Kadak Singh Review: Pankaj Tripathi is repetitive in a convoluted investigative thriller

Kadak Singh, the latest movie to stream on OTT, is headlined by Pankaj Tripathi and Sanjana Sanghi. The narrative centers around multiple versions of the same event and the viewers have to piece it all together. Despite its efforts in attempting to deliver a slow burn investigative thriller, the movie ends up being just a routine crime drama that fails to build the stakes for an eventual payoff.

Hot Take

Pankaj Tripathi as a financial crimes investigator, AK Srivastava, is at the front and centre of the narrative. He is an honest officer with a fine track record of 25 years. However, things take a turn when he takes over the investigation of a multi crore ponzi scheme. He lands in a hospital and suffers memory loss. AK must now rely on others to help him remember who he is.

While Kadak Singh manages to build intrigue with a decent set up of a puzzle-like storyline, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury does not possess the wherewithal to see it through to it's climax. The narrative builds up in parts but heavy reliance on the family angle and AK's personal battles somewhat lets the hook off the tension that the plot attempts to create.

When we are drawn towards his professional setbacks, the involvement of the dysfunctional family trope dilutes the what could have been an otherwise impactful psychological thriller.

Is Kadak Singh worth the hype?

The movie starts on a slow note and the viewers may find it difficult to invest in the storyline. We are presented with a distant fatherly figure, AK, whose work has taken precedence over his personal life. The outcome - he shares the roof with a young daughter craving for her father's attention and a neglected teen son who takes to drugs. As the story progresses, the director sacrifices these subplots for AK's medical condition and the case of the missing money.

The director fails to find the right balance between mystery-solving, AK's shortcomings and his family dynamics. The film keeps running from pole to pole without eliciting emotions. Since the context is underdeveloped, you neither invest in his personal life nor professional. The characters don't welcome you to be part of their lives and one ends up watching everything from a distance.

Since the locations are a select few, there was ample scope to build up on the narrative. That does not happen. In fact, after a point the revisiting of same locations makes you feel tiresome and you wish the film had more to offer. The cramped spaces like hospital room, AK's home and his office create a sense of claustrophobia, which you seek immediate escape from.

Pankaj Tripathi has nothing new to offer. He is stuck in a style of performance which has started to get a little too repetitive. A slight modification in the delivery of dialogues makes him play a funny character, otherwise, he feels similar in all his projects, Kadak Singh being the latest. Sanjana Sanghi steps up in some scenes but her role is sacrificed as soon as the investigation aspect takes precedence. In such moments, she fades away in the background. However, one of the monologues that she delivers in the film is emotionally charged and makes an impact.

Stream it or skip it?

Kadak Singh's characters are real and relatable but that also becomes it biggest weakness. The cinematic rendition of these everyday characters isn't enjoyable enough. While a whodunit tries to draw the viewer in, here, the non-linear storytelling and emotional baggage of the central character presents various roadblocks that you can't look beyond. What may have looked good on paper does not translate onscreen.

Bottomline

Kadak Singh struggles to find the right structure to give voice to it's various complex emotions that are at play. With too much on his plate, Aniruddha delivers a half-baked family drama and an undercooked crime thriller - a two course meal not tempting enough. 

Rating: 1.5/5