How sad is this?

good back-story, and good acting

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This movie is sheer brilliance scripted together to make an intriguing amalgam of dark comedy keeping the viewer gripped until the very end only to be awestruck by a series of bizarre twists as the plot slips into death like seriousness.This movie has an excellent 'read between the lines' subtlety to it, making it one of the most interesting Hindi movie made in recent times.Ram Ramesh Sharma touches sensitive topics throughout the film keeping it crisp with dramatic cinematography and the location resonates well making it a visual treat to watch for the viewers.The real reason why one must watch this movie is to understand the sensitivity of the subjects pondered upon, to make the audience realize the underlying hypocrisy which fills most of us to the brim and to materialize the content with an open mind trying enjoy the movie without any veiled prejudices.This movie touches topics very real, yet hidden behind the taboos of an ungrateful Indian society; one must stop on the thought that if the freedom of speech exercised democratically by Ram Ramesh Sharma what compels the government to flex it's muscles and stall the release to such an extent that the makers are forced to release the movie directly on the internet. The troubled history of Kashmir is always used as an excuse to justify the archaic Armed Forces Special Power Act which is one of the most controversial acts passed with great impunity, which further militarizes the valley subjecting it to growing insurgency and mistrust among the civilians.The problem with this movie may lie with the fact that the movie was given too much hype around a few topics which are not really explored entirely. The movie sheds light on a very taboo issue which fails to confront the man made inequities in a society.The movie even though winning numerous awards was swiftly banned by the Indian Government allegedly stating the movie as defamatory and vulgarly exaggerating facts about influential Indian political figures of the Independence era.One must not pay heed to the director's personal opinions being thrust upon the audience, what one must observe is that the dissent expressed in the movie is logical and rational. One cannot simply be holding onto the negatives and the positives, to understand the movie completely one must first critique the pros and then compare them with the cons to ascertain a rational personal preference. I usually review exceptionally well made movies or the most horrible ones, this movie was simply exceptional and it deserved an unbiased review. If i were to compare this movie with other critically acclaimed flicks this movie gives a tremendous amount of intellectual competition to the ones made with the help of big budgets and movie stars. The actors performed with a great sense of ease and did justice to the scripted roles as there were hardly any weak acting moments during the movie. Overall this movie is a good watch and well made with a good deal of musical appeal as well, the movie could have been made better but no serious complaints as the movie keeps one at the edge of the seat till the very end.

To be true to the zest of the film, I decided to watch Kaafiron Ki Namaaz twice. I have almost read all about the film's journey from the festival circuit to censor board trouble and finally the online release. I was very intrigued by the trailer. So hats off to the team who engaged in such a challenge and then released it online with such strong belief against all the odds. Kudos! After the first watch, I was impressed and disappointed at the same time. All these reasons make KKN a difficult watch and a more difficult film to write about. KKN speaks what we should listen and then shouts out loud to the utmost distortion leading us towards a blank notion and empty opinion.KKN is a story of an Army Man (Alok Chaturvedi) who is interviewed by a Writer (Chandrahas Tiwari) after his court-martial. The conversations between both the lead actors are amazing, intense and yet quirky. The dark deep secrets starts unfolding one after another some of the most impressive dialogues in recent times. Both the actors have defined their characters with all from within and it shows on screen. But I seriously hated the writer's Tagore inspired beard which looked very silly and fake. Tiklu (Joydip) as a quite assistant and Junaid (Megh Pant) as the tea seller and part-time musician are okay. I wasn't convinced with Junaid's character as it lacked the conviction to be the important part of the story all of a sudden. Camera is handled beautifully by A. Vasanth and showed Kashmir a beautiful place with an undercurrent of uneasiness. Set of the hotel is okay. Ram Ramesh Sharma showed all his skills with his impressive debut. But there are many things which he needs to be look into. Music by Advait Nemlekar is blended rightly into the film with amazing voices of Usha Uthup, Javed Ali & Sukhwinder Singh. Jhalkiyan track is my favourite. All the other departments have done well, but nothing extra ordinary. KKN raises some very important questions on some very hurting subjects, but leaves them in mid-way, where they needed to be addressed in totality with a rigid stand. The filmmaker wanted to tell so much in every direction but couldn't justify any one of them & this is disappointing. With such a good start, I wanted to invest all in but started losing interest as after few discussions towards third act as I realize that the subject would be changed suddenly to a newer direction. And climax was a disaster for me, an easy way out which could have been the striking highlight of KKN. After the first watch, I recalled so many things, but in fragments without the establishment with the core story. From my perspective, KKN looked like a conversational play with interventions of beautiful Kashmir. And so the second watch became more difficult.Is KKN a good film? Yes, it is & it deserves a watch. Either you may like it in totality or not. A bold narrative which takes off with some amazing dialogues and good performances penetrating deep down inside, but crash lands halfway. Alas! KKN could have been a flight of pinnacle if aims in one single direction. As a filmmaker, I would love to see more work coming from Ram Ramesh Sharma. "Jab ruh hi kaafir ho jaaye, tab jism kab tak khudai par jiyega" and this is what happens with KKN after a certain point.

