2.5 Stars (out of 4)
Watch Greater Kalesh on Netflix
Netflix’s enjoyable Diwali movie Greater Kalesh has real affection for its characters and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Director Aditya Chandiok and writer Ritu Mago wisely opted to make their film a “featurette” with a runtime of under one hour rather than try to stretch too small a story to feature length.
Twenty-something Twinkle Handa (Ahsaas Channa) returns to her family home in Delhi to surprise her parents — dad Ranjan (Happy Ranajit) and mom Sunita (Supriya Shukla) — and younger brother Ankush (Poojan Chhabra) for Diwali. Before she can even open the door, she hears the sounds of arguing and pottery breaking.
Her folks are certainly surprised to see her, and happy as well. They try to pretend that their argument was nothing serious, but Ankush spills the beans. Turns out, the Handas don’t actually own their house. They’ve lived in it for free for almost 30 years due to a deal with Ranjan’s business partner, but now the real owner wants to sell. The family is about to be homeless.
Also, the whole neighborhood knows about Ankush’s “secret” relationship with an older woman, and Mom is sick of being gossiped about. She’s planning to move to Bangalore to live with Twinkle, which is news to Twinkle, of course.
Twinkle is furious with everyone for hiding things from her, ignoring her own hypocrisy for not telling her family her own secret: she has a serious boyfriend. Fueled by anger, Twinkle sets about trying to fix everyone’s problems, whether they like it or not — which is probably why everyone was so reluctant to tell her anything in the first place.
Chandiok and Mago do a wonderful job portraying a family in a very specific stage of development. Both of the kids are adults, and Twinkle even lives independently, yet no one has an accurate perception of how mature the kids actually are. Twinkle overestimates her worldliness, while the parents still try to shield their kids from their problems. Relationships within the Handa family are evolving in ways none of them really understand, and the changing dynamic hits a boiling point during their Diwali party.
The cast does a fine job making the family relatable. While plots driven by unnecessary secrets can sometimes drag, the actors successfully convey why every character feels like secrecy is their best option. Other than a silly subplot about a thief slowly making off with the family’s sentimental valuables, everyone acts in a way that is understandable.
The knock against Greater Kalesh is that it has a tendency toward soapiness. From Twinkle’s voiceovers to the musical cues to the lighting, all of it makes the film cornier than it needs to be. Thankfully, the filmmakers knew just how much story they had, and the movie ends before the soapy style gets too grating.
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