So, here you get Hindi cinema's take on the pornographic film industry. Another film which tries to explore the dark side of society, but unfortunately without great success. Mahesh Bhatt is the one responsible for this story, which is said to be based on a true incident which inspired him back in time. Generally, when Bhatt tries to take a short break from his routine job of mostly ripping off foreign movies, he does a lot better. He definitely does better this time, but the script is still quite poor and many flaws can be spotted from time to time. The direction of Mohit Suri is very faulty. Actually I quite liked Woh Lamhe, which was fairly enjoyable and well-acted, but here the execution is too weak and simplistic. The result is a film that is more of a mediocre potboiler which looks like another clichéd revenge saga. It is not that bad though, because the film is quite entertaining at times and it definitely has its moments, but as an issue-based film, it is hardly convincing.
The moments that I liked in the film include mostly the sequences involving Kunal and Renuka. Later on, with the entrance of Mrs. Simi Roy, there are some interesting sequences which later fade. Kunal Khemu, who was a fantastic child actor mostly in Bhatt productions such as Zakhm, makes his debut as a leading man. Ironically, he still looks very young for the part and so the credibility is reduced, but then he is very competent where only acting is concerned, and does very well throughout. Amrita Singh, too, returns to movies after a long period, and expectedly she is quite terrific as the devious and greedy Simi, effectively creating a vicious persona and rising above the script with her presence, which remains as strong as it used to be. The supporting cast includes many actors, most of whom are terrible. Anu Malik's soundtrack, however, is one of the best things about the film. Kalyug is overall an above average movie at best, but the effort is appreciable.