The opening sequence is beautifully shot. Outdoor visuals are super strong. On-location Kashmir cinematography is dreamy and contemplative. That is where the good things end. That is it. The end. The rest is a trudge through a muck-filled failed attempt of filmmaking by inept hands which has given birth to this terrible hack-job of a pretentious low-intelligence wannabe piece of audio- visual waste.Even the first few minutes of the film, a seemingly poignant conversation between the son and the off- screen mother lacks authenticity. But when the story starts to unfurl inside the abandoned hotel all things go haywire. Terrible writing, terrible dialogue. Bad pronunciation: 'Ismoking' (smoking), 'Istrayt' (straight), 'Exazzaration' (exaggeration), 'LiteRAYture' (literature), Koschen (question); there are many such instances of embarrassment in here. Funny thing is that this same character i.e. the writer corrects the mispronunciation of the tea seller. The writer who is supposed to be a Bengali, can't even speak a word of Bengali correctly. Total disgrace. The acting is theatrical. Very uncinematic, to say the least. The characters keep repeating their lines again and again, sometimes 5 or 6 times. It is irritating and takes the focus away from the film. There is absolutely no tension throughout the film, no attempt to make the characters believable.The failed attempts of comic relief, which are not required at the first place, are so heavy handed that the whole effort seems naive and loses it's credibility. The films preachy tone is so out of the place that it becomes laughable. Oh and the outlandish characters! An orphan, pork-eating, homosexual, Gandhi-hating, Muslim, court-martialed, Indian soldier, who shoots a Kashmiri married Muslim woman, then rapes her dead body in the ass! Need I say more? Some realistic film they were making!This has to be the worst film I have seen in recent times. It's sad to see an independent Indian film (which is a rarity) fail so miserably in almost all aspects. Bad film. Period. After 1 hour I really wanted to leave the film half way unwatched, but I stuck to my guns to give this overlong, empty film a fair chance to resurrect itself somehow. I wish I didn't. It only got worse. Utter waste of time.There are some real good independent films from India in recent times: Masaan, Miss Lovely, Titli, Ship Of Theseus, Labour Of Love, etc and even zero budget films like Kshay, The Untitled Karthik Krishnan Project and Gandu. This film is not one of them. Please let's not make an undeserving piece the face of Indian independent film.

Kaafiron Ki Namaaz is a beautifully woven story that brings the two sides of the human consciousness. It is one of the finest movie that dealt with the human psychology so beautifully and vividly that nowhere did it sound preachy but smoothly seeps in. One of the finest movie of the year that stayed with me even as i left its screening. One of the movie which explores the human side of an army man and writer rather than going the retrospective way. The director has indeed done a brilliant job. The screenplay and the character progression is marvelous.The songs and the background score just adds to the mood of the film.This one is definitely on my movie list for sure. Do watch this movie which has its mind and soul at the right place....