कपकपी

The horror-comedy genre, though increasingly popular, demands a delicate balance that many filmmakers struggle to maintain. Kapkapiii, the Hindi remake of the 2023 Malayalam sleeper hit Romancham, is a textbook example of how not to approach this hybrid genre. Lacking in both genuine scares and effective humour, the film quickly loses its footing, becoming a tedious watch.

Set in 2007, the film follows a group of unemployed young men living in a rented house in Faridabad. Their mundane routine takes a turn when two women move in next door. In a bid to impress one of them, Manu (played by Shreyas Talpade) introduces an Ouija board into the mix. To their surprise, the board actually works-soon, a steady stream of locals lines up at their door, seeking answers from the beyond. What begins as a harmless game spirals out of control when the spirit becomes increasingly aggressive. Manu seeks help from his enigmatic friend Kabir (Tusshar Kapoor), unaware that Kabir may bring more chaos than calm. And thus, the film's main narrative begins.

Shreyas Talpade delivers a controlled performance, but the lackluster script and inconsistent direction leave him with little room to shine. Tusshar Kapoor, entering the film post-intermission, shows flashes of comic timing and presence that have been absent from his recent work. Among the supporting cast, Varun Pande is the standout, bringing much-needed energy to an otherwise inert ensemble.

The film's first half meanders aimlessly, relying on clichéd gags and clumsy exposition that neither build suspense nor amuse. Despite a promising setup, the screenplay flounders under the weight of gimmicks. The second half, buoyed briefly by the Talpade-Kapoor dynamic, manages to inject some life into the proceedings but ultimately collapses under its own inconsistency. The climax, poorly conceived and executed, feels like an afterthought.

Visually, Kapkapiii fails to leverage its genre. Horror thrives on atmosphere and tension-both of which are sorely lacking due to uninspired cinematography and a lack of visual cohesion. The music, too, fails to leave an impression, with a jarring item number at the start of the film setting a disjointed tone that never quite recovers.

Director Sangeeth Sivan, in what is his final directorial outing, seems to have aimed for a commercially viable horror-comedy but ends up delivering a confused, lifeless product. Where Romancham found success in its simplicity and relatability, Kapkapiii attempts to compensate with loud humour, cheap thrills, and tired tropes-none of which land effectively.

In the end, Kapkapiii is a missed opportunity-a remake that forgets the core of what made its source material work. With a weak script, uninspired direction, and a failure to evoke either fear or laughter, the film is unlikely to resonate with audiences or critics. Neither spooky nor funny, it vanishes from memory almost as soon as the credits roll.

As someone who genuinely appreciates Indian cinema in all its diverse forms, it is disheartening to witness what Bollywood has become in recent years. The film Kapkappi, a remake of the Malayalam hit Romancham, is a prime example of what happens when originality is tossed aside in favor of commercial gimmicks and shallow appeal. What made Romancham such a refreshing watch was its grounded narrative, relatable characters, subtle humor, and an eerie undertone that didn't rely on jump scares or clichés to be effective. It was a film that understood the value of restraint, authenticity, and cultural nuance.

Kapkappi, on the other hand, feels like a mockery of that very essence. Instead of trying to retain the soul of the original or at least adapt it thoughtfully to a new audience, the Bollywood version does what it often does-inject unnecessary item songs, over-the-top dramatics, and a forced horror element that includes actual ghosts. The original never needed real ghosts to be spooky. It played with the power of suggestion, uncertainty, and the dynamics between housemates to create tension. But Kapkappi takes that quiet brilliance and replaces it with tacky special effects and gimmicky scares that serve no real purpose.

One of the most jarring changes is the inclusion of item numbers and Bollywood-style glamour in a story that was inherently raw and rooted in reality. The charm of Romancham lay in its simplicity-the dusty rented house, the imperfect yet endearing characters, and the slice-of-life storytelling. Bollywood, in its attempt to commercialize the narrative, strips away that simplicity and instead layers the film with glitz, glamour, and artificial emotional beats that simply don't land.

It begs the question-how did Bollywood, once the face of powerful, original storytelling, become a derivative industry that feeds off the creativity of regional cinema? Time and again, we see brilliant stories emerging from Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, and Kannada industries. These films bring fresh perspectives, bold narratives, and an honesty that Bollywood seems to have abandoned in its race for box-office numbers. Rather than taking inspiration and elevating these stories with nuance, Bollywood often chooses to water them down, wrap them in loud packaging, and serve them to a wider audience without acknowledging the depth of the original work.

The fact that Kapkappi fails to even reach the emotional or narrative complexity of Romancham is disappointing, but sadly, not surprising. It follows a growing trend of remakes that lack the cultural context, sincerity, and creativity of the original films. What's even more troubling is the lack of accountability. In any other industry, blatant copying would be considered plagiarism and subject to legal scrutiny. Why is cinema allowed to get away with this so frequently? A film is not just a script-it's a creative vision shaped by its creators, rooted in a particular language, culture, and emotional space. Simply translating it and reshooting it with bigger stars and higher budgets does not make it new. It makes it exploitative.

There needs to be a conversation about artistic integrity in Indian cinema. It's high time Bollywood stops this culture of lazy remakes and starts investing in original ideas or, at the very least, acknowledges and collaborates respectfully with the creators of regional cinema. A remake should be a tribute, not a mockery. Unfortunately, Kapkappi feels more like the latter.

To those who haven't watched Romancham yet-I urge you to experience it before watching this Bollywood version. The original captures a unique blend of humor, fear, and friendship that Kapkappi simply fails to replicate. Don't let this remake define your impression of the story. Bollywood may have the reach, but regional cinema still holds the heart.

In conclusion, Kapkappi is not just a missed opportunity; it is a reflection of the current state of Bollywood-a once-glorious industry now leaning too heavily on formulas and borrowed stories, forgetting what made it magical in the first place. Let's hope for a future where originality is celebrated and not replaced with flashy imitations.

What a great story. Really awesome. I loved it. The charm of storytelling is fabulus.

Full marks to the Director. 10/10.

No nudity or vulgurity. Pure Drama. Awesome.

Remember my words in future this movie will get the "cult" title. Remarkable.

The thing that impressed me most was "Innocence".

Each and every character had it's own charm. It's hard to imagine this movie without any of them. This movie is one step ahead of Fukey.

And Story. What a story. This movie has it's own essence. Easy going, soft, grip you to your seat and you completely get lost in the scene that what would come next.

I'm waiting for part 2.

Watch out these sick promoters are using Chinese media to buy high promotions to get a pathetic movie to get a sick movie promoted. There is absolutely no story but paid promotion to promote this to high ratings. Feel free to watch it, the sick story and all will make you understand how desperate they are. The actors are good, but the story is so stale and I am amazed the high ratings for this movie. This is a classic example when bollywood hires Chinese social media to promote i am sure paid by sick bollywood media to fool people..what they dont realize is that people are matured and educated, yet they try lol.

No development at all, very boring storyline, I think this movie was made for just money laundering.

While making movie in the first half they forgot to insert any kind of ghost entity, then they just going here and there are several unanswered questions. They were probably high when making this movie.

It is very cringey movie, doesn't worth you time. Unnecessary cuts and scenes.

Story begins with Shreyas in hospital fractured doctor says to him he will take time to recover but he is desperate to see his friends but then story shifts to flashback to intro his other five friends. But there hassle takes atleast an hour. The very boring part where you start to imagine whether there are ghosts in this movie or they forgot as I mentioned before. Then there's scam then it turns out to be ghost. I don't know how this came to real life.