Karwaan Film Review – A Journey of Self-Discovery

Karwaan has Irrfan Khan in an irreverently funny role with Dulquer Salmaan playing a relaxed but somewhat diffident young man. Mithila Palkar rounds off the road-tripping trio portraying a carefree but moody teenager.

Karwaan Film Review

Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan) with a dead-end job and a monotonous routine, used to have a penchant for photography. His unsupportive and overbearing father (Akaash Khurana), with whom he has barely spoken of late, made him give up his dreams. Shaukat (Irrfan Khan) is Avinash’s friend who works at a garage. He too carries the excess baggage of a traumatic childhood. Contrary to Avinash, he is a blabbermouth who doesn’t think twice before verbalizing his thoughts. He is somewhat of an enigma, who although conservative in his outlook, is quite liberal when it comes to matters of the heart.

The third cog in the puzzle, Tanya (Mithila Palkar), is a progressive lass who can come off as impish at times. These three individuals with their starkly different personalities find themselves on a road trip. In the course of their journey, they realize that there is much more in common among them than they initially thought. Also, they learn a thing or two from each other and eventually come to appreciate the differences that bond them.

The road trip comes by way of an unfortunate mixup. While on route to a pilgrimage, Avinash’s father and Tanya’s grandmother meet with a fatal accident. As the coffins get swapped, Avinash sets out on a road trip to return Tanya’s grandmother’s casket and get his father’s back.

Along the way, we see the three principal characters run into a wedding and even land up at an old friend’s house. The first hour of the movie is pretty hilarious as Irrfan Khan provides most of the funny moments with his character’s unique mannerisms and his dialogue delivery. Dulqueer’s Avinash brings sobriety to the affairs. When Tanya joins the duo, there are clashes of moral values that come gleaming through via their quirks.

The cinematography is mesmerizing, and the picturesque backdrop works wonders for the film’s picture postcard feel. The soundtrack is hummable and adorns the road trip appropriately.

Karwaan is a road trip movie where the main characters discover something about themselves along the way. There are moments when things seem to go astray and then a few scenes later, it all makes sense. The movie doesn’t entirely succeed in conveying the emotions that it ought to have, and that is mostly due to an underwhelming end to the film. Although, in hindsight, it keeps the movie from getting too preachy.

Karwaan isn’t a profound film, although as a lighthearted distraction, it is more than acceptable. If you are looking for some philosophical cinema, Karwaan isn’t going to satiate you. For the rest, it is a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

Karwaan film review rates Karwaan (3.5 / 5)

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