The highlight of Madhumita Sundararaman's film, Kaalidhar Laapata, is its dialogue and the conversations between the protagonist and a boy named Ballu, who develop a very peculiar bond. Daivik Bhagela, who plays Ballu, and the entire cast of the film, does an exceptional job. That said, let's find out what happened in the film and how Kaalidhar found the strength to live despite the pain and betrayal.
Kaalidhar suffered from mental health issues, which caused him to have frequent hallucinations and memory loss. He had become a burden on his family, and the irony is that Kaalidhar was the one who had supported them all along. Kaalidhar had two younger brothers, Manohar and Sundar, and a younger sister named Gudiya. Manohar had a wife named Neetu, who also wanted to get rid of her brother-in-law as soon as possible. But getting rid of him didn't mean they didn't want a share of Kaalidhar's property, as they knew it was the only way to pay off their debts.
Director: Madhumita Sundararaman
Writers: Amitosh Nagpal, Madhumita Sundararaman
Stars: Abhishek Bachchan, Daivik Baghela, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub
Gudiya wanted to take care of her brother and, unlike Manohar and Sundar, truly loved him. However, in an orthodox context, her hands were tied and she didn't know how to help him. Not even Kaalidhar wanted to burden Gudiya and give his in-laws the opportunity to mock her.
The ancestral home where Kaalidhar and his brothers lived was in Kaalidhar's name. Manohar and Sundar were desperate for him to sign the deed of ownership so they could sell it and get some money. But Kaalidhar was in no condition to sign the documents, and the doctors made it very clear that his condition was unlikely to improve. So Manohar, Neetu, and Sundar devised a nefarious plan: they decided to leave their fingerprint on the documents without his knowledge and then made a deal with a government hospital employee to inject Kaalidhar with a poisonous drug so that he would never wake from his slumber.
Although they got his fingerprint, they couldn't kill him in the hospital. They then decided to take their elder brother to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, the largest human religious gathering on the planet, and abandon him there. They knew that, with his memory loss, he wouldn't be able to find his way back. Manohar felt a little guilty about doing so, but then he managed to overpower his conscience and showed everyone what kind of man he was. Manohar, Sundar, and Neetu took Kaalidhar to Prayagraj and left him there. The poor man waited for his brothers, and when they didn't show up, he started searching for them.
Kaalidhar managed to find the tent Manohar had booked for the night. He was out when he overheard them talking and was so hurt that he decided to go his own way. Kaalidhar couldn't imagine what he had done to deserve such treatment: how had he become a burden to them when all he wanted was a roof over his head? The man literally didn't demand anything or throw a tantrum, yet his own brother ran away from him, not even caring what he did, considering his severe mental health issues. Kaalidhar took a bus to Itarsi, and since he had no money, the conductor asked him to get off at a village called Bhojpur. Kaalidhar found a secluded spot and fell asleep, probably hoping that when he woke up the next day, he would find it all a nightmare.
Kaalidhar was awakened from his deep sleep by a boy named Ballu. Ballu was abandoned by his parents when he was just a few months old, and they left him on the steps of the Bhojpur temple. Since then, he has remained there and managed to survive thanks to his strong will and extraordinary entrepreneurial temperament. Ballu was the kind of boy who didn't allow negative emotions to cloud his mind. He was full of life and hope, something that Kaalidhar was completely unaware of. At first, Ballu put every possible obstacle in Kaalidhar's way, feeling that Kaalidhar was determined to take everything from him, from his multiple jobs to his resting place. But soon, the boy and Kaalidhar developed a very strong bond and became inseparable.
Once, an inspector from the food and health department came to inspect the food served at the temple. Ballu didn't hesitate to tell the inspector how the priest had appropriated some of the raw materials and how he didn't care about the quality of the temple food. The priest lashed out at Ballu, who was deeply hurt by the old man's harsh words. Kaalidhar went to see Ballu with a samosa, and that's where their adventure began. Ballu taught him to appreciate life, to seize every moment, and not dwell on the past. Kaalidhar couldn't understand how, even with such an uncertain life, Ballu didn't shy away from the future. Ballu was a confident young man and knew he would always find a solution, no matter how big the problem. Ballu told Kaalidhar that they would make a list of all the things they wanted to do in life and then, one by one, fulfill their dreams.
From riding a motorcycle to eating biryani to acting in a play, they did it all. One day, Ballu got the scare of his life when Kaalidhar consumed alcohol and experienced what felt like an epileptic seizure. Ballu, probably for the first time in his life, felt fear, not knowing what he would do if the man didn't survive. Ballu and Kaalidhar didn't realize how, in such a short time, they had become so close. Ballu also realized that Kaalidhar suffered from certain mental health issues. He noticed that Kaalidhar often hallucinated and saw things that weren't there, and sometimes forgot what he had said. Kaalidhar learned that his brothers were searching for him, but hoped they would never find him, as he didn't want to return to them. He had created his own world with Ballu and didn't want their adventure to ever end.
Subodh was an officer in the lost and found department who helped people find their missing relatives. Manohar, Sundar, and Neetu also came to him, realizing that if they didn't complain, the police might speculate that they had intentionally abandoned their older brother, a practice for which the Kumbh Mela was infamous. It didn't take Subodh long to understand this.
Manohar and Sundar said they didn't have any pictures of their brother because they both had new phones, but that changed when their plan to transfer the property into his name fell through. As fate would have it, after Manohar and Sundar left Kaalidhar at the Kumbh Mela, the property documents burned when the room they were in caught fire. Furthermore, their neighbor claimed that before leaving, Kaalidhar had transferred the entire property into his name, which meant Manohar needed the property documents to nullify those claims. So, once this happened, Manohar and Sundar began searching for their elder brother. Subodh visited them, and that's when they gave him a picture of Kaalidhar.
Subodh understood what had happened and told them how he felt. He wanted to take matters into his own hands because a priest had told him that he would only have a son when he found a man with a huge beard. He felt that finding Kaalidhar would be the solution to all his problems. But over time, something changed inside him. He sensed that Kaalidhar probably didn't want to return home, which was why he made sure no one found him. Subhodh, strangely, felt a great attachment to the man. He wanted to make sure he was okay. He decided he would find him, and if he didn't want to return, he wouldn't tell anyone his whereabouts. Subhodh also had to locate Kaalidhar, and that encounter was truly surreal. It was as if someone had held a mirror up to him and given him a chance to reflect on his own life.
At the end of the film, Kaalidhar returned to his family and learned that the villager, who happened to be a good friend of his, had been claiming it because he knew that until he did, Manohaar and Sundar wouldn't come looking for it. Kaalidhar divided his property four ways: he gave a sum of money to his sister, settled his brother's debt, and transferred a portion to Ballu, who was admitted to a good school because a good Samaritan had decided to fund his education.
Kaalidhar, this time, also kept a sum of money for himself. He had realized how important it was to be financially independent in this harsh world, and he had also learned from Ballu that he, too, needed to live for himself. Kaalidhar told his brothers that he had come to know the kind of people they were. He told them that he had settled their debts because he believed it was his responsibility, but other than that, he did not want to have any contact with them in the future. They felt guilty, and I think it was a small price to pay for what they had done.
At the end of the film, we saw Kaalidhar wearing a cool leather jacket and riding a bike with Mira sitting behind him. I see him visiting Ballu's school and seeing him regularly in the future. I know for sure that Kaalidhar will take advantage of every moment, just as Ballu taught him, and won't let anyone stand between him and his happiness.
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