Movie: Ki & Ka
Direction: R Balki
Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor
Music: Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematographer: P C Sreeram
Editor: Chandan Arora
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This film tries to break the cold between the gender stereotypes. Where “Ki” becomes “Ka” and “Ka” becomes “Ki”. In simple terms it’s a story of a married couple who are contradicting the clichéd gender roles placed upon them by the society. It is directed by Balki with Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in the lead.
Why it’s disappointing: One would point out quite a few but I will strictly stick to couple of things.
One – The first half takes a sweet time to warm up and feels a bit drag.
Two – the unnecessary enforcement of macho, in a not so comical fight scene.
What to watch out for: There’s a lot to watch out in this flick. In fact a sweet tutorial for 126 minutes. Director Balki does stick to a comfort zone in breaking the ice between two types of stereotypes. But come on Yaar, what you expect to fit the entire battalion. Balki did a fine job in writing specifics, which may look clichéd and cheesy. What’s life without clichés and cheesy….we are way cheesy in real life. If you say you’re not, then buddy you’re in denial.
The films takes a big piece from the cake of Marital life and splits with perfectly etched characters, which were well placed and matched to make this flick click with the audience. The film is not about male chauvinists or feminists. It’s about homemaker and how the obvious is getting ignored in millions of households. It just raises a question what’s wrong in changing the roles. I get it, you can ask these days’ people share duties. But try changing the roles, can you take it? Can your ego take it? Will the society accept it? These questions will definitely arise. But Balki handled them with humour which was tastefully infused with mild emotions which was balanced and doesn’t get to the stretch where you have to reach for tissues.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, was a perfect fit to the character of “Kia”. She unfolds as the character does in the story, which makes her performance a formidable one. She was seen in a good role after a while and definitely a commendable one.
Arjun Kapoor, he has a penchant to handle the comedy laced with romance. And the character of “Kabir” was a piece of cake to him, which he performed it with finesse.
Swaroop Sampat, she was seen after a long gap. Does she even age, I don’t think so. She has the same charm like she did when she was Miss India back in the days. Her character is something, which every youngster would wish as a mother. The character spells COOL in bold letters. She was fabulous.
Balki’s favourite PC Sreeram was at his best and captured every bit with great taste and was a delight to watch. Chandan Arora made sure to maintain the beauty with a crisp edit. Music by Maestro Illayaraja was great, another favourite of Balki, which hasn’t changed since the first film. The film’s album had other artists contributing to other tracks from which my fav picks are “Most Wanted Munda – Meet Bros Anjjan” and “High Heels – Yo Yo Honey Singh & Meet Bros Anjjan”.
And finally how can I forget the central character of the film, wondering who is that? Chill, it’s the apartment because the Art Direction was at a great level. N. Madhusudan did a great job with the trains. And of course Manish Malhotra made sure the characters looked fab, especially Kareena.
Verdict: Balki once again presents a feature which kindles the nuances of relationships involving ego and love. And this one is mixed in proper proportion. “Ki” & “Ka” are perfectly blended, when taken gives you a sweet kick leaving you smiling. Definitely worth a watch and make sure to take your “Ki’s & Ka’s”.
