Ki & Ka - it is not about gender equality

Ki & Ka…I go Balki wah wah!! What is so different about a Balki directed movie is purely the “smoothness” in the script. He has no jolts and bolts for you, despite addressing very serious issues on gender, old age, relationships, diseases, etc. The dramatization of the script is kept at a realistic level with every detail well thought through. I think it is most difficult to classify a Balki film for being commercial or parallel, but truly it is a work of art. Briefly, Ki & Ka is a romance, drama, comedy and a new age film

   Ki & Ka  starts off as a story about exchange of gender roles, or rather exchange of widely accepted gender roles i.e- man is a breadwinner and the woman runs the house. Arjun Kapoor is a lucky lucky fella, this macho man has the best personality combo of emotional vulnerability and masculinity and no better fit for this role (Kabir- Ka) or his role in Finding Fanny . Though, largely one could credit the astounding dialogues given to him to render, am still sure this chap has done his homework before the shoots really well or he is truly just natural.  Kia, had to be Kareena. – as strong and sassy as Kareena herself comes across. I will specially also credit Manish Malhotra this time to add on to the necessary externals to Kia’s character- A corporate wardrobe that practically means business and nothing else. Yes! When an actress is playing a corporate honcho she better NOT look ready to go to a nightclub, a common faux pas in most Indian movies. It was delightful to see the talented Swaroop Sampat onscreen after ages, as a kid she was my “yeh jo hai zindagi wali funny aunty” and plays the role of Kia’s mom. Not just the dialogues but the lyrics of the songs in this movie have depth.

By the end of the movie, you realise that the movie is  truly NOT about gender equality, nor does it push you to accept the exchange in gender roles. Well yes! it addresses all these, but what it really focuses is on how ego plays up in human nature and can take a toll on relationships, irrespective of gender. A person can feel as victimized or as insecure but that is ego-driven too. It’s a story that ends well, leaving a message that you have to understand your ego driven reactions first, than judging another to keep a relationship going.

With a very special place in my heart for Mr. Balki and Mr. Maniratnam, you make the south proud. Your work speaks for you and the culture you come from – dignified, modest, understated, to the point, visionary, global practical etc, etc, etc and visually spectacular -kudos!