Karma Aur Holi

wogma rating: Watch but no rush ^(?)

quick review:

A slice of Indians' lives in American suburbia. Interactions between people from various backgrounds, ethnicities and age groups are captured gently. Not remotely as abstract as the title sounds.

Director: Manish Gupta

Cast: Sushmita Sen, Randeep Hooda

Running time: 90 minutes

Genres: Diaspora, Relationships

More Movie Info

Imagine you are visiting a friend or relative and they happen to have invited a group of friends. You as an audience are then just sitting in a corner and observing these people interact and react with each other. You know bits and pieces of their lives and are exposed to their prejudices and vulnerabilities.

Karma aur Holi is not too worried about the pace. It doesn't at all look rushed especially considering that it's covering some 10-odd characters in just 90 minutes. And while a movie that covers so many characters usually jumps from one's story to another this one had a certain flow. That it was all happening in one house might have contributed to that feel. Because it's just like the audience is walking from one room to another. Also after a long-long time the characters accents felt real.

The casting was just perfect. The gorgeous Sushmita Sen is perfect as the charming hostess, Mira. She juggles between being diplomatic and firm like any home-maker would do. Randeep Hooda, Mira's husband is trying to run a business while sticking to his guns. And then there are the whole range of characters from various age groups and ethnicities. I particularly enjoyed Rati Agnihotri's performance as the jittery, intolerant, middle-aged mother of a teenager. The teenage son was pretty good at what he did too! And I almost wanted to counsel Suchitra Krishnamurty's character as the suppressed wife to break the shackles and run for her life. One character we wouldn't have missed would be the voiceover narrator! He was so redundant.

As usual, such stories feel a desperate need to have a resolution for each character. And the desperation shows. Thankfully though the closure for most of the threads is not forced. Except for the Rati Agnihotri-Suresh Oberoi angle. The transformation there was absolutely unwarranted and left a very 'this happens only in films' feel.

And yet despite all the things that were good about Karma aur Holi, there was a 'no big deal' attached to it. The holi and suburban New York background had nothing to do with it really. The characters were all very similar either us or someone we know. That gives it a real feel but it also doesn't make it anything spectacularly special.

- meeta, a part of the audience

18 reviewers^(?) - 0 yays 1 so-so 17 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

So-So, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...But even in English, I doubt Karma Aur Holi would have been any more engaging... full review

Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, AOL INDIA : ...Karma Aur Holi is an attempt to unveil suppressed emotions and about human relationships.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ... Half way through Karma Aur Holi , you wonder what kind of bad karma got you in the theatre to watch this yawn of a film.... full review

Thumbs down, bigoye.com : ...Unintentionally, Karma aur Holi makes you laugh a number of times.... full review

Thumbs down, Bolly Spice : ...Even if you had some time to spare, you should avoid this movie... full review

Thumbs down, by Abhishek Mande, Buzz18 : ...None of the stories – neither of the couples nor of the other characters – is strong enough to carry the narrative forward.... full review

Thumbs down, by Utpal Borpujari, DearCinema : ...It was supposed to be a serious study of human relationships, but almost ends up as an unintended comedy.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shashi Baliga, Hindustan Times : ...All you’ll get is uniformly stilted dialogue, amateurish acting for the most part and a mish-mash of stereotypes as Sen acts like the real-life diva she is... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Karma Aur Holi is a film devoid of any artistic merit. It's a bad film in every sense of the word... full review

Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...Frankly, nothing works in KARMA AUR HOLI. Not the plot, not the screen writing, not even the performances.... full review

Thumbs down, Movie Talkies : ...Director Manish Gupta's Karma Aur Holi begins with a very interesting premise but then fails to deliver.... full review

Thumbs down, by Meena Iyer, Mumbai Mirror : ...Karma aur Holi, a story about human relationships with an ensemble cast... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...Karma aur Holi is consistently low IQ and contains some of the most comical dialogue I’ve ever seen in a film.... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...One of those filmed fiascos that should've never been attempted... full review

Thumbs down, by Goher Iqbal Punn, Radio Sargam : ...It is not the engaging film, which binds you to focus on the whole duration.... full review

Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...Manish Gupta's Karma & Holi is an amateurish, horrifically written effort.... full review

Thumbs down, SmasHits.com : ...The movie is fit for an award at glittering function, but not a common moviegoer.... full review

Thumbs down, by Janhvi Patel, StarBoxOffice : ...Sitting through the length of the movie is a pure test of your patience.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 0 yays 1 so-so 0 nays

So-So, by Consumer Goods

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

Mira (Sushmita Sen) and Dev (Randeep Hooda) organize a get-together of people they know for Holi. Some of them don't know each other from earlier on but as the evening progresses dark secrets surface.

What Worked

Mira's frustration when Dev and she are just about to start making love.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

That pregnancies are confirmed with vomiting.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: None
Language: The F word is used a few times. Also, the word 'whore' is used and references to sex are made.
Nudity & Sexual content: One love making scene and a few lip-locks.
Concept: Various types of people get together and end up sharing bits about their life.
General Look and Feel: Adults talking about adult problems in a very matter-of-fact manner.