Kalidhar Laapata - Biryani bites

 

Kaalidhar Laapata

2025, Hindi

Genre: Drama

Directed by Madhumitha Sudararaman

Stars: Abhishek Bachchan, Daivik Bhagela, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Nimrat Kaur

Mohan's Measure - ⭐⭐⭐

A respectable remake of KD Engira Karappudurai, Kallidhar Laapata is Director Madhumitha's attempt to bring what is originally a Tamil story about the fate of senior citizens to the world of Hindi cinema.  And it works - to an extent.

Rather than being an old man, Mr. Bachchan plays a middle-aged man suffering from what we can only presume is early-stage dementia or Alzheimer's.  But it is at a stage where its symptoms are only visible in times of extreme stress.  As in the original film, he runs away after finding out that the family he has lived his entire life for no longer wants him around.  In doing so, he finds he is a better man than he thought he was.

Adapting a Tamil film about an old man into the world of a middle-aged is not without plot holes and idiosyncrasies.  One questions why KD, given his mental health issues, would be the sole inheritor of what is suggested is some very viable property.  What happens to his brothers and sister?  The other question asks why, after leaving him, the semi-comatic man suddenly begins to speak, walk, and remember things that he could not at the beginning.

As for Mr. Bachchan, he succeeds at conveying pain, confusion, and innocence with only occasional bouts of hyperbole.  In that sense, you will probably find yourself relating to him better than his namesake in the original film.  His most memorable moments are the quiet, tender ones, where he comforts a little boy, proudly downs biryani, or looks with wonder at the woman he loves.

The stark contrast to him is the character portrayed as young Daivik.  He is a natural, believable actor who is playing a character that boys his age are best at playing, a little boy.  His pragmatism and cunning is augmented by a deep attachment to the man he calls KD, creating a character who is very real and very lovable. 

It is in these moments where my heartstrings were pulled the most, despite our questioning the force-fit plot.  And that is indeed the intent of this aesthetically pleasing little film.