Sometimes the characters in Kadakh (Rigid (assumption)) do not feel like they are responding realistically to certain events even as you sit back and enjoy this dark comedy where a group of friends get together to celebrate the festival of Diwali without knowing (except for the hosts) about the presence of a corpse in the house. You will sense these character issues right from the start even if you get lost in the conversation-heavy middle that Kadakh pushes you into, letting you get a kick out of all the dialogues about gender roles, child rearing, book publishing, hypocrisy, meat-eating, adultery, and upper-class lifestyle. Rajat Kapoor manages to keep you hooked till the end even though he keeps the plotholes open and a lot many questions unanswered, which points to the very clear message that this is not about a crime and its investigation but about adultery and the vices of men and women, and their acuteness when they get together. A good attempt, and although a bit tasteless at the moment in Hindi cinema due to its insensitive handling of suicide, it will entertain you if you let it. The splendid cast and their performance will influence you, no doubt. What a film! TN.
