Friday Streaming - Even Pankaj Tripathi fails to save Kaagaz on Zee 5

Directed and written by Satish Kaushik, Kaagaz is over-explained with a double narration from Satish Kaushik and Salman Khan and lacks serious depth.

Having lived in India, there isn't a single human who hasn't dealt with 'do din baad aana' each time they're in touch with anything sarkari, aka rigged bureaucracy under the tag of democracy. Satish Kaushik unveils this painful and neverending process in Kaagaz.

Cast - Pankaj Tripathi does a phenomenal job as Bharat Lal Mritak. In trying to get his name on official papers, he attempts something quirky every day and that's probably the only entertaining 15 minutes of the film. Satish Kaushik brings nothing new to the table as Sadhuram, the corrupt lawyer.

Storyline - A simple man with simpler needs, Bharat Lal Mritak owns a wedding band in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. On being probed by his wife, he decides to expand his shop by approaching a bank for a loan, only to find out that he's declared dead on paper by his own family. What follows after is Bharat Lal approaching one government office after the other, writing letters to the CM, followed by one to the PM, until he realizes that taking the highway is like fighting a lost battle.

What the trailer here!

What I liked - Pankaj Tripathi and his portrayal of Bharat Lal Mritak.

What I didn't quite like - As promising as the plot was, nothing and no one stood out besides Pankaj Tripathi. The ending made absolutely no sense; Bharat Lal finally landed up with official papers proving that he's alive after fighting an almost 20-year battle. In spite of his fight against the corrupt system being covered by the media, nothing really comes out of it. While we've all seen that happen over the last decade IRL the press isn't portrayed well in this movie. Kaagaz lacks depth and fails to bring those emotions to the forefront that someone in this situation might feel. The songs in this film have absolutely no purpose.

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