Director – Abhishek Varman
Cast – Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sonakshi Sinha, Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt
A complex love story set during India’s Partition era, where the young Roop (Alia Bhatt) is torn between respect for husband Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) and her newfound love for Zafar (Varun Dhawan). While their back stories and heart-breaking love saga unfolds, the history of India takes an epic turn, from where there is no coming back
As the name suggests, ‘Kalank’ is a story that questions the high morals of society, especially when it comes to love and family ties. At the heart of the story, the film focuses on how eternal love goes beyond the norms and rules of society, the trappings of religion, and all other physical and man-made boundaries.
It’s a town populated by blacksmiths and a majority of them are Muslims. Husnabad’s most affluent family is the Chaudhrys – Dev and his father Balraj (Sanjay Dutt), who also run a liberal newspaper called The Daily News. Dev’s life takes a sudden turn when under strange circumstances he gets married to Roop. But the complexities in the story are just about to begin. Without revealing too much, during a visit to Bahaar Begum’s chamber (where Roop is honing her music skills) Roop meets Zafar, the local blacksmith and after several meetings they develop strong feelings for each other. The story seems like it offers something new, but the complex relationships and ill-fated romances are often predictable. What’s fresh about ‘Kalank’ is the treatment.
Alia Bhatt leads the way in a role that showcases vulnerability and strength in equal measure. Varun Dhawan, flaunting his superbly toned, greased body looks great for the part and he shows immense intensity that his conflicted character demands.
The pretty girl is Roop, the outsider is Baahar Begum, the upright lady is Satya, her husband is Dev (like in pati-dev), and the boy who wins women over is named Zafar, meaning victor. Played by Varun Dhawan, eyes tinged with kohl and misery, Zafar brings Kalank alive, a blacksmith forging swords with serrated edges, speaking in lines as lethal. He doesn’t lay a hand on a woman without permission or payment, and an awestruck Roop wonders aloud: even he must have a limit. He does not. “Inhi tez jumlon se Heera Mandi ke auraton ke dil kaat rakhe hain,” admires his friend, emphasising how in a film with exclusively poetic lines, Zafar gets the last word because of his sharpness of his phrases.
