Netflix has lately been delivering a dollop of duds. Diwali brings some cheer for the platform with this heartwarming little film.
Greater Kalesh (don’t miss the silly pun, it’s part of the fun) is akin to those telefilms from the 1990s on Zee’s Rishtey and Star Bestsellers which were not high on budgets, expletives, and hype. But they had a story to tell. And the urge to tell the story with compassion.
So welcome to the nostalgia-inducing world of the Handa family. They are cute, relatable, and blissfully dysfunctional. Before the 50-plus minutes of playing time are over, secrets will come flying out of the closet.
Significantly, the family saga unravels during Diwali and what a relief to have a Diwali story without crackers and patakas. Maybe the production couldn’t afford such luxuries. But what the heck! Minimalism has its plus points. When trappings are unaffordable, a more intimate view of the characters is affordable.
The actors are a minor joy to watch. Ahsaas Channa, who leads the cast, is lovely. But why the immaculate makeup and fancy nails in every shot? In a sequence where she is getting ready for her family Diwali party, we basically see the young actress putting makeup over her makeup.
The rest of the cast is far more scrubbed and adorned. Supriya Shukla, in the thankless role of the mother trying to hold together a crumbling home, is the neighbourhood aunty who can’t stop making parathas for her children.
Ranajit Happy, the father of the house, is a shadowy creature who springs a surprise of his own before the party is over. Some of the fringe characters, like Twinkle’s bestie and her grandmother, are too busy being what they are meant to be—punctuated prototypes—to be authentic.
And yes, Ankush (Poojan Chabra), the son of the Handa family, has the biggest secret to reveal at the end. His hostility towards his visiting sister melts too quickly and conveniently, like an ice cream cone left out in the sun.
The family may look over-leaden with hints and whispers. But that never stops them from being themselves rather than a mirror image of the self.
Greater Kalesh is not great cinema by any standards. But the easygoing, uncluttered writing and the unassuming actors (no one here is Oscar-bound) make for a pleasant hour of cute awakening.
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