Kaali Khuhi premiered on 30th October 2020 on Netflix. Belonging to the horror-drama genre, it is directed by Terrie Samundra. The film stars Shabana Azmi, Leela Samson, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Riva Arora alongside other cast members.
A Sparrow (Girl) is Born And Shall Be Killed
When we talk about something as heinous as female infanticide, it becomes the responsibility of the makers to deal with it in a righteous way, with something about what they make being good enough to create an impact. However, to my surprise and disappointment, although I was looking forward to Kaali Khuhi as a movie with a strong message, it lacks story and execution from the very beginning.
Kaali Khuhi (Black Well) is set in a village in Punjab that is cursed because of its history of female infanticide and now the spirits are unleashed and are seeking out revenge. The only hope now is Shivangi (Riva Arora), a girl who came to visit the town to meet her ailing grandmother. It is here that we are introduced to her aunt Satya Maasi (Shabana Azmi) who is suffering from PTSD because of the heinous acts that happened in the village back then.
The fact that the whole story could roughly suffice in a small paragraph is evident enough that Kaali Khuhi isn’t a movie of wonders but rather, it is one of those movies which seriously lacks execution and any storyline. For a film that is based in Punjab, you see no Punjabi being spoken anywhere – it is as rare as your interest in the film. Therefore, there is a lack of ethnicity and authenticity in its screenplay. There is no origin story whatsoever, you just won’t know why the whole bloody ritual started. The film is disintegrated with no unity of action or plot. It’s tiresome.
Kaali Khuhi potentially wastes the talent of its cast. With the lead cast including veteran actor Shabana Azmi with Satyadeep Misra as Darshan, and Sanjeeda Sheikh as Priya, the film fails to carry its strong theme point and characters. You cannot sympathize with their pain even when you see them yelling and crying. And it’s not your lack of want to connect – it’s about the lack of character arc or a firm storyline. You spend a lot of your time trying to make sense of this messy making and dull setting and get lost saying what the f**k is this.
The characters do not evolve in a meaningful manner and neither are they exactly guilty of anything – they are just there! With a promising trailer and a promisingly dull colour scheme (which works well for the idea!), you believe you are up for a horror-treat with a message you would want to carry with yourself. But well, that doesn’t happen.
Stream It or Skip It
SKIP IT! The film ends with a gross fetus bleeding and deflating (literally!) and you won’t want to see it. Riva Arora as Shivangi plays a fairly good role in the restrains of her script and can be named as one of the shining stars of the film. Other than, however, that the film gives you nothing.
Kaali Khuhi is now streaming on Netflix.
Read our other reviews here.