Karwaan, a journey riding on Irrfan khan

The movie reminded me of Finding Fanny, perhaps the similarity in the approach and the overall theme of self- discovery of the three key characters in the movie. The plot begins with Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan), an IT professional from Bangalore who hates his job, a career choice he didn’t consciously make but was forced to by his estranged father. He lives his life in ennui and curses his dad for not having let him take photography for a career. On an uneventful day, he gets called by a travel agency that they were shipping his Dads body to him, who died in an accident on a religious trip. The cargo company messes up and the Dead Body is exchanged with that of a lady who is from Cochin. Shaukat (Irrfan Khan), a friend offers to drive his van to help transport the wrong dead body to its home. The road trip has many detours, including having to pick up the brazen granddaughter Tanya(Mithila Palkar) of the diseased lady from an Ooty Hostel.  The Karwaan (journey) gets interesting with the creditors of Shaukat, a group of miscreants who enter the scene as well. The movie ends on a high note with characters making peace with their pasts and aligning their lives to their ultimate calling/ dreams

A few hilarious twists and thanks only and only to Irrfaan khan who is perhaps holding the movie together and makes it entertaining. Dulquer Salmaan is a bit disappointing with his Hindi diction and I am not sure if he can connect with the bollywood audience. The big surprise package of the film was actress Amala Akkineni, it was delightful to see her on the silver screen after ages. She truly captivates the audience, even just in the last few minutes of the movie. I kept wondering if the movie was a remake of a Malayalam movie, given the plot and the casting of the film. I wasn’t surprised when I discovered that Bejoy Nambiar is the writer of this film, this movie will be more impactful/ relatable in Malayalam.

Although the script could have been more unpredictable, the dialogues are well written -some quotes in the movie are truly memorable.  The movie rides on Irrfan Khan's performance and I wish him a speedy recovery from his illness. Movie watching for me has been an experience and for years of being a patron at SPI, I am totally disheartened that they are being taken over by a large theatre chain. I wonder if the popcorn is going to be the same and my movie experience will remain the same. Crossing fingers for both Irrfan and SPI, some things cannot be replaced but here is wishing both the very best for a great comeback