“Kedarnath” Review: A visually splendid love story!

The theme and visuals of this film combine to give us a endearingly poetic. Kedarnath is a love story, at first glance, but also a metaphor for human strength. Ultimately, we do what we can to achieve what we want, whether it’s in terms of love or in terms of survival, however destiny often has a story of its own. We can try to fight our destiny, but we can only fight so much. Perhaps everything is not in our hands. It seems as if this is the underlining message of Kedarnath, and to a large extent, it works.

Here is the basic story, without any spoilers: Mandakini aka Mukku (Sara Ali Khan) is a feisty, young girl living in Kedarnath with her family. Her father (Nitish Bharadwaj) is a local priest and things get complicated when Mukku falls in love with a m=Muslim boy and local pithoo (human porter) Mansoor (Sushant Singh Rajput). While the inter-faith romance between characters of different faith forms the core of the story, no one anticipates the other life-changing event, that is about to take this holy place by storm. This film takes two elements, whereas the power of one tries to defeat the other.

From a technical standpoint, the film is superb. The visuals are soothing, beautiful, and achieves its goal of both showcasing the breathtaking landscape of Gauri Kund and Kedarnath, while adding depth to the story.  The temple is showcased with great grandeur. The film captures the beauty of the Himalayas with crisp and artistic visuals. All the technical aspects, including the editing and sound design complement each other perfectly. The music is magical. The screenplay of the film works at a broader level; however, this film couldn’t have worked on the love story alone.  If it wasn’t for the ultimate natural disaster, the love story wouldn’t have been as powerful. That is what makes the film. While the first half is slow, the pace is important to develop the characters. The second half picks up, and its smooth sailing till the end. There aren’t any flaws as such.

Special mention goes to the way this film had a small-town setting, where locals treat Hindu pilgrims with utmost respect and where Muslim porters have no qualms in praying to Shiva and sharing the faith of the devotees. This angle of secularism and peace is heartwarming. It brings depth to the film. Also, the chemistry between Sara Ali Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput is amazing! Sara Ali Khan is a revelation! Probably the best debut in a long time! She is a natural and clearly understands the art of acting. To see her delivering the dialogues the way she does, along with her body language makes us eager to see her grow further. Sushant Singh Rajput is impressive. He is natural, charming and nuanced. The entire supporting cast deserves praise for their performances.

Overall, Kedarnath is a film worth watching! A wonderful theme, showcased with great competence. Abhishek Kapoor has showcased his talent in his earlier films like “Rock On” and “Kai Po Che”. With this film he gives us another movie worth appreciating!

Rating: 3.5 Stars