Qala

I do not know how to describe this movie. It's not a movie but an EMOTION! Or rather a tsunami of emotions!!!

The CINEMATOGRAPHY itself is so BEAUTIFUL that it will break your heart! I was so mesmerized, that I rewinded and rewatched some scenes 20-30 times!

The story is simple and straightforward. It's no mystery what happened even though the directors and writers could have infused some intrigue. And that's my only gripe. They revealed what happened too early and they should have kept their cards close to their heart to maintain some suspense.

But the BEAUTY of the movie has not suffered because of that. The HEART of this movie is based on EMOTIONAL COMPLEXITY. Mother-daughter relations, jealousy, competition, that eternal strive to gain the approval of your parents!

SONGS are another highlight of this film. Drawing on our folklore, spiritual and mesmarizingly haunting!

There were a few hiccups in acting from Tripti Dimri but all the others carried their roles to superlative PERFECTION!

In this era where Bollywood churns disappointing gutter movies so often, this one stands out like a diamond in a coal mine! You will not regret watching this!

Qala is a poignant masterpiece. The movie is dark, mysterious amd powerful of capturing the attention of the spectators. Not just the plot, the minute details that the setting holds are eerie and at the same melancholic just like a still painting. It is a concoction of resentment, desire to love and be loved and an extreme form of jealousy that leads to the metamorphosis of a being. The enchanting aura of Tripti Dimri as Qala and the magical acting of Babil Khan as Jagan does full justice to the plot. Comprehensively, it is a gut -wrenching narrative with extremely beautiful musical that narrates/describes the inner psyche of the characters.

So yesterday I watched Qala because I was waiting for this project for a long time as director it is directed by Anvita Dutt Guptan and last time she amazed all of us with her work in Bulbul. I have to tell this movie is whole lot of different experience and not like our typical Bollywood movie. The director has written this story with depth and every dialogue, every picture in this movie is the example of it.

Cast: Tripti Dimri totally nailed it with her acting skills and she proved once again that she deserves to play the lead roles in every movie. Other than her Swastik Mukherjee and Babil Khan is also truly amazing. They totally did justice to their characters.

Cinematography: I must say the cinematography will totally blow your mind because each and every frame of this movie looks no less than a living painting which you will rarely find in some movies so Kudos to the cinematographer.

Music: The music is also synchronised with the movie's theme perfectly. Each song as soon as it starts to play take you to that current emotion that the character is feeling. Some songs even brought tears in my eyes.

Storyline: Anvita Dutt Guptan hats off to you because you have mastered in storytelling. This movie gives a strong message on mental health in depth. Every emotion of this movie whether jealousy or partiality or sexual harrasment or love feels real. Director has portrayed those emotions with such ease. One will never feel disconnected from the movie even for a second. The ending of the movie will break your heart and I was crying like hell after finishing the movie.

Lastly this movie is a tight slap on the faces of those who thinks that Bollywood always copies and unable to create unique content, they have to watch this first.

In short Qala is a absolute masterpiece and I would highly recommend everyone to watch this movie on Netflix.

It explores an unexpected theme bounded by metaphors and symbolisms pointing to the vulnerability of women to make a career in showbiz. Envy, guilt, trauma are some of the key motifs. Dichotomy of fame is portrayed with flashes and blinding lights. With earnest acting performances and art direction. The anatomy of Qala is enthralling. We often stage sadness rather than madness as the cornerstone of female heartache. Qala rectifies that with the freedom to lose control. With an unsettling aftertaste it left me with a story that felt familiar with a syntax of arthouse and unconventional horrors.

Qala is one of those films which makes you feel books are better than films. It is just so difficult to tune everything to the same frequency the cinematography, acting, pacing, storytelling, music(which is top-notch in this one btw.) etc. It could have been one fine mystery short story, but of course, how would we have gotten the great album then?

I don't have much problem with its slow pacing because it picks up in 2nd half, and I am used to slow-paced films. What bothered me the most was the monotonicity.

Playing the role of a child who has a disturbing childhood and is continuously deprived of her mother's attention and love despite being a single child is not easy, even for someone who has done a dozen films, let alone a new actor. And it did prove a bit too much for Tripti Dimri(Qala). She's cute, but her expressions in the film are primarily scared (that too in a weird way) or terrified. Very sorry to say, but Babil Khan(Jagan) was not up to the mark either. I absolutely loved the bits with Sunil Grover(he's an absolute gem) and his thoughtful dialogue:

". . . Par daur badlega. Daur ki ye puraani aadat hai."

Apart from music, the colour grading is very beautiful, which complements the dark aspects of the film industry. The shooting locations and photography are great too.