As a pleasant relief, KUCHH BHEEGE ALFAAZ is a much better project if compared to Onir’s last SHAB (2017) and it also doesn’t have any of his usual sub-plots of a disturbed childhood or a gay relationship in the script. But sadly the film still doesn’t turn out to be any extraordinary fresh experience due to a repetitive theme.
Stating the merits, KBA works in terms of performances by all likable faces led by National Award winner Geetangali Thapa (as a girl with a skin condition having white patches on her face and body), debutant Zain Khan Durrani (playing a lonely Radio Jockey), Shray Rai Tiwari (as the girl’s close friend), Mona Ambegaonkar (as the girl’s mother) and the actress playing Durrani’s associate at the radio, putting up a wonderful show together rising above an all familiar and predictable plot.
Secondly, Onir maintains a fair pace throughout the film that keeps you engaged (despite a more than required length) and the cinematography scores well with its nostalgic portrayal of Calcutta focusing on its local charm.
On the other hand, what doesn’t work in favour of the film is its age-old, repetitive plot of two people falling in love without seeing each other, communicating through Whats App on mobile (also involving a hidden identity) and then meeting for the first time in the climax ending on a happy note. The plot has been used several times in the past with different modes of communication starting from letters, phone-calls, e-mails to lunch-boxes and facebook interactions in films such as SIRF TUM, NA TUM JANO NA HUM, MITR MY FRIEND, MUJHSE FRAANDSHIP KAROGE and the latest LUNCHBOX (with the originals as usual being a couple of English films).
Besides the unimpressive poetry (shayri) used in its major sequences completely fails to touch your heart that ideally should have been the film’s key feature. Presented by Saregama, it uses a mix of Hindi, English and Bengali (subtitled) languages in its dialogues along with an intelligent product promotion of the company’s new Caravan Radio. And following the current awful trend of Hindi cinema, this is yet another film that doesn’t have any original song of its own, but conveniently uses a few old classic hits in its various sequences (including Pehla Nasha).
In short, KUCHH BHEEGE ALFAAZ is just another forced romantic drama, that specifically tries to target the present generation (more involved in digital communication). It has a few sweet and expressive moments, but doesn’t have enough touching content to win over the youngsters as a new-age love saga. So you can try it as per your convenience when it releases on an online portal soon. But watching it on a costly multiplex making an extra effort is not recommended.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
(The article was first published on UC News Mobile App in February 2018)
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Beyond The Review
Director Onir is known for his thoughtful, offbeat films having some surprise elements. But unfortunately he hasn’t delivered any outstanding, worth-watching project post the thought provoking and award winning I AM released in 2010. Though his latest venture is much better than his last forgettable SHAB released in 2017, still it’s not anything exceptionally great, surprisingly based on an overused, familiar theme that wasn’t really expected from the courageous director.
Cheers!
