Karwaan

Irrfan Khan is a delight, and I am blunt enough to state that it is after years that we are watching him BECOME the character he plays and not remain yet another variation of Irrfan, the actor. Dulquer Salmaan is confident and right for his role, making an impressive if low-key debut in Hindi. Mithila is just alright, as is Amala. In their brief cameos, Akash Khurana and Beena shine, as does the veteran actor who plays the airport authority handling the consignments that come in. Kriti Kharbanda is fabulous in her cameo. The others do not have anything to do.

Karwaan has much that is wrong with it. But it also has plenty that pleases, a warmth and an empathy for the misfits that makes it a very endearing road trip, albeit with irrelevant deviations.

Karwaan might not be the roller coaster ride you expected it to be, but it leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling in the heart that says all's well that ends well.

Director Akarsh Khurana manages to get some interesting characters other than the main leads who keep you invested in this tale. The music has the right breezy feel to it which adds just the right amount of zing to this slice of life tale. Watch 'Karwaan' for Irrfan and Dulquer, this one will keep you smiling much after you have left the theatre.

Karwaan is a film that deals with dealing grief and life at large. It's a film on existentialism. It's a slice of life served with enough delicious toppings. Bite into it!

At one point, a character in this film explains that he is not sure whether Person X was a good guy but it is clear that he was not bad, which in itself is quite something in this day and age. There can be no more appropriate a description of Karwaan: it is not earth shattering, but it is not bad at all. Which is another way of saying it is an intelligent, funny, thoughtful film and a pleasant experience.

All said and done, Karwaan will be remembered only for Irrfan Khan & his unbelievable dialogue delivery. Go with low expectations & be prepared to get entertained in parts.

Detours and stopovers to cancelled weddings, random goons, Mere Mehboob-style coy romances, run-ins with exes and premature exchange of opinions, personal life and preconceptions make Karwaan wander off in a medley of much ado about nothing. As a consequence the more we look at them, the more out of sight they grow. After all that running around, the life lessons it ultimately imparts only show the makers's inability by resorting to the same old soppy idea of closure it so desperately seeks to break away from.

For every sequence Irrfan is not on screen, you notice, the film suffers. Think you can say that for films in general — for all the time, for health reasons, he's been compelled to stay away. This will make you want him back even more.

The locations are beautiful and the idea of finding oneself after a parent dies is good too. But the stink from the dead body permeated the film. You will enjoy it should you leave your brains (and your olfactory senses) behind!

Karwaan is an entertaining fare but only for the classes and city audiences. Its collections will pick up in the premium multiplexes of the cities due to positive word of mouth but the dull start will tell on the ultimate business because films like these do not have the power to sustain in the cinemas for too long.

Despite the contrivances he is saddled with, Shaukat turns out to be a delight. Irrfan has had his share of road movies (Road to Ladakh, Piku, Qarib Qarib Single), but he has immense fun being the designated joker in the pack in Karwaan. A scene in which he rehearses his proposal to a woman he has only just met involves talking to a wall, and the actor ensures that it is memorable. Together with Salmaan, Irrfan lends the movie the poignance it seeks, but doesn't always find, over 120 minutes.

Even as the film makes you laugh uproariously, it gives some bittersweet insights into life in its own whimsical way.