Kakuda is an entertaining blend of horror and comedy

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Golmaal Again, Stree, Bhediya—and earlier Munjya this year: the horror comedy genre is having a decent streak, all told, despite the abysmal Roohi or Great Grand Masti in the past. And Kakuda is a welcome addition to this small roster.

This late review may be forgiven, for things did not work out with one of the key persons behind this film, whose interview was to happen but did not. And I was hoping that the meeting would have given greater insights to this review.

Aditya Sarpotdar, who gave us Munjya, the only super-hit of 2024’s first six months, is back with another original concept with Kakuda. The difference lies in the simple fact that the character of Munjya was created with CGI (Computer Graphics), while Kakuda, the vindictive ghost here, is enacted, with technological help, of course, by Mahesh Jadhavnas who plays Kakuda here.

In this film, the ghostbuster, Victor (Riteish Deshmukh) is also unique: he wears designer clothes, has gizmos to detect spirits, talks with them, plays Cupid for them and even games with them in a graveyard, and, if needed, sets them free! As for the actor, this is a welcome double-bill within a month for Riteish with producer Ronnie Screwvala after Pill.

And now for the story: Kakuda is the story of a spirit that tortures the village of Ratodi. Every Tuesday, at 7.15 p.m., this ghost searches for a closed small door: each house should be compulsorily having one now, apart from its main entrance. If by chance this door is closed, Kakuda still enters and kicks a male family member on the upper back, causing a huge hump to appear, and the man dies exactly on the 13^th day after that—the day when the final rites are conducted in Hindu religion (Kakuda means the hump on the back of an Indian bull!). Kakuda, of course, never harms women.

Sunny (Saqib Saleem) loves Indira (Sonakshi Sinha), but her kooky father (Rajendra Mehta) wants her to marry someone who is ‘good’ in English. The two decide to run away and get married in a temple, whose priest suggests they wed on a Tuesday at 5 p.m. But Sunny’s best friend, Kilvish (Aarif Khan) warns Sunny that he must be home by 7.15 that night as his father will be away. Sunny feels he will reach by then.

After the ceremony, Sunny tries to hurry home to open the vital door, but he cannot. Kakuda kicks him and he gets the hump on his back. Sunny’s father (Yogendra Tikku) now knows his son is to die on the pre-ordained day, but Indira, who he is forced to accept as his daughter-in-law, decides to get a medical opinion. Sunny is cured for a brief while, and then the hump reappears!

But, meanwhile, someone in the hospital has suggested the name of Victor to Indira, and she contacts him, and a ‘spirit’ed battle soon ensues. Adding a tangy angle is Indira’s twin, Gomati (Sonakshi Sinha), who is hyper-reclusive due to a back-story. And in the end, it is a battle of wits between Kakuda and Victor with Gomti and Indira playing key roles! Kakuda is vanquished (that’s obviously no spoiler) but an inexplicable something happens to an old man (Alok Gutch) with whom the film both opens and closes! The story will soon get a sequel!

To the director’s credit is his new spin on the evil spirit template, while keeping some standard tropes intact and yet giving us an original yarn with a couple of subtle messages. Technically upbeat, the film has two songs, one of which, Bhasma, is effective within the film. The screenplay is fast-paced and the dialogues realistic yet interestingly witty.

Kakuda belongs to Sonakshi Sinha, and she is at her best in her two contrasting characters as well as after we have watched her wicked avatar in Heeramandi. Her sequence as the possessed Gomati is superbly done. The film also belongs to Riteish Deshmukh—earnest, cocksure and stylish with his humor coming across through his big talks. Saqib Saleem as Sunny and Aarif Khan as Kilvish are good. Yogendra Tikku as Sunny’s father, Rajendra Mehta as Indira’s and Gomati’s eccentric father Alok Gutch as the old man with whom the film begins and ends (he does come in midway as well) all score.

Had this film been a theatre release, it would have worked well. As things stand, it’s a crisp yet relaxing watch on ZEE5.

ZEE5 presents RSVP’s Kakuda  Produced by: Ronnie Screwvala  Directed by: Aditya Sarpotdar  Written by: Avinash Dwivedi & Chirag Garg  Music: Gulraj Singh  Starring: Riteish Deshmukh, Sonakshi Sinha, Saqib Saleem, Aarif Khan, Neelu Kohli, Rajendra Mehta, Yogendra Tikku, Alok Gutch, Mahesh Jadhavnas & others