Laal Kaptaan
Ratings: 2.5/5
Duration: 2 hrs 35 mins
Director: Navdeep Singh
Genre: Action, Drama
Release Date: 18.10.2019 (India)
Star Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Zoya Hussain, Deepak Dobriyal, Simone Singh, Saurabh Sachdeva and Sonakshi Sinha
Plot: Set in the backdrop of the 18th century, a Naga sadhu (Saif Ali Khan) in India takes on a journey across Bundelkhand. He aims to seek revenge for an injustice committed in the past. The plot revolves around his motive and his worth as a being.
Review: Saif Ali Khan portrays the character of Gossain, a Naga sadhu who moves restlessly and stealthily in search of his prey. He is on a killing spree right from the very first scene in 'Laal Kaptaan'. Gossain is filled with anger and wants to get vengeance on Rehmat Khan for a past grievance. He sets out to find Rehmat Khan (Manav Vij), who is extremely brutal and slashes throats without a second thought. But, Gossain is equally evil and sadistic.
Navdeep Singh, who has previously directed renowned films such as 'Manorama Six Feet Under' and 'NH10', tries to create a period saga, with revenge as the main theme and a blend of varied characters. However, unfortunately, Laal Kaptaan fails to create the magical impact it wishes to get. The storyline is dragged to a point that it misses out on the point and becomes uneasy to digest. The subplots and characters go haywire and take an unexpected turn without adding any meaning to the narrative. While people were going gaga over Sonakshi Sinha’s cameo, you are going to be ted disappointed. Sinha appears in a scene and disappears within the blink of an eye. Laal Kaptaan is effective but is badly scattered. Some moments may hook you, some even leave you surprised, but many scenes are merely strenuous.
With a backdrop of the 18th century and a fascinating milieu, Laal Kaptaan could have been a very captivating drama, but it feels lost and off-track. When it comes to period dramas cinematography plays a very important role. Though Shanker Raman aptly pulls off some sequences well, yet some scenes go away from the usual or expected course. While some action sequences grab eyeballs, the violence in some others is grotesque.
Talking about the acting, Saif Ali Khan as Gossain is fierce and intense. With kohl-rimmed eyes and an ash-smeared face, Khan’s transformation into a wild and dreadful Naga Sadhu is admirable. His expressions, gestures and acting prowess are praiseworthy. Must say, no one could have pulled it better than Chote Nawab himself. However, Saif’s look as Gossain has a resemblance to Jack Sparrow from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and it does distract somewhere.
Deepak Dobriyal makes a powerful mark with his comical character. Manav Vij doesn’t live to the expectations, as he mostly tries to be brooding, which falls flat. Zoya Hussain delivers well, but her role is limited.
Overall, 'Laal Kaptaan' was packaged in lines of a Hollywood flick with horses, dust, guns and the works. But, it failed to successfully deliver with a tedious and lengthy narrative.
