Released last week in Bombay, Delhi-U.P. and other circuits, Shree Venkatesh Films’ Kakababu (dubbed from Bengali film Kakababur Protyaborton) is a thriller. Raja Roy Chowdhury alias Kakababu (Prosenjit Chatterjee) and his young nephew, Santu (Aryan Bhowmick), go on a holiday to Nairobi. A Bengali couple hosts them there. While in the foreign land, Kakababu receives threat calls which he ignores.
One day, Africa-based Indian businessman Ashok Desai and his partner, Ninjane, invite Kakababu to their hotel in Maasai Mara forest. Kakababu and his nephew reach the hotel after an adventurous journey. But, meanwhile, he learns that two German tourists had mysteriously disappeared from the hotel a few days back. He realises, he is in serious trouble. What happens thereafter?
Sunil Gangopadhyay’s story, based on the book Jongoler Modhya Ek Hotel, is not very exciting. Srijit Mukherji’s screenplay has some fair moments but the thrill element is less. Dialogues are so-so.
Prosenjit Chatterjee does a fine job in the title role. Aryan Bhowmick is fair as his nephew. Anirban Chakrabarti, Alonso Grandio and the others lend decent support.
Srijit Mukherji’s direction is quite good. Indraadip Dasgupta’s music is average. Camerawork (Soumik Haldar) is good. Dubbing is proper. Other technical aspects are okay.
On the whole, Kakababu is too ordinary to make any mark at the Hindi box-office.
