Karwaan MOVIE ONLINE Hindi 2018

Directed by Akarsh Khurana
Cast - Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Karwaan Story: Avinash (Dulquer), a dejected soul stuck in a dead-end job shares a strange relationship with his father. He holds him responsible for crushing his dreams. However, he is left pondering upon this longstanding hatred when he hears of his father’s untimely demise.

Karwaan Review: The news of his father’s sudden death takes Avinash and his friend Shaukat (Irrfan) from Bengaluru to Kochi, a journey that gives them time to introspect on their lives.

Sometimes getting lost is the best way to find yourself. This lies at the heart of Karwaan. Not all journeys wind up the way you’d imagined, and yet, they put things into perspective, be it life or relationships. The film feels a lot like that. It starts off as an incoherent, bumpy ride that takes multiple unwanted detours, before finding its true calling. Much like it’s protagonist Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan aka DQ), the story wanders aimlessly in quest of its mojo amidst a tragedy. Eventually, unravelling a journey of self discovery.

Shot across the most beautiful places in South India, Karwaan takes its time to connect the dots and disclose the dilemmas that haunt its three distinct characters — Avinash (Dilquer), Shaukat (Irrfan) and Tanya (Mithila). You don’t instantly warm up to them, nor they to each other, as the intimate human interaction and confrontation you expect in the story comes much later.

While most road films stand out for its heart to heart conversations, Karwan tries a bit too hard to establish itself as a dark comedy and therein lies the problem. It seems burdened by its desire to be unconventional, detached and funny. It even succeeds in dodging cliches but the situations seem a tad implausible.

What then makes this strange journey worth taking are the brilliant performances by Dulquer and Irrfan. You totally get the hype around DQ, the Malayalam heartthrob who makes his debut in Hindi cinema here. The actor’s effortless screen presence and earnest, understated act is a welcome change and he seamlessly nails the language (Hindi). Let’s hope Bollywood taps into his talent.

Despite getting a half-baked character, Irrfan, one of the finest actors in cinema, breathes life into the film. He gives its meandering narrative a direction, with his impeccable performance and his trademark piercing gaze. A heartbreaking scene in the latter half where he opens up on his father, proves for the umpteenth time what a great actor he is. His hilarious pearls of wisdom and unsolicited advice at the most inopportune time are, some of the best moments of the film. Mithila Palkar is pleasant, but fails to leave her mark. Kriti Kharbanda is likeable in her special appearance.

Karwaan might not be the roller coaster ride you expected it to be, but it leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling in the heart that says all’s well that ends well.

Rating: 4/5

There is an early scene in Karwaan in which Irrfan Khan - or Irrfan, as he insists on being called and credited - subtly sets the tone for the film we are about to see. It’s set in a lonely dhaba, late at night, when even the hungry are fast asleep. It is an important scene, in which pivotal decisions are made and everyone - the actors and the audience - is required to be on their toes.

Dulquer Salmaan is making a phone call, and he’s absolutely killing it - he’s emotional, vulnerable and relatable. He’s pacing about with a worried look on his face, unsure of what the future holds. But in the background, noticeably out of focus, is Irrfan. He’s sitting on a chair, alone, lit with the murky amber that can only be found at dusty roadside eateries. He isn’t speaking. He isn’t moving. He isn’t even blinking. And yet, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him.

That, in essence, is the overwhelming emotion that Karwaan leaves you with. As much as it is a story about fathers and their children, and as much as it is a story about Dulquer’s character, Avinash -- Irrfan is on a different plane altogether, operating with such virtuosic exuberance that is difficult to admire the many other achievements of this film. He plays Shaukat, a fast-talking streetwise smartass, who fits comfortably into his compendium of characters - a lovable oaf with a heart of gold. Such is the electricity of his scenes that it almost seems as if Irrfan, in a fit of inspiration, came up with his own lines after having been thoroughly disappointed by the ones handed to him. Fate brings Shaukat and Avinash to that dhaba - they’re friends, before you begin to wonder - but it is their inherent decency that sends them on a life-altering journey of self discovery.

Avinash is experiencing the fallout of a life unfulfilled, hopelessly working at a soul-sucking corporation -- the sort of place that has the words ‘Don’t complain, unemployment feels worse’ printed in large, bright letters on its walls. He once used to be a bright young man, an artist with ambition. But now he has lost all feeling. He quietly soaks in his boss’ bullying, he can’t muster the courage to talk to the girl he has a crush on, and he has all but abandoned his dreams of becoming a photographer.

Then, one night, alone in his apartment, he receives a phone call. His father is dead, the chirpy lady on the other end tells him. A road accident, she says. Avinash can collect the body from the airport, and have a great day ahead. But in a darkly humorous mix-up, the wrong body is delivered to Avinash. His father’s body is in Kochi, with a kindly woman who informs him that he must travel all the way - Avinash is in Bengaluru - to pick him up.So for help, and transport, he turns to Shaukat. Together, they embark on a long and gorgeous road trip across south India, making a quick pit-stop at a boarding school to pick up Tanya, the teenage daughter of the lady they’re supposed to meet. She’s played by Mithila Palkar, who is remarkably resilient, despite the famous and formidable talents of her co-stars.

But as terrific as she is - and as frighteningly brilliant as Irrfan is - Karwaan is very much a Dulquer Salmaan vehicle, forgive the pun. He has an effortless charm about him, a warm presence that is perfectly tempered by Irrfan’s rather flamboyant style and Mithila’s adorable Manic Pixie Dream Girl act. And as someone who isn’t necessarily all that familiar with his work - Karwaan is Dulquer’s first Hindi movie, he is a Malayalam film star - it does make me want to discover his other films.His character certainly has the more fleshed out arc, amplified by the rather difficult relationship he had with his father. But as much as Avinash hated him, he’s driven by a sense of unspoken duty, and fuelled by his fear of one day turning into the man himself.

There is very little to fault with Karwaan, which has been directed with surprising tenderness by Akarsh Khurana, who has also penned the lyrics to several songs on the eclectic soundtrack (which is quite incredible, by the way). It is shot with an unusually painterly eye by Avinash Arun, and besides an unnecessary romantic subplot, has only one awkward aspect that needs to be addressed.

The film has a Malayali playing a Kannadiga, a Marathi playing a Malayali, and then there is Irrfan doing whatever the hell he’s doing. And yet, they all speak in Hindi. I haven’t yet decided if this is a testament to India’s multiculturalism or a vague head bob in the face of it. Karwaan arrives at a rather complicated time, a realisation that is made all the more upsetting by the film’s overarching theme of life and death, and particularly the scene in which Shaukat is introduced. With characteristic theatricality, he says, ‘Hume zinda dafan kar diya yeh soch ke ke hum mar jayenge (they buried me alive thinking that I’d die)’. This translation is quite literal - apologies for that - but it’s worth noting the line’s subtext.

By talking about the hardships of his life, and his unstoppable survival instinct, it is almost as if Shaukat is mocking death, taunting it for being a weak opponent. It is, of course, a cruel twist of fate that this line has taken on new meaning in light of recent events. But there’s strength to be derived from Shaukat’s words, and he’d be the first one to boast that they’re almost poetic, wouldn’t you say?



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