Kaalo Pothi – Movie Review (No Spoilers!)

As has been the tradition of recent movies of reflecting our tragic history (Talakjung vs. Tulke, Wada no. 6, etc.), ‘Kaalo Pothi’ is a story crafted with the background basic of how Maoism had frightened Nepal, and this idea . Nevertheless, the movie won’t bore you by showing you the same history, rather, this time, it shows you the terror, from a child’s eye.

A boy from a “backward caste” does everything in his hand to keep his pet hen safe, and as he does so, one thing leads to another, events take a U-turn and he, the innocent boy that he is, tries to do what he thinks is right amongst all that is happening.

But just this summary won’t do justice to the movie. Kollywood is getting impressive these days, and this movie, with all of its aspects like story, direction, attention to details will make you pause while you are about to pop some popcorn in your mouth.

The movie has been getting many good reviews, but here is the twist- I didn’t understand at least a quarter of it.

I am a rational watcher, and by the looks of it the movie was too confusing. It keeps you glued to your seat, but sometimes the mystery can be a little repelling to the audience that it might not be very interesting.

As the story unfolds itself, it reveals little at some places, and you wonder if the mystery is ever going to solve. Fact is, you wait, you keep waiting, the movie ends and you still might not have all your questions answered.

Don’t bore yourself out too much but do take care of the details. This movie is a tricky one.

While watching this in a movie theatre, when the movie ended and the lights were back on, the audience was shocked. They looked at each other and laughed, not because it was funny, but because it was unbelievably confusing. You’re amazed by how a Nepali movie can get this much of hold on you, the more you think, the more hair you pull out of your head.

To be honest, it’s a must watch at the end of the day.  It didn’t win all those awards for no reason.

And yes, perfect acting, accurate cinematography, humble dialogues and breathtaking locations. At least that’s what I think. And no one paid me to say this either.

Cheers to the magic of movies.