While the absence of any news about actor Irrfan Khan's health is worrisome, his appearance in the latest trailer might put a smile on your face. The actor is at his wry humoured, one-liner best alongside Dulquer Salmaan in Akarsh Khurana's Karwaan trailer.
The trailer begins with the sight of a hassled, tired IT professional, Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan) receiving news about his father's death in Gangotri. His grief soon turns into a comedy when he learns that the travel company has, by mistake, sent his father's corpse to someone else in Kochi. So, Avinash sets out on a journey to Kochi with his sharp-tongued mechanic Shaukat (Khan).
As an aside, Khan's van has the couplet 'Main akela hi chala tha jaanib - e - manzil / Log judte gaye kaarvaan banta gaya' etched on it. It seems like a pointer to the poetic side of the character as it was being promoted by the makers.
The journey is filled with several diversions, one of which is the runaway Tanya (Mithila Palkar), on whom Avinash seems to have a crush. The trip takes this trio up and down an emotional adventure, which looks worth taking.
Dulquer Salmaan looks comfortable in his first Hindi appearance and manages to impress with his quiet, introverted style. The actor has already made his mark down south, and looks to replicate it in the Hindi industry.
He, understandably, leaves the flair to Khan. In his inimitable style, Khan delivers witty one-liners that accentuate his character's acerbic and loud-mouthed nature. His witty retorts, including one filmi moment in an unknown garage somewhere in Kerala, make up for Khurana's last venture, High Jack (2018). Mithila Palkar also makes an impact as the uppity runaway city girl hitching a ride on this strange funeral bus.
The trailer is intriguing, entertaining, and colourful. Khurana established his comfort with absurd and black humour in his last film, High Jack (2018). While the film did not do too well, it did have its moments. If the trailer is a good reading, the director seems to have found the right balance of emotions, drama and wry humour with Karwaan.
Karwaan is produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP. The film will be out in theatres on 3 August.