seems to be where the home or the party is. In Tere Pyar Mein, the director tried to show India by erecting a Taj Mahal set and it worked. Here, no special steps are taken to show India, giving Kaaf Kangana the feel of a TV drama than a film!

Kaaf Kangana takes place in a parallel universe

Characters in the film seem to have extra love for Kashmir in their hearts, for no reason. Be it Shafqat Cheema’s character or Sajid Hasan’s Haridas, they seem to love the region more than the average man. But when the characters start talking more about Kashmir than about themselves, that’s where things go wrong. The events take place in a parallel universe where calling everyone with their full name is a norm. Where running in a room takes you close to the door, where singing after being shot is possible, where a bullet doesn’t explode after entering the body, where an Indian girl can read Urdu, where the border is like a door that you can cross anytime etc.

Over-the-top acting doesn’t do any favors to the flick

Except for Sami Khan and Ayesha Omar, every actor in the film overacts for no reason. On hearing his grandfather’s name, Shafqat Cheema’s character acts as if he is a blind man when he isn’t. Sajid Hasan does his best to give Amrish Puri-look but fails, thankfully. Sami Khan is punched, slapped, kicked and even shot which is too much for any hero. Aabi Khan is a good addition to films but he needs to tone down his acting to be successful. Ayesha Omar was wasted in a role where all she does is look beautiful and disappointed at the same time. As for Eshal Fayyaz, she showed promise but Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar’s over-the-top direction didn’t help her character at all.

How Kaaf Kangana could have been saved!

Had someone else directed the film, with Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar working on the script, it would have been saved. His belief in himself as writer, poet, director, and producer hurt the film big time, despite an impressive soundtrack. A current era director would have taken references from current era films so it would have appealed to the public. The public Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar was targeting doesn’t go to cinemas anymore because they are either too old or retired. When they do, it’s usually because of the cast than the scriptwriter and had he known that he would have worked even harder. If the Kashmir version of this film didn’t make you skip it, the reviews will. No matter how much one likes his writing, they will find Kaaf Kangana below par, any day of the year.

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