Kalank Teaser Looks Like Bhansali’s Cinema

 There  is  a deep  dark  seductive  hue  to  the  frames  in  Kalank, the Karan Johar-produced and AbhishekVarman-directed period  drama about dancing tawaifs and raging warriors.  I almost expected Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s  name to  crop up as  director.

But  it didn’t. Is that a  good thing or a bad  thing?

I really can’t tell because the teaser seems to  want nothing  better than to convince  us  that  Karan  Johar  can do aBhansali as well as Bhansali.  The  frames are saturated with colours and  the  over-dramatic scenes(including one  of  a  bare-chested Varun Dhawan in  a bull arena,a  la Baahubali) are shot  on ornate papier-mache sets  in high-definition  gloss with a  background score humming  an  insistent  drama of doom into our burning ears.

 In spite  of  the unmistakable opulence  the teaser  of Kalank exudes  a sense  of  exacerbated  plasticity. The three actresses Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi  Sinhna and  Alia Bhatt try to look suitably seductive and mournful in  costumes that seem  borrowed  from Bajirao Mastani. The male actors Sanjay  Dutt, Varun Dhawan and Aditya Roy Kapoorlook ruggedly  mournful as they  grieve manfully for lost love and  retrieved relationships looking into distant  horizons that look painted  on sets large  enough to house two villages  in Meghalaya.

There  is  fabulous  top-shot  of Alia dancing to a Kathak rhythm . I do hope there is  more glamour  and  less machismo  in  storytelling.

 It could all be  an exciting mélange of swirling ghagras and riveting battles. On  the  other  hand Kalank  could be  a royal  mess. We can only wait with bated breath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmhXhTmP0a0