Kedarnath Movie Review: Abhishek Kapoor’s Efforts Are Laudable; The VFX Is Overwhelming

• Reviews
• Updated:December 07, 2018 11:34 IST

• Authors: Sandip Pal
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My Verdict: Sara’s seasoned stroke, Sushant’s unassuming act and the Kedarnath valley for being what it is make this film a must watch

Set in the backdrop of the infamous 2013 flash floods of Uttarakhand, Kedarnath is a wonderful attempt by director Abhishek Kapoor. The very thought of making a film on that region of our country and that calamity is commendable and deserves applause. Having said that, there is no taking away from the fact that the love story between the Muslim Pitthoo (Human Porter) Mansoor and the Pundit’s (priest) daughter Mandakini is as old as the mountains the film is set in.

In earlier articles, I had mentioned that the premise of the film is influenced by Raj Kapoor’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram and it indeed is. The woman curses and the catastrophe befalls, the juxtaposition of the logic behind the calamity, how they hold on to something that has a religious significance (Nandi’s horns) to be saved so on and so forth. In fact, the name of Abhishek’s heroine in the film is Mandakini, point to note here is the main river that flows by Kedarnath Dham is the Mandakini river and the girl belongs to the same place. One can easily draw parallels between the name of the girl’s character in this film and Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili where the name of the girl’s character is Ganga. Ganga is the main river that flows in Gangotri and that is where ‘Ganga’ the girl lives! In RTGM the river Ganga is of a major significance in the film and in Kedarnath, it is the Mandakini river that was the cause of destruction. However, in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, the name of girl ‘Ganga’ is beautifully justified but Abhishek’s naming of his heroine Mandakini isn’t justified! He might have named her that just for the heck of it… - That’s another story though -

Coming back to Kedarnath – one should not forget that this is a whole new film as well. Even though what will be the culmination of it can be gauged easily from the trailer itself, the film keeps you hooked on to it and even after it all ends, you want more! That my friends, is an achievement! Kuddos to Abhishek and Pragya Kapoor for making that happen!

To get the real feel of the film, it is necessary to have a first-hand experience of the milieu it is set in. I was fortunate enough to have that. The film lives and breathes on the stretch between Gaurikund to Kedarnath. However, the re-creation of Rambara which was washed away after the floods was a feat of another level. Some scenes were shot in Chopta to recreate what was Rambara, but to people who have been there before the flash-floods, this wouldn’t be very convincing.

Sara Ali Khan plays the daughter of a Pundit (priest) who is a bit of a rebel in her head, she does what she feels is right and doesn’t give a darn about anyone before putting forth her thoughts! She plays her character with such an ease that one feels as though she is just being herself. She looks pretty as a picture in those pastel Salvar-Kurtas she dons throughout the film and no missing out on her bindi! Her expressions, her stern glances, her quivering lips, all add up to the histrionics of her character.

Sushant Singh Rajput was good in his parts too. His unassuming portrayal of Mansoor the Muslim Pitthoo was credible enough. There was not much meat in his character though. His mindset and point of view towards certain things were well-brought up given the dark phase he underwent in his life for which he blames himself.

We see Nitish Bharadwaj on the silverscreen after a long long time. In the role of the Pundit and Mandakini’s father, he does only as much as he can do. It is not him but the character which is age-old and tiring! Come to think of it, in remote corners of out country we still have such fathers, so no use complaining on that.

One of the most pertinent character in the film is the Kedarnath Valley itself. It is not just a backdrop. It is that one important character that defines the lives of its inhabitants. At once beautiful and serene and at once dangerous and unforgiving. It is given life by cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray marvellously. Again I couldn’t help but reminiscence about Radhu Karmakar’s cinematography in the Raj Kapoor’s directorial Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Some shots looked so similar, only difference being drones were not quite available then. The ariel shots in the film are breath-taking. The thing is the place itself is so beautiful that there’s no way, it will look bad. A lot of handheld and Steadicam shots were incorporated due to the terrain and that again was some feat!

Coming to the direction, Abhishek Kapoor has done it laudably well. The parts of the film that dealt with the flash floods deserve a special mention. The duration of the flash floods depicted in the film lasted mainly for around 10 to 15 minutes which was the actual duration when the waters from the Chorabari Taal roared down the Mandakini. The flow of the water did happen in three directions, one from the top of the temple and two others from either sides of it and the same was shown in the film too. The debris, rock and mud shown inside the temple after the deluge subsides was in fact a reality.  The  huge boulder that is shown to have gotten stuck just behind the Kedarnath Shrine, did actually shield the temple from any harm from the flood waters. It is now called the Bhim Shila. The VFX team too needs to be given a pat on their backs because they did a swell job in taking the directions in an absolutely accurate manner!

Yet, there are certain things that made me twitch my eyebrows in disbelief. Especially when we are talking about the year 2013, I began to wonder, did we really have selfie sticks back then? Isn’t it a more recent phenomenon? When the entire valley is washed out and is submerged under the fierce waves of the Mandakini river, the electric poles are uprooted and there is sheer chaos, I wonder how the cell phone networks are still working and the mobile phone which looks to be partially in the water is in a perfect ringing condition! I want that phone!! In another instant, I couldn’t really become one with Mukku’s decision of being a passive viewer when Mansoor is being mercilessly beaten up by the goons! She says, “Itne Mein hi Mar Gaya To Kaise Chalega?!!” Really?!

All in all, the film is a definite one time watch for the scale of it, the beauty of the place it is set in and the VFX used in the flash flood scene.