Kaali Khuhi Review: A Visually Appealing Film with Narrative Flaws!

Directed by Terrie Samundra, Kaali Khuhi, the new Netflix Original Film star Riva Arora, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Satyadeep Misra as the principal cast with Shabana Azmi and Leela Samson in supporting roles. Released right before Halloween 2020, the story of this horror-drama proceeds in the rural countryside of Punjab, where a village is distressed by the grody deaths of its people. Subsequently, after believing it to be an epidemic or a straightforward curse that is harrowing their neighborhood, a ten-year-old girl attempts to solve the puzzle in a pretty traditional fashion. Kaali Khuhi Review

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One of the primary aspects that Kaali Khuhi gets right was creating an atmosphere that is unsettling to watch and maintaining the tension with its sound design and background score. The Art Director, Sameer Vidhate, made sure that the production design is off-the-charts in every individual frame. Kaali Khuhi Review

From the dimly-lit shots to overcast skies and foggy streets, the weirdness of the narrative kicks in from the very first minute and lingers till the very end. Furthermore, complementing the rationale behind the premise, the makers also attempted to portray the personalities of the individuals in the village through their very ordinary costumes, about-to-collapse homes, and their nowhere-near developed surroundings, etc. Kaali Khuhi Review

All this, along with the expert usage of animals to further advance that disquieting vibe reflect on-screen remarkably and, most of all, immerses you, the viewer, to the narrative from start to finish. Additionally, unlike many other films from the genre, Kaali Khuhi attempts to capture the frightful part of the story with practical effects and prosthetic make-up rather than making it cheesy with visual effects and stereotypical jump scares.

Moving on, unfortunately, narrating an age-old revenge drama, storyline-wise Kaali Khuhi, is inconsistent and tries to be different which ultimately, does not work. However, with a 90-minute runtime, the film does not lean on the tedious side of things as it begins, moves, and concludes instantly.

Although they had nothing much to offer character-wise, the performances from the complete cast were decent. Shabana Azmi stands out from the rest as a very concerned, big-mother type role and essays it with ease. Riva Arora as the innocent and pure-hearted kid also surprises along with Rose Rathod, who plays her friend. Plus, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Satyadeep Misra as her parents were decent enough to carry the film to the finish line despite going through a few bumps in the road here and there.

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Overall, Kaali Khuhi is outstanding in terms of presenting a horror movie that is visually appealing and unsettling from start to finish. The costume design, art direction, make-up, and sound department did a fantastic job in keeping the viewer engaged and maintaining that authentic horror film vibe we rarely see in Bollywood. But, the straightforward story and a few screenwriting issues do not propel the movie to the next level despite having the potential. Watch it for the presentation, performances, and the 1 hour 30-minute runtime helps you get through this comfortably. Watch ‘Kaali Khuhi’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix