Kedarnath is a story about everything and nothing.

Kedarnath : 3 stars

India | Romance | Drama

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput; Sara Ali Khan;

Duration: 2 h 25 mins

Release: Dec 2018

Plot: (Google)

Kedarnath is a potent combination of love and religion, of passion and spirituality set on a 14-kilometer pilgrimage from Gauri Kund to Kedarnath - the 2000-year-old holy temple of Lord Shiva. Mansoor, a reserved and reticent porter, helps pilgrims make an arduous journey to the temple town. His world turns around when he meets the beautiful and rebellious Mukku, who draws him into a whirlwind of intense love. Destiny has plans for lovers amidst the uncertainties of life, nature, and broken hearts.

Review:

Unlike the name suggests, Kedarnath is not essential about the auspicious place or story about the 2013 natural calamity. This Abhishek Kapoor directorial is actually a love story. Which, to be honest half way does not even feel like a love story. Moreover it is a story with a romantic element. At first, it is a love story, then it is a story between religion and in the end, it is a story about Sushant's sacrifice but then again it is a story about Mukku's never-ending love for Mansoor. Sushant Singh Rajput aka Mansoor Khan and Sara Ali Khan aka Mukku are the leads. They belong to different religion the biggest villain in the name of love.

Mukku who is engaged to her elder sister's childhood love has a rebellious soul. She hates having to betray her sister and does everything in her power to stop the marriage from happening. While she is looking for convenient reasons to shut the gates on that story, she finds Mansoor Khan at the steps of the Kedarnath temple. Attempting to make him her next victim she begins to interact with him but instead falls head over heels for him.

Mansoor on the other hand is a very simple surreal person. In spite of losing his father to his good deeds, Mansoor still decides to walk on his path and helps everyone in his sight. While Mansoor with a set of motives and meaning for life makes sense as a character from start to end. Whereas Mukku fails to follow through with her act. Sara plays the character egoistic, plain sadistic and as someone who was made for the red carpet. She overshadows Sushant's better performance with her loud act and overly bright presence.

The first half of the film takes it slow, very slow while focusing and developing more subplots that never close. The screenplay downplays all the obstacle that it creates for the story and characters and then awkwardly intensifies the endgame, 2013 Kedarnath calamity.