Latest news with #Kalidhar
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Kaalidhar Laapata' movie review: Abhishek Bachchan stars in a sweet but unremarkable ‘K.D.' remake
In films about laughter and forgetting, flashbacks become a distraction. A sweetly awkward interlude toward the end of Kaalidhar Laapataresolves a minor mystery: why Kalidhar, a middle-aged man with early-stage dementia played by Abhishek Bachchan, loves eating biriyani so much. What links his plate to heart is memory. Let's call it a meat-cute. This passage (featuring younger versions of characters and scored with the generically sweet 'Haseen Pareshaniyaan') returns to conventionality a narrative that celebrates the art of letting go. In the 2019 Tamil original, KD, the moment is handled briskly, with minimum sentimentality. But a Hindi film without a discernible 'love track' and a cameo is perhaps too much to ask. Kalidhar's disease—described as 'amiro ki beemari' (rich people's ailment)—has made him a burden on his family. His self-seeking, debt-ridden younger brothers are after the inheritance (a fork-tongued sister-in-law pulls the strings). After a failed attempt to euthanize him in his sleep, Kalidhar is escorted on a trip to the Kumbh Mela and left to wander off. He tracks them back to a tent and overhears their dark designs. Dejected and aghast, he takes off on his own. Kaalidhar Laapata (Hindi) Director: Madhumita Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Daivik Baghela, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub Run-time: 109 minutes Storyline: Abandoned by his family, a man struggling with dementia finds freedom and connection after befriending an orphan After a night's wandering, Kalidhar finds shelter on the premises of a temple. Ballu (Daivik Baghela), a sparky, precocious orphan, is initially dismissive of the strange, unkempt man usurping his spot under a tree. But once the entrepreneurially-minded Ballu realises that bumbling, biriyani-loving Kalidhar has his uses, they become friends. The boy's free-spiritedness unlocks in Kalidhar a desire to live—for himself, and on his own terms. Together, they draw up a bucket list. The protagonist of K.D. was an eighty-year-old man recently awoken from a coma, played by Mu Ramaswamy. Abhishek Bachchan cannot chomp a mutton bone with quite the same relish (conventional remake wisdom would have tapped his father, Amitabh, for the role, a thought reinforced by a passing Bachchan reference in the film). Still, with his sad, sunken face, Abhishek imbues the struggling Kalidhar with tenderness and vulnerability. The actor's recent films like Ludo, I Want to Talk and Be Happy have centred on adult-child relationships, and he strikes up an easy camaraderie with the upbeat Daivik. Director Madhumita, adapting her own film, swaps the lush southern countryside for a uniformly brown Central India. She finds the occasional detail: for instance, Subhod (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), a deadbeat cop who sets about looking for Kalidhar, is so persuaded because his wife believes the good deed will bring them a child. Yet there are also long, sleepy stretches that drift by without much imagination or spark. Road films—even sweet, meandering ones—are kept alive by a sense of imminent danger or separation. As Kalidhar and Ballu journey from town to town, performing in ram-leelas or chatting by the riverside, they seem thick as thieves. The world is already their stage. Kaalidhar Laapataa is streaming on ZEE5
India Today
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Kaalidhar Laapata trailer: Abhishek Bachchan seeks joy in slice-of-life film
The trailer for 'Kaalidhar Laapata' featuring actor Abhishek Bachchan was released on Saturday. As seen in the trailer, 'Kalidhar Laapata' revolves around a man named Kalidhar (played by Abhishek) who is in need of life changes when he meets a kid named Ballu (played by Daivik Baghela) who is full of joy. Ballu teaches Kalidhar that every relationship has an expiry date, and he should do what makes him happy. The duo come together to tick everything off Kalidhar's bucket list as a group of men intensify their bid to hunt him trailer is filled with adorable moments between Kalidhar and Balu, which is the highlight of the film. 'Kalidhar Laapata' will premiere on July 4 on Zee5. Abhishek shared the trailer on his X handle and said, "Kabhi kabhi life mein second chances lene padte hai, and that's when the most unexpected experiences and bonds are born." He also called the film a soul-stirring slice-of-life film. Watch the trailer of Kaalidhar Laapata here: Along with Abhishek and Daivik, the film also stars Zeeshan Ayyub in a prominent role. Directed by Madhumita, the film is backed by Zee Studios. Meanwhile, Abhishek was recently seen in the film 'Housefull 5'. Despite poor reviews, the film has emerged as a box office success and earned more than Rs 100 crore at the box office. The slap-stick comedy film also stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Nargis Fakhri, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Soundarya Sharma in prominent roles.
