What Is the Story About?
As a youngster, Vijay aka Blakie (Ishan Khatter) falls in love with Pooja (Ananya Pandey). However, the circumstances force them to separate. Year’s later they again meet each other under different situation without knowing each other. Blakie is a taxi driver, and Pooja is on the run.
How Blakie and Pooja realize the truth about each other. Can they escape the clutches of local gangster Yusuf Chikna ( Jaideep Ahlawat) who is after them is the basic story of the film?
Ishan Khatter is superb in the lead role playing Jackie. The performance is more about the mass screen presence and being confident while mouthing massy dialogues and doing action sequences. He pulls them off with ease.
There is a feeling of trying too hard to be a ruffian at times, but the effort covers up for such shortcoming. A lot of portion runs on the dialogue modulation, which is done neatly by Ishan Khatter. A theatrical release would have made him easily register among the masses. We have to see what the movie and performance mean to Ishan now.
Analysis
Maqbool Khan directs Khaali Peelii. He has taken the finer points and skills well from Ali Abbas Zafar under whom he assisted as director.
Khaali Peeli has a wafer-thin plot. Additionally, it has also been done many times in the past. There is no novelty at all story-wise. And yet despite all those issues, it manages to engage. It is here that Maqbool Khan scores.
Right from the opening Khaali Peeli is up and running. The small flashback of the hero sets up the tone and mood of the film instantly. It is slick, executed in a mass style with a lot of confidence. There is also an underlying love for masala tradition, which can’t be ignored. It further boosts the appeal of the proceedings.
The back and forth screenplay is used frequently and in short bursts. It appears a bit overcome, but considering the thin line, it helps in keeping up the momentum, and also provide some excitement.
It is the screenplay with the right casting and writing that makes Khaali Peeli a breezy watch. The romance between the lead pair is established without too much melodrama. It is simple and effective.
Khaali Peeli is not without its share of problems. The second half drags in parts, due to the lack of substance. It also starts to feel repetitive after a point.
The romantic track involving the adult versions of Blakie and Pooja begins well but takes a long detour to come to the business end. It is here that the momentum is lost a bit. The placement of a song only feels like a commercial necessity. It has been done well, though.
Luckily for the audience, the boring moments aren’t long as there is entertainment in the store soon. It is weaved neatly into the subplots involving different characters and without appearing clumsy.
The climax after the chases and running is well done. The setup of various parties coming together is predictable, like seen in crime comedies, but it works out.
Overall, Khaali Peeli is a typical feel-good light mass entertainer that is mostly done right. The casting and writing make it entertaining. Still, the enjoyment of the movie depends on lead pair tolerance. If that is not a problem, Khaali Peeli is a timepass affair, if it is, then it could be a nightmare.
The real highlight of Khaali Peeli is the casting. It has limited key players, but they all have a well-defined part, and they do it well. Ananya Pandey is the current generation definition of a cute and bubbly actress. She has been doing the same across all her previous flicks. It is no different here. Simply the background of the character and dialogue delivery gets a change. Ananya Pandey tries very hard, and it’s visible. Still, one can give it a pass as the movie entertains well, as a whole. She is just one of the parts.
Jaideep Ahlawat is terrific. He has always been a good actor. But, his recent work has taken him to a new level. Khaali Peeli is an addition to it. He shines and steals the show in most of the scenes he is present through his unique and excellent dialogue delivery.
Zakeer Hussain and Satish Kaushik perform to their experience and make the personalities stand out without doing much. The rest are alright.
Music and Other Departments?
The songs by Vishal and Sekhar are okay. They are not excellent but aren’t bad either. They have been shot well on- screen, though. The background score by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara is excellent. It is what that creates the instant racy and blockbuster appeal. The cinematography by Adil Afsar is fine. The editing by Rameshwar gives the movie a slick and stylish look.
Finally, apart from the casting and directors, it is the writer’s duo, Yash Kesarwani and Sima Agarwal who come up with superb work. If not for the writing, despite all the positives, the movie would have still fallen flat.
Highlights?
Casting
Lead Pair
Writing
BGM
Khaali Peeli Review by Binged Bureau
Drawbacks?
Repetitiveness
Predictable Story
Songs
Middle Segments Of Second Half
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Khaali Peeli Review by Binged Bureau