‘Kaagaz’ is inspired from a shocking as well as a hilarious real life story of a man who is declared dead by his relatives in order to usurp his land. How he has to struggle for more than a decade to prove that he’s not dead forms the crux of the story. The story, though real, rests on an unbelievable premise. A man is alive and the government can see that. Yet, they refuse to believe so, citing government records! To pull off such a tale convincingly is no mean feat. But director Satish Kaushik succeeds well. He also keeps the duration in check, at 109 minutes. One scene beautifully leads to another and hence, the flow is nice. A few scenes are too funny while there are moments that are sure to make one’s eyes moist. On the flipside, a few developments are bizarre. The climax, though great, doesn’t seem convincing. Pankaj Tripathi delivers a stupendous performance and carries the film firmly on his shoulders. Satish Kaushik gives a memorable performance. Monal Gajjar lends able support and is great in the scene where she blasts Pankaj for neglecting his duties. Mita Vashisht suits the part of the MLA. Amar Upadhyay is poor and his character isn’t well fleshed out. Brijendra Kala and Neha Chauhan are fine. All in all, ‘Kaagaz’ is a fine effort and makes an interesting comment on the bizarre legal system of our country.
Rating: 3.5/5
