The Radhika Madan starrer movie Kacchey Limbu, directed by Shubham Yogi, is not a film that can boast confidently about being unique. From the trailer itself, the format of the movie is pretty clear, and it is that typical underdog story. But what is nice about the film is that it is not pushing the content too much and believes in the overall sweetness of the material. With some endearing performances adding a bit more depth to the simple idea, Kacchey Limbu is a harmless motivational drama.
Akash and Aditi are siblings. They both love cricket and are incredibly passionate about it. A video of Akash scoring 6s in gully cricket went viral on social media after cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar shared it. But the parents of these two wanted their kids to have conventional jobs. While Aditi hid her lack of interest in dance and MBBS from them, Akash constantly quarreled with them and fought for his passion. This difference in approach resulted in a scenario where Akash challenged Aditi to make her own team for the gully cricket tournament. So if Aditi wins, Akash must go for a conventional job. How the tournament goes with this interesting family drama in the backdrop is what we see in the movie.
Kacchey Limbu is clearly not taping into zones that have never been explored in the underdog stories we have seen on the silver screen. It is actually a series of predictable sequences. But the story’s pacing and the decision to not stretch the familiar zones make it look enjoyable. And if you look at it, it is not that heavy in terms of creating conflict. The rift zones are the equation between the parents and kids, the dynamic between the two siblings, etc. But you don’t see much of an ideological tussle as the movie prefers to talk about an area where these characters explore and enjoy what they are doing.
Radhika Madan is a superbly talented actor, and I really enjoyed how she made Aditi look different from the other feisty characters she has done on screen. Her way of talking has a sense of passion, and at the same time, she is a highly caring person. The creative decision to make Aditi less animated in all those tense moments is somewhere the reason why the movie feels very grounded despite having a cliched story. Rajat Barmecha, the hero of my favorite film, Udaan, is actually playing a much-evolved version of Rohan from Udaan. The character might not have the same level of intricacy, but for some reason, Barmecha’s image as Rohan was engraved so vividly in my head that I was rooting for Akash Nath from the minute I saw him on screen. Ayush Mehra, as the identity-seeking Kabir Saini, is somewhat playing the same kind of role he was playing in those Youtube web series. Mahesh Thakur, Aisha Ahmed, etc., are also part of the cast.
The lack of solid conflicts is actually the major drawback of Kacchey Limbu. But considering the usualness of the story, I felt that focusing on the feel-good factor over solid conflicts helps the film achieve that relaxed nature. Shubam Yogi keeps things light, and he is not putting characters in difficult situations just for the sake of it. There is a scene where Aditi gets caught by her dad for having alcohol. Instead of going the cliche way of that being a roadblock for her, Yogi uses that incident to show the mutual care of the siblings. I also liked how he decided to keep Aditi in that figuring out space, even at the end. The edits of the movie, especially for match sequences, have a nice rhythm.
Kacchey Limbu had its film festival circuit screenings last year, and it has now been released through JioCinema. With a runtime of just 106 minutes, the film was never a dull experience thanks to some earnest and endearing performances from the lead cast, who kept things real despite the writing being drenched in cliches.
With a runtime of just 106 minutes, the film was never a dull experience thanks to some earnest and endearing performances from the lead cast.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
