Qala (2022) :
Movie Review -
Netflix's latest feature film, "Qala," comes as a real break for classical music lovers in today's hip-hop, trance, and remake music era. We have come a long way from Disney's early animated musicals, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra's musical blockbusters, and the likes of "West Side Story" and "Sound of Music." The recent musicals aren't that worthy or exciting. An exception like "Hamilton" (2020) comes once in a decade, and that too because of live recording, but otherwise we are missing classic musicals badly. Amidst the dry spell, Marathi cinema came out with two grand classics, "Balgandharva" (2011) and "Katyaar Kaljat Ghusali" (2015). The former was a biopic of a legendary singer; the latter was a remake of a legendary stage play. Said to be an original flick, Netflix's Qala seems to be inspired by Katyaar. However, no matter how much it takes from the Marathi classic, the entire structure and theme is entitled to drop you in a two-hour boredom.
Haunted by her past, a talented singer with a rising career copes with the pressure of success, her mother's disdain, and the voices of doubt within her. That's the basic plot of Qala. Triptii Dimrii plays the titular role of Qala, who is always overlooked by her mother, Urmila, played by Swastika Mukherjee. Babil Khan plays Jagan, a highly talented singer who unknowingly becomes Qala's rival and Urmila's protege (yes, I love that word. I learned it from William Powell and Carole Lombard's "My Man Godfrey"). The film is basically about Qala's struggle, greed, success, and redemption.
Now I'll tell you how it compares with Katyaar Kaljat Ghusali. There we have Panditji, who owns the music weapon, while Khansaheb is struggling to make people notice his voice against Panditji. To conquer the prestigious degree, he tricks Panditji and takes his voice away, which ultimately means taking everything from him. Years later, one of Panditji's pupils, Sadashiv, challenges and defeats Khansaheb, leading him into self-revolt mode. You will find everything in Wala just as it is, with a different set-up, of course, except for that Sadashiv angle. Instead of Sadashiv, it's mental health that plays a villain in Qala's life, but the ultimate goal remains the same-realizing your own mistakes from the past. The screenplay is damn too dark and slow to keep the story engaging for a 2022 film. If anyone can finish Qala in one-take viewing without a single catnap, then I must salute the person. Moreover, the periodic theme keeps it away from modern appeal (the so-called OTT audiences want this only, right?). So, it's hectic and tedious.
The performances are quite promising, but the writing has made it really difficult for us to have patience for their movements. So many long, long pauses. You can go to the washroom, come back, and still not miss anything. Triptii Dimri is seen in different looks (not so different from each other, but different alright), but it's her expressions and dialogue delivery that make her look good. It could have been better, with the transformation and depression stuff, I mean. But what's done is done. You can't change it now. The second lady, Swastika Mukherjee, is terrific, despite getting less screentime than Dimri. The same low screentime hurts Babil Khan's chances of leaving a mark, and Amit Sial, Sameer Kochchar, Girija Oak, and Tasveer Kamal are no different from him.
Qala is a treat for classical lovers, but I am not sure how many people can enjoy all the songs without pressing the fast-forward button in today's "Gully Boy" era. An album like Katyaar can't be made by a modern team. It's an achievement, a book that is passed on to the next generation. Whatever ragas, melodies, and tunes are there, they are slow but really good. It's just the wrong timing - 2022, not 1921. Just like in one of the scenes, as the composer says, "Why have you written such allegorical, intricate and poetic words. Write something simple that everybody can understand". Team Qala seems to have forgotten to tell themselves that. However, the cinematography and visuals are nice, irrespective of their depressive tones. Anvita Dutt's vision and attitude both go wrong here. No matter what subject you have, you can't expect the audience to drink slow tonics like Lootera and October in today's times if the final output doesn't have any suitable conclusion or explanation. Qala derives from something that's been loved by generations, so it's not easy to deliver the same. Sometimes it's better to fail. Qala got lucky there.
RATING - 4/10*
