3 Stars (out of 4)
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Kakuda is an entertaining horror comedy elevated by solid performances from its talented cast. The film is right in the wheelhouse of folks who enjoyed movies like Stree and Bhoot Police.
The town of Rathodi has been cursed for 65 years. Every Tuesday night at 7:15, one man from each house (women are exempt) must open a small door next to the home’s main entrance to show the ghost Kakuda that he’s welcome. Men who fail to open the door develop a hunchback and die within thirteen days.
This happens so often that the town has a protocol to fill those thirteen days — an extended funeral, but with the soon-to-be deceased in attendance. The glum victim poses for the photo that will hang on his family’s wall while village women sing a peppy song about how he should’ve opened the door on time.
Well-educated Indira (Sonakshi Sinha) lives in a neighboring town and dismisses the Kakuda legend as superstition. Sunny (Saqib Saleem), her boyfriend from Rathodi, knows better. She insists on eloping on a Tuesday, but the wedding runs long and he doesn’t make it home in time.
Even after seeing the hump on Sunny’s back, Indira still isn’t convinced it is anything more than a medical issue. An unsuccessful surgery turns her into a believer. Thankfully, the hospital’s security guard Victor (Riteish Deshmukh) is a part-time ghost hunter, and he offers his services to the newlyweds.
The theme of science versus superstition runs throughout the film, and Victor personifies it. He uses a mix of technology and magic to uncover the grievance driving Kakuda’s curse. Unlike a lot of American supernatural fare, the tragic backstory of Kakuda‘s ghost doesn’t absolve him of his misdeeds. The main trio needs all the help they can to end his reign of terror, including assistance from Sunny’s best friend Kilvish (Aasif Khan) and Indira’s identical twin sister Gomati (also Sinha).
Kakuda‘s cast is perfectly suited for the film’s tone. It’s very funny, but not in a goofy way, so the actors treat the material with sincerity. Sinha does the heavy lifting in her dual role, but Saleem is a wonderful sad-sack boyfriend. Khan is careful not to go over the top as the comical sidekick best friend.
Deshmukh also has plenty of experience in broad comedies, but his performance in Kakuda is understated and right on point. The costuming and styling department deserves credit because his edgy ghost hunter avatar is a particularly cool look.
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