To those who wish to see a completely different review to what Taran Adarsh has written...raise your hands! To those who liked Karam both as a film and a cinematic visual experience...raise your hands! For Karam dares to be different and it works.
Cinematographer turned director Sanjay.F. Gupta handles the riveting and grim life of a struggling assassin with flourish. The way the film has been shot through black & white/sepia tones is appropriate as it compliments filth, grime and blood to which an assassin is doomed to live with. The story is plain and simple: an assassin wishes to quit, but his boss needs five people killed so captures his main-man's wife and tells him to kill these people in the next 36 hours.
Such a simple story narrated on screen, was it perfect...well it was almost there! Overall the narrative and way the film unravels itself is effective, but as it flows it may stumble in one or two places. For example some portions of the film get incredibly slow and repitive like the whole of a phone conversation being shot or a whole five-minutes devoted to Priyanka Chopra moving out of the phone box and proceeding into her captures car. Although some may find this scene a little slow, it has a remarkable effect to it; it shows how quickly and easily John's wife has slipped through his grasp.
Karam is no bombay-underworld flick as there are no gangs running left right and centre on the cobbled streets, no leader with some stupid name and a funny accent. Times have changed and Karam bears witness. Another case which ought to be addressed is the tremendous amount of gore shown in the film. Shalini's finger, the fish-bait, the death of Yunus and the police officer and the grueling fight between John and his contract-killing boss all contain action which are both grueling and something which Indian cinema has never seen before.
The music of the film is ok, but not brilliant but I for sure do not expect pretty pretty love-songs or rocking disco tracks while watching a very different and engrossing flick like Karam.
Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham are the two actors which stand out. John's desperation and regret is seen through his eyes and expressions whereas Priyanka delivers her will-power to escape and run to her husband with flourish. When she speaks to John you can sense how much her character loves the other one which adds to the audience feeling incredibly sorry for her.
Overall Karam is a very different film made with style and flourish. It moves steadily, though stumbling a bit throughout the venture. A very different side to the Indian underworld with a surprising amount of touching scenes.
