Kalank

Kalank was conceived by Karan Johar and his father Yash Johar about 15 years prior to its release.[22] Actress Sridevi was initially supposed to play the role of Bahaar Begum, but post her demise, the role was played by Madhuri Dixit.[23][24] Production designer Amrita Mahal was brought on board to work on the production design and structure that represented Old Delhi mohalla with a mahal in Film City, Mumbai.[25] Sajid Nadiadwala, owner and producer of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, and Karan were present during the clap shot of Kalank.[26] The estimated cost of the set was reportedly ₹15 crore.[25] Nadiadwala and Sanjay Dutt collaborated after 24 years, having last worked on Andolan (1995) .[27]

Principal photography commenced in Film City, Mumbai on 18 April 2018.[28] Madhuri Dixit and Aditya Roy Kapur joined the cast from 31 May 2018.[29][30] Filming of an introductory song featuring Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Kiara Advani[31] with nearly 500 backup dancers was completed on 7 May 2018.[32] Rehearsals for a second dance number featuring Dhawan, Kapur and Kriti Sanon began on 31 May 2018.[31] On 2 June 2018, a few leaked stills from the film showed Dixit donning an anarkali outfit and pasa/jhumar (hair jewellery).[33] Sonakshi Sinha joined the cast from 14 June 2018 for a 15-day filming schedule.[34][35] She is paired opposite Kapur in the film.[36] The third schedule of filming was postponed due to injuries to Bhatt, Dhawan and Kapur and was rescheduled to commence two weeks later.[37][38] Alia Bhatt announced the film wrapped on 19 January 2019.[39]

Kalank's budget has been inconsistently reported. The producers announced a budget of ₹150 crore,[40][41] which includes print and advertising costs[42] not typically included in budget figures. Other sources published budget estimates in the ₹80 crore range.[43][44]

Kalank was initially scheduled for release on 19 April 2019, but to reap benefits of the extended weekend, the release date was preponed to 17 April 2019.[3] A special screening of the film was organized for selected audience on 14 April 2019 prior to its release.[46] Kalank was certified by British Board of Film Classification and Australian Classification Board with runtime of 166 minutes and was released worldwide on 17 April.[47] The film was released on 5,300 screens worldwide making it the widest Indian film release of 2019.[10]

Kalank was made available as VOD on Amazon Prime Video in July 2019.[48]

Kalank had a bumper start at the box office, collecting ₹21.60 crore on opening day.[49] The film went on to gross ₹95.65 crore in India and ₹50.66 crore from overseas markets with an overall worldwide gross of ₹146.31 crore.[6][50] But it could not maintain the momentum, and soon saw a decline in revenue, finally was declared as a box office failure.[11]

Kalank received mixed reviews upon release, with criticism towards its direction, story, screenplay and length, but praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the ensemble cast.

Rachit Gupta of The Times of India rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and remarked, "Kalank is a true labour of love that tells you a story laced with beautiful moments that will tug you at your heartstrings." He concluded his review writing that "Kalank is a visually stunning film topped with great performances."[51] Anupama Chopra of Film Companion rated it with 3 stars out of 5 and opined "Kalank is likely to be the most visually stunning film of this year." She also remarked "The film is an operatic fantasy filled with staggering sets, swirling fabric and heartache, but to enjoy it, you must wholly suspend disbelief."[52] Raja Sen writing for Hindustan Times rated the film with 2.5 stars out of 5 and praised Dixit, Bhatt and Dhawan for shining in a "stunning, but soulless" film. He felt that "it is a stunningly plated meal, but needed more salt". He remarked "Directed by Abhishek Varman and shot by the masterful Binod Pradhan, the makers of Kalank not only want every frame to be a painting, but every dialogue, a proverb, every scene, a portent. The result is beautiful but tedious, an opera that needed a stout songstress to warble through it midway."[53] Taran Adarsh rated the film with 2 stars out of 5 and though he praised the star cast for their acting, he found the film "disappointing".[54] Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta gave it 1.5 star out of 5 and says, "Kalank doesn't really lift off the screen. The whole feels like a giant set, stately and ponderous and minus impact; the characters all costumed and perfumed and largely life-less, sparking only in bits and pieces."[55]

Writing for NDTV, Saibal Chatterjee praised Dixit and Bhatt for their screen presence and concluded her extensive review as, "Kalank has unmistakable contemporary resonance because it celebrates the transformative power of love and reconciliation in a time of rampant discord. It is worth a viewing not only for what it says, but also for how it says it."[56] Writing for the Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath noted out that the film glamorized the partition by replicating kitsch aesthetic, and added, "The sets, that are meant to enhance the big-screen experience, end up creating a distance from the messiness of the emotional conflicts."[57]