'Kadak Singh' review: Pankaj Tripathi's whodunnit isn't 'kadak' enough
What's the story
The expectations are set high when a film stars Pankaj Tripathi in the titular role, is touted to be a thriller, and is helmed by National Film Award-winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.
Despite the key ingredients for a perfect whodunnit, Kadak Singh fails to meet the conjecture. The only time it gets thrilling and fairly paced is in the last 20 minutes.
We review.
Story
A retrograde amnesia patient's attempt to clear his corruption charges
AK Srivastava/Kadak Singh (his children call him that for being strict) is an officer in the government's finance corruption wing. He's investigating a chit-fund scam but attempts suicide after seeing his daughter Sakshi entering a shady hotel.
While he survives the apparent suicide, he's diagnosed with retrograde amnesia and is also charged with corruption.
The story then shows his attempt to clear his name.
Cast
Tripathi shoulders it entirely
With Tripathi in the lead, Srivastava's story is narrated through four people - daughter Sakshi (Sanjana Sanghi), his junior Arjun (Paresh Pahuja), Srivastava's friend Naina (Jaya Ahsan), and his boss Tyagi (Dilip Shankar).
Nurse Kanan (Parvathy Thiruvothu) joins Srivastava in listening to all the versions while also taking care of his health.
Varun Buddhadev plays Srivastava's teenage son who's admitted to a rehab center.
Performance
'Kadak Singh' is hugely dependent on Tripathi
It's a no-brainer that the brightest star in this film is Tripathi, who shoulders the responsibility of making the film watchable, plus his character has multiple layers.
Sanghi and Pahuja have also given good performances, but their characters were limited.
The biggest disappointment is Thiruvothu who, despite showing good chemistry with Tripathi in their patient-nurse relation, didn't get a meaty role.
Writing
Product of a good story but poor execution
The story is jointly written by Ritesh Shah, Roy Choudhary, and Viraf Sarkari.
The trio did set an interesting premise for an investigating officer with retrograde amnesia to solve his own case but failed at its execution.
It keeps juggling between past and present with the four individuals narrating their stories, lacking the thrill that makes the viewer hooked to the story.
Highlight
Factors that worked in the film's favor
While everyone has been discussing the father-son relationship in Animal, the father-daughter duo in Kadak Singh is worth mentioning. It has its share of trouble, but how it eventually grows, makes it beautiful.
The dialogue writing needs to be appreciated too, especially the emotionally charged ones where Sakshi tells Srivastava, "Humari maa hi nahi, baap bhi nahi hai."
Verdict
Not the best of whodunnits, yet watchable
Kadak Singh skipped its theatrical release and opted for its premiere on ZEE5. The decision by the makers seems right since it may not have gained traction at the box office.
While the film doesn't keep you on the edge throughout (except for its climax), it still can pass as a decent watch for the weekend.
Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars.