There are a few portions in the film which come close to reality but the overall experience makes you doze off to sleep. Poorly illustrated facts, along with the lengthy second half makes it an unbearable watch.
Director Ammtoje Mann needed to picturise the plot more sensibly keeping the intelligence of the viewers in mind. No one is going to keep their logic back home to watch a film like Kaafila.
Musically, the tracks are strictly okay. The choreographer makes no attempt at using the songs with the narration.
Actingwise, Sunny Deol is trapped in a bad film yet again. Pakistani actress Sana manages to leave an impression. Sudesh Berry goes overboard in some scenes.
Kaafila can be missed out for its bad script and equally worse direction. If you still watch it, don’t mind a dose of brainless work.
Radiosargam Movie Rating: 3/10
Hanumant Bhansali
Illegal immigration/human trafficking is a global issue. We’ve read newspapers and watched news-reports on news channels highlighting the plight of millions of people who, in the hope for a better future, entry a country illegally.
Some get arrested, some get killed, some end up at the wrong place, some go missing, some eventually make it. KAAFILA, directed by Amitoj Maan, bares this issue on celluloid, besides clubbing a real-life, shocking incident [Malta Boat Tragedy] with the main plotline.
In KAAFILA, the story begins in Delhi, moves to Russia, then the surrounding nations, then Afghanistan and finally, Pakistan, before returning to India once again. Besides presenting the stunning landscapes, KAAFILA also looks at the various hardships people encounter when they decide to enter England unlawfully.
Not wanting to turn it into a dry, grim and disturbing movie, Amitoj Maan packs in brilliant songs and glamour to strike the right balance between enlightenment and entertainment.
The portions depicting reality are watchable since the issue has been highlighted in detail on the Hindi screen. To sum up, KAAFILA is actually a pretty good film to watch. The issue it highlights is its unique selling point!!
KAAFILA is about a group of people, not remotely associated/connected with each other, but do get conneected to each other as the journey unveils, opting to leave their motherland in search of their utopian dreams of a better life for them as well as their families abroad in the developed countries. These people put their careers, families and even lives at stake to reach their desired destinations even when they can be better off in their own countries without all the hardships and sufferings.
KAAFILA also exposes how innocent people are duped by a worldwide nexus of agents showing them dreams of a comfortable life, close to heaven, in foreign lands and making them sell their lands, homes and livelihoods here in a futile pursuit of that dream in an excellent way.
The general feeling is, KAAFILA is about the Malta Boat Tragedy, while the fact is that the boat tragedy forms a small, but significant part of the story.
Director Amitoj Maan has handled the scenes very well, Sukhwinder’s music is easy on the ear drums. ‘Jaana Hain’ and ‘Humraks’ are already popular. Cinematography [Nazir Khan] is of a very good standard and the stunning landscapes sweep you off your feet. Action scenes [Hanif Sheikh] are alright. Varun Gautam’s dialogues are nice.
Sunny Deol does well. But the real surprise is Pakistani actress Sana. This being her debut-making Hindi film and despite the fact that she’s pitted against experienced names, Sana succeeds in making her presence felt. Sudesh Berry also does very well.
The film has a host of characters, but those who stand out than others are Paramveer Singh, Girish Jain, Chandan Anand, Sardar Sohi and Ashish Duggal.
On the whole, KAAFILA is made with noble intentions, and is worth watching!!!