Tourism promotion video as a film

Romantic Drama

KAIRA

CAST: Aaryan Sigdel, Samragyee RL Shah

DIRECTION: Laxman Rijal

1 stars

 

‘Kaira’ curiously brings together Aaryan Sigdel, the once popular lead-man of Nepali romantic films, and Samragyee RL Shah, the busiest Nepali actress today, in two and half hours of unbearably bad tourism promotion video of the Philippines that only masquerades as a romantic drama. Director Laxman Rijal pilots a movie that takes off without a destination in mind, meanders without any narrative focus and finally crash lands towards the most unimaginative and tediously formulaic climax: the film tries to win sympathy points by abruptly revealing that one of the characters suffers from an untreatable mental disease.

Sigdel is Jay, a singer and bar-owner in the Philippines. He’s established in sweep­ing shots over rooftops, streets and parks, singing with his band. We soon find that he has cut his ties with Nepal and lives in the Philippines, all because he’s trying to get over a girl. So he parties hard and goes to bed with a different girl every night. Sigdel’s character feels heav­ily inspired by Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ where Ranbir Kapoor played a lovelorn musician. In fact there are many elements borrowed from the Bollywood movie, especially the circumstances that separate the leads and the climax that involves the aforementioned disease.

 Samragyee RL Shah is the titular Kaira, the girl who broke Jay’s heart in Kath­mandu. One day she shows up in Jay’s bar, apologizes for whatever happened and suggests they start fresh. Jay is hesitant at first but later agrees and they spend the next few days sightseeing the locales of the Philippines, challenging each other to dance in public places and counting stars. Things get drowsy and dull from then on as the screenplay switches back and forth between the present and the events that happened back in Kathmandu.

Given the unremarkably soapy nature of the story, the only way ‘Kaira’ would’ve ever worked is through the easy chemistry between the leads. But Sigdel and Shah offer no spark. What they do is sputter along with their awkward acting. The corny conversation they have makes it hard for us to buy them as made for each other.

In one scene Kaira gazes at the sky and expresses her desire to count the stars. Jay finds this cute and encourages her to start counting. There are instances like this where we feel the middle-aged Sigdel is not romancing the young Shah but babysitting her. She giggles a lot and he looks at her sleepily. They talk to each other about living life to the fullest and following one’s dreams, as if in their free time all they do is read self-help books and memorize lines from ‘1001 Inspirational Quotes’.

The two lovers don’t feel human even for a moment; they are so wooden and mechanically brought together that their romantic crisis is never intriguing.

‘Kaira’ comes across as a long-long movie. There’s so much talking, walking, drinking, puking, crying, singing and danc­ing that you can’t stop fidgeting in your seats or flip out your phone and start scroll­ing Facebook. This film singlehandedly demonstrates what happens if you mistreat the cinematic medium only as a showcase for rich locations and good-looking actors at the expense of a compelling story.

Who should watch it?

I’m lost figuring who the intended audience of this soapy melodrama could be. If you’re an unabashed Aaryan Sigdel fan, I won’t stop you. But ‘Kaira’ has nothing special to offer. It’s a movie made from yesteryears’ cinematic sensibilities and easily forgettable.