The massive success of Stree kickstarted a chain reaction of a new kind of Bollywood genre; the horror-comedy. Kakuda, a new original from ZEE5 Global, is the latest entry into this genre, and while it’s an enjoyable watch, there’s nothing new here that we haven’t already seen many times. With some cool characters and decent performances, Kakuda is a well-intentioned film that doesn’t really add anything to either genre. Read on for my Kakuda review.

Please note that the following Kakuda review will be completely spoiler-free.

What Is Kakuda?

Kakuda is a new original from ZEE5 Global that is all about a strange spirit terrorizing the men of a small village in India. The inhabitants of Ratodi have to be home at 7:15 on Tuesdays, to open the door for a spirit called Kakuda. When the spirit selects a home, someone has to open the door, otherwise they are cursed.

The men who have come face to face with Kakuda have all developed a Hunchback overnight, and then die 13 days later. The villagers have accepted and been living like this for decades now until an outspoken young woman from a different village comes across Kakuda and decides to do something about it.

When her husband Sunny (Salim Saqeeb) is visited by Kakuda the night of their wedding, Indira (Sonakshi Sinha) vows to find a way to save him. After exhausting scientific and medical means to remove the hunchback, Indira tries something else. She enlists the help of a professional ghost hunter in Victor (Ritesh Deshmukh). Together the three have 13 days to unravel the mystery of Kakuda and save Sunny.

An Exciting Star Cast Makes Up Kakuda’s Biggest Selling Point

Kakuda feels very silly initially, but the earnest performances really sell the premise. And the star cast is honestly the best part of the movie. Each actor’s own innate charm and on-screen presence elevate the otherwise lukewarm story and dialogue. The chemistry between them all also helps the audience invest in their, somewhat outrageous situation.

Indira and Sunny’s romance is a lot of fun, as they have clearly defined roles within their relationship. This further carries on when Sunny gets the hunchback and is resigned to his death, while Indira is the one who wants to fight back. Sinha’s fiery on-screen presence makes it very easy to root for her and her happiness. While Saleem’s understated, somewhat buffoon-like and meek Sunny is pitch perfect, without crossing the line into pathetic. And together they’re a lot of fun to watch.

Deshmukh’s Ghost Hunter Is The Most Fun

The best and most interesting thing about this Kakuda review is Ritesh Deshmukh as the ghost hunter, Victor. Victor is a ghost wrangler who sees and can communicate with ghosts. He goes around releasing ghosts from their unfinished business in this world. When he comes across Sunny’s situation, he offers his services to defeat Kakuda.

Deshmukh, while seeming age-less really has a cool look here. He’s like a steampunk Indiana Jones with greying hipster hair and beard and a soft-spoken demeanour. His ability to see ghosts, while no one else does, is a hilarious running gag of the movie. It’s almost like the other characters are never really sold on his abilities or expertise, constantly doubting him, while the audience knows the truth. It’s a funny gag that both Deshmukh and Sinha deliver on really well. Deshmukh is the perfect blend of likeable but quirky but never becoming a caricature. His veteran comedic timing is also on display here as he takes material that may not be the greatest, but delivers them amazingly.

Kakuda Fails As A Comedy And Horror

While the performances make Kakuda an enjoyable watch, the main story and plot are too underdeveloped to have any kind of impact on an audience. The story is full of plot holes and certain plot points that don’t go anywhere. The final reveal of the ghost’s motivations and back story feels underwhelming and does not feel at all connected. Some things are just not even explained ever, and connections are drawn with no rhyme or reason.

Kakuda definitely has some great moments of hilarity. Aasif Khan as Sunny’s friend is hilarious. He is the perfect sidekick comic relief that does such a great job in a movie with the likes of Sinha and Deshmukh. Khan holds this own and delivers some of the movie’s funniest moments. Deshmukh gets some good one-liners in here and there as well.

But despite these isolated moments, the overall movie lacks any comedic throughline. Some of the scary elements may maybe unintentionally funny. But otherwise, nothing of the movie’s tone works.

Kakuda Is An Enjoyable Watch As Time Pass

Overall, Kakuda is a fine enough background watch with a group of family and friends. But looking for any deep and meaningful story or plot would be futile. The movie leans heavily on its main star cast, who deliver as best as they can with a middling story.

Kakuda is now streaming on Zee5 Global.

What did you think of this new horror-comedy from Bollywood? Let me know in the comments below, or follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @theshahshahid for more Bollywood talk.