A young bride questions her sanity as she faces abuse at the hands of her new family - until the day she decides to fight back.A young bride questions her sanity as she faces abuse at the hands of her new family - until the day she decides to fight back.A young bride questions her sanity as she faces abuse at the hands of her new family - until the day she decides to fight back.
Storyline
Featured review
Garishly, clumsily made, wasting minor potential
The root concept is fine. The execution is not. 'Khazana' is not a good movie. More than that, it's generally so rotten that I spent most of the runtime actively regretting that I'd begun watching.
Screenplay and direction alike are almost totally bereft of all subtlety. Most every scene and line of dialogue is inescapably blunt in its realization; I counted two instances of plot development that were unanticipated in any small way. Meanwhile: I tend to give actors the benefit of the doubt and assume they've been forced into a lacking performance by some element of the film-making. To be sure, I'm extremely skeptical of the capabilities of director Rahul Nath and producer and co-writer Noah Potter, both in terms of overall skill, and when it comes to providing material for or otherwise guiding their stars' portrayals. At the same time - while another point of comparison would be necessary to more completely ascertain the talents of all involved, 'Khazana' is such a mess that I'm not inclined to seek out other pictures of the cast or crew. Judging by this feature alone, the assembled players are an incredibly mixed bag at best.
Star Ulka Simone Mohanty, as protagonist Vaidehi, and Reem Kadem, as Neelima, are the only two actors to immediately impress as demonstrating a measure of range and nuance in their performances. On the other hand, Sonam Arvind Dhage turns in one of the least convincing performances I've ever seen as Sapna, and Laikh Tewari's acting as Dhaman is so unbelievably ham-fisted as to genuinely recall John Reynolds or possibly Tom Neyman in 'Manos: The hands of fate.' Everyone else before the camera is pointedly overacting, and it's up for debate whether all these depictions are an illustration of the limited extent of the actors' craft, or just a matter of leaning into the material and direction they're given.
Against all odds, 'Khazana' isn't entirely putrid through and through. Once more, I do like the concept; the abuse of every variety that Vaidehi suffers from all those around her is abhorrent, making her retribution gratifying. At that, despite the limitations of screenwriters, direction, and cast alike - and a jarring shift in tone - I think the climax is pretty well done... if a little too drawn out. And that's a key here: the movie is scarcely over an hour, and the narrative itself does mostly feel whole. Even so, adept writing, direction, and editing could have trimmed this full-length film into a short of perhaps 20 minutes without losing a significant amount of substance. Why, a shorter treatment of this same material may have actually made it more impactful: While the extra length pads out the story, making characters, their motivations, and the broad arc more complete, it feels like the greatest effect of making 'Khazana' as a feature film was to highlight the deficiencies and weaknesses of all involved.
There was promise in the basic premise. It's undercut by excruciatingly forthright and dubious acting, writing, and direction, while the movie tries unsuccessfully to varyingly embrace genres of sly thriller, domestic drama, and dark comedy. What minor value this movie possesses can be found elsewhere, unspoiled and in greater quantities. I feel bad being so critical, but it's painful to behold. I simply cannot recommend 'Khazana.'
Screenplay and direction alike are almost totally bereft of all subtlety. Most every scene and line of dialogue is inescapably blunt in its realization; I counted two instances of plot development that were unanticipated in any small way. Meanwhile: I tend to give actors the benefit of the doubt and assume they've been forced into a lacking performance by some element of the film-making. To be sure, I'm extremely skeptical of the capabilities of director Rahul Nath and producer and co-writer Noah Potter, both in terms of overall skill, and when it comes to providing material for or otherwise guiding their stars' portrayals. At the same time - while another point of comparison would be necessary to more completely ascertain the talents of all involved, 'Khazana' is such a mess that I'm not inclined to seek out other pictures of the cast or crew. Judging by this feature alone, the assembled players are an incredibly mixed bag at best.
Star Ulka Simone Mohanty, as protagonist Vaidehi, and Reem Kadem, as Neelima, are the only two actors to immediately impress as demonstrating a measure of range and nuance in their performances. On the other hand, Sonam Arvind Dhage turns in one of the least convincing performances I've ever seen as Sapna, and Laikh Tewari's acting as Dhaman is so unbelievably ham-fisted as to genuinely recall John Reynolds or possibly Tom Neyman in 'Manos: The hands of fate.' Everyone else before the camera is pointedly overacting, and it's up for debate whether all these depictions are an illustration of the limited extent of the actors' craft, or just a matter of leaning into the material and direction they're given.
Against all odds, 'Khazana' isn't entirely putrid through and through. Once more, I do like the concept; the abuse of every variety that Vaidehi suffers from all those around her is abhorrent, making her retribution gratifying. At that, despite the limitations of screenwriters, direction, and cast alike - and a jarring shift in tone - I think the climax is pretty well done... if a little too drawn out. And that's a key here: the movie is scarcely over an hour, and the narrative itself does mostly feel whole. Even so, adept writing, direction, and editing could have trimmed this full-length film into a short of perhaps 20 minutes without losing a significant amount of substance. Why, a shorter treatment of this same material may have actually made it more impactful: While the extra length pads out the story, making characters, their motivations, and the broad arc more complete, it feels like the greatest effect of making 'Khazana' as a feature film was to highlight the deficiencies and weaknesses of all involved.
There was promise in the basic premise. It's undercut by excruciatingly forthright and dubious acting, writing, and direction, while the movie tries unsuccessfully to varyingly embrace genres of sly thriller, domestic drama, and dark comedy. What minor value this movie possesses can be found elsewhere, unspoiled and in greater quantities. I feel bad being so critical, but it's painful to behold. I simply cannot recommend 'Khazana.'
helpful•00
- I_Ailurophile
- Sep 7, 2021
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $125,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
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