IN A WORLD WHERE FATE PLAYS TRICKS AND DESTINY DANCES TO ITS OWN TUNE, WHAT A KISMAT ARRIVES AS A QUIRKY TAKE ON LIFE’S UNPREDICTABLE TURNS. DIRECTED BY DEBUTANT FILMMAKER RAMESH TIWARI, THIS HINDI-LANGUAGE COMEDY-DRAMA STARS ADITYA ROY KAPOOR AND KRITI SANON IN A TALE THAT BLENDS HUMOR, HEARTBREAK, AND HOPE.
SET IN THE BUSTLING LANES OF LUCKNOW, THE FILM FOLLOWS THE MISADVENTURES OF A MAN WHOSE LUCK SEEMS CURSED—UNTIL ONE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER FLIPS HIS WORLD UPSIDE DOWN. BUT DOES THE FILM DELIVER ON ITS PROMISE OF LAUGHTER AND EMOTION, OR DOES IT GET LOST IN ITS OWN TWISTS?
PLOT AT A GLANCE
RAGHAV (ADITYA ROY KAPOOR), A MIDDLE-CLASS INSURANCE AGENT, BELIEVES HE’S CURSED. HIS LIFE IS A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, FROM MISSED PROMOTIONS TO BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS. HIS ONLY SOLACE IS MEENA (KRITI SANON), A SPIRITED RADIO JOCKEY WHO SEES LIFE THROUGH ROSE-TINTED GLASSES.
AFTER SAVING A BUSINESSMAN DURING A ROBBERY, RAGHAV’S LUCK CHANGES OVERNIGHT. FAME, FORTUNE, AND CHAOS FOLLOW. BUT AS HIS STARS RISE, HIS RELATIONSHIPS AND VALUES BEGIN TO SHIFT. THE FILM EXPLORES WHETHER HAPPINESS LIES IN LUCK OR CHOICES.
ACTING THAT HITS OR MISSES
ADITYA ROY KAPOOR DELIVERS A NUANCED PERFORMANCE, BALANCING COMEDY AND VULNERABILITY. KRITI SANON SHINES AS MEENA, BRINGING WARMTH AND WIT. SUPPORTING ACTORS LIKE RAJESH SHARMA AND SHEEBA CHADDHA ADD FLAVOR, WHILE PANKAJ TRIPATHI’S CAMEO AS A PHILOSOPHICAL TEA VENDOR IS A HIGHLIGHT.
BEHIND THE CAMERA: RAMESH TIWARI’S SIGNATURE STYLE
RAMESH TIWARI’S DEBUT IS AMBITIOUS. HIS STORYTELLING CAPTURES SMALL-TOWN QUIRKS AND MIDDLE-CLASS STRUGGLES. WHILE THE SCREENPLAY IS WITTY, THE PACING DIPS IN THE SECOND HALF. STILL, THE EMOTIONAL CLIMAX TIES THINGS TOGETHER WELL.
SOUNDTRACK THAT SETS THE MOOD
COMPOSED BY AMIT TRIVEDI, THE SOUNDTRACK INCLUDES CATCHY TRACKS LIKE “KISMAT KI GALI” AND SOULFUL BALLADS LIKE “MEENA KI MUSKAAN.” CLINTON CEREJO’S BACKGROUND SCORE ENHANCES KEY EMOTIONAL MOMENTS.
VISUAL BRILLIANCE OR OVERKILL?
RAVI K. CHANDRAN’S CINEMATOGRAPHY CAPTURES LUCKNOW’S CHARM. THE VISUAL TONE SHIFTS WITH RAGHAV’S JOURNEY, USING COLOR AND FRAMING TO REFLECT EMOTIONAL STATES. NO FLASHY VFX—JUST GROUNDED, SYMBOLIC VISUALS.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE
THE FILM EXPLORES THEMES OF SELF-WORTH, SOCIETAL PRESSURE, AND THE ILLUSION OF SUCCESS. MEENA’S CHARACTER REMINDS VIEWERS THAT HAPPINESS IS A MINDSET, NOT A DESTINATION.
WHERE THE FILM STUMBLES
THE SECOND HALF FEELS RUSHED, AND SOME CHARACTERS FADE WITHOUT RESOLUTION. HUMOR OCCASIONALLY LEANS INTO SLAPSTICK, AND THE CLIMAX COULD’VE BEEN MORE UNPREDICTABLE.
FINAL VERDICT: WORTH YOUR TIME?
WHAT A KISMAT BLENDS HUMOR, HEART, AND PHILOSOPHY. IT’S NOT FLAWLESS, BUT ITS CHARM LIES IN ITS IMPERFECTIONS. ADITYA AND KRITI CARRY THE FILM WITH SINCERITY, AND RAMESH TIWARI SHOWS PROMISE.
RATING√ ★★★★☆ {4√5}
