Film: Khaali Peeli

Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vedant Desai, Deshna Duggad, Satish Kaushik, Annup Sonii, Zakir Hussain, Swanand Kirkire, Suyash Tilak, Zeeshan Nadaf, Vaisshalee Thakkar

Director: Maqbool Khan

Producers: Ali Abbas Zafar, Himanshu Mehra

Rating: 3.5 Moons

Mumbai taxis, better known as kaali-peeli, are the lifeline of the city and an important part of public transport. In Bollywood, Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and even Nana Patekar have played taxi drivers with conviction. Reviving the retro charm with a polish of newness, Maqbool Khan spins a tale with young talents Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday in the film Khaali Peeli.

Khaali Peeli takes us on a ride in a kaali-peeli owned by Blackie (Ishaan Khatter) who got his pseudonym for selling tickets in black in his childhood. Greedy for money, Blackie commits a half-murder on the night when taxi drivers in Mumbai have called for a strike. On the run, he bumps into Pooja (Ananya Panday) who manages to escape from her wedding with Choksey (Swanand Kirkire), a man double her age. Pooja has a bag with a hefty sum of money and jewellery and Blackie sees her as his gold mine. As Pooja and Blackie are on the run, chapters of their childhood unfold.

Yusuf Chikna (Jaideep Ahlawat) is the evil thread that strings together Pooja’s and Blackie’s story. Yusuf, who operates his illegal business from Kamathipura, Mumbai’s largest red-light area, hires young girls to push them into prostitution. Pooja is one of them. As children, when Pooja and Blackie grew close to each other, Yusuf had a different plan for them. During the taxi ride filled with bumps and pitstops, Pooja’s and Blackie’s life undergo a major change. Will Yusuf and his men hunt them down or the two crazy people move to a secure life, Khaali Peeli answers in 1 hour 53 minutes.

Maqbool Khan, who directed the 2011 film Lanka, stays true to the genre of Bollywood masala drama. He helms a masala film that thoroughly entertains you with sleek direction and freshness to a retro concept. Khaali Peeli, though, faces the problem of uniqueness but Maqbool covers up all the flaws by giving it a young treatment that will appeal to the masses. Writers Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani stock up Khaali Peeli with some quirky and rapchik bambaiyaa one-liners that will remind you of ‘90s films like Judwaa. The films in that era form a strong foundation for Khaali Peeli. An ode to Mumbai and its cricket, the writers incorporate dialogue on Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. A typically bambaiyaa film that serves you all flavours of the city.  Also, the lead character’s name is Vijay Chauhan (hain! Amitabh Bachchan?)

Ishaan Khatter ‘bole toh ekdum rawas’! The actor, who was last seen in Dhadak in 2018, has visibly matured as a performer. He manages to deceive you with his chocolate boy looks but will make you believe in his character Blackie.  As a person who is afraid of a cockroach but packs crazy punches, Ishaan shows promise and versatility. He dances as comfortably as a ‘konkan ki machli’ swims. He pulls off a well-written character with conviction. ‘Dil mein lafda zarurich hoiga’ with Ishaan’s onscreen presence.

Ananya Panday is commendable in her space. After playing urban chic roles in Student Of The Year 2 and Pati Patni Aur Woh, Ananya springs up a great surprise. However, she is yet to ace her action sequences and tough choreography. She gets the rustic and tapori language bang on and matches Ishaan shoulder-to-shoulder in key segments. Ananya looks cute though! An additional .5 moon for her crackling chemistry with Ishaan.

Jaideep Ahlawat speaks through stoic gaze and deadly silences. Though a little more depth to his character would have justified this powerhouse performer’s true skills. Special mention to child artists Vedant Desai and Deshna Duggad who were splendid as young Blackie and Pooja. Annup Sonii, Zakir Hussain and Swanand Kirkire are wasted while Satish Kaushik’s cameo is hard to forget.

Director of Photography Adil Afsar captures sharp frames in his camera. His cinematography is sharp, sleek and ups the pace of the narrative. Slo-mo visuals that are the heart and soul of Bollywood masala films are shot beautifully and add the much-needed drama. Action sequences designed by Parvez Shaikh are good. Vishal-Shekhar’s music keeps the film going and plays a key role in building up the right atmosphere. Rameshwar S. Bhagat’s edit table delivers a clean and crisp film.

Khaali Peeli is no intense crime thriller and that’s what sets it apart. Though the film isn’t sans hiccups and roadblocks, it manages to keep you engaged for 1 hour 53 minutes. The Ishaan-Ananya starrer is a pure 'seeti-maaro', rapchik film we all have been waiting for a long time!

PeepingMoon gives Khaali Peeli 3.5 Moons