Kakuda (2024) ‘Zee5 Global’ Movie Review: A Failed Marriage of Small-Town Drama and Horror Comedy

The fusion of classic Indian small-town comedy with horror is, frankly, a promising mix for entertainment when executed well. In North India, it’s rare to find a town or village without tales of ghosts and goblins wronged in the distant past, and in fact, they continue to haunt the present. Superstition is rife, but the humor derived from it carries a sinister undertone that makes it engaging to watch. While some attempts have been mediocre, Dinesh Vijan’s horror-comedy universe has largely found the right mix.

“Stree” in 2018 began with the Bollywoodization of a real incident, and “Bhediya” in 2022 transformed the werewolf myth into a political allegory, allowing the stories of the North-East to be heard through the lens of an eco-fable. However, when these stories stick too rigidly to their formulas, they lose their appeal if they become too repetitive and rely more on narrative than on the craft. This is the pitfall of “Kakuda,” Aditya Sarpotdar’s rural goblin tale. The story is right there, but the filmmaking almost never finds its mojo.

Set in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, bordering Rajasthan, the film unfolds in a small, bustling, fictional village at the road’s end. Life is tranquil until 7:15 PM each evening when every household’s man awaits a supernatural visitor at the courtyard’s small door—a feature common to all village homes. Should any trickery befall the guest or the door not open promptly, the man becomes hunchbacked, and his funeral preparations start thirteen days in advance, with his own participation: sweets are made, women sing folk songs, all to bid a happy voyage to the soon-to-be-deceased.

In this setting, an uneducated village barber falls for an English master’s daughter from a nearby town. They plan to elope and wed, yet the looming threat of the local curse casts a shadow over their romance. But of course, what is love in a happy Bollywood comedy if it doesn’t give in to the studio pressure of victory towards the end? Thus, we also encounter a washed-up, middle-aged ghost hunter donning the shabbiest Indiana Jones costume, uttering more nonsensical things than all the dreadful villagers combined.

The narrative of “Kakuda” maintains a certain level of decency despite its silliness. Sarpotdar’s film attempts to weave a colorful Disney-style adventure into the comedic aspect of this horror-comedy, potentially anchoring itself in fantasy with clear-cut tertiary character sketches. The ghost’s backstory offers a nostalgic nod to tales of marginalized individuals caught in the crossfire of envy and slander without delving into the political backdrop.

The central romance adds a touch of contemporary sparkle. Yet, wasting even a sliver of a story’s potential requires a unique skill, a skill that writers Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg appear to have perfected. Beyond a certain point, each punchline plummets, and the effort to delve into the cultural depths of Braj’s sacred land is so lackluster that it would fail even those Hinduness aspirations.

The film might have been tolerable if the performances were consistently good. However, they vary greatly, with the same actors ranging from excellent to dull. Riteish Deshmukh excels in the physicality of a tired yet quirky ghost-hunter who prefers the company of spirits over humans despite being burdened with the poorest jokes. A subplot involving his character’s romance with a woman shunned for her mysterious widowhood has the potential for depth but remains undeveloped. Saqib Salim and “Panchayat” star Aasif Khan contribute little beyond blandly fooling around despite their ample screen time. Sonakshi Sinha stands out, infusing her primary role with a lively charm that’s visually pleasing. However, her portrayal of the beleaguered Gomati is lackluster.

The film’s most jarring creative choice was using animation to recount the backstory of Kakuda, the formidable spirit. This narrative could have been more engaging if presented without narration. However, Sarpotdar opts for a weak flashback approach, which comes across as exhausted and distasteful, diminishing the film’s emotional and political commentary. Additionally, the portrayal of the characters’ psychological struggles is fraught with logical inconsistencies, which the creators erroneously believe adds a comical and whimsical touch.

Overall, “Kakuda” represents a disappointing fusion of lively small-town comedy and horror drama, stumbling to the extent that neither element works to its advantage. The simply incompetent writing results in the performers failing to get its essence correctly.

Read More: Munjya (2024) Movie Review: Intriguing but Shallow Horror-Comedy Let Down by Baffling Filmmaking Choices

Kakuda (2024) Movie Link: IMDb