The storyline is exactly the kind of soul-shaking that we as a whole needed. It’s a film for the world, and steers clear of giving you a villain or a hero. It shows the act, portrayed as evil in Bollywood films, as a job that needed to be carried out for its very own reasons. Neither does the film pertain to hero worship, nor good over evil. The movie just shows what happens when humanity is pushed to the edge, and the luxury of having ideals and values is taken away.

Darkly humorous and searing, Kadvi Hawa is a film that will stay with you. It is not just Nila’s story that talks of the “dark winds” or kadvi hawa, the film uses the cinematography and camera to highlight the scorching heat that climate change has brought to the famine-hit regions of our country. Sanjai Mishra is in a fine form and his performance will scare you, just as he intended. He blends the wisdom of an old man, the helplessness of a poor farmer and the body language of a blind man to deliver a performance that is arguably his best. Ranvir and Tillotama, too, are the perfect fit for their respective characters. Though Kadvi Hawa is touted as a film on climate change, it talks as much about farmers’ suicide in draught and flood-hit areas of our country. Despair is writ large on the faces of people who are struggling against the fury of nature and an unsympathetic system demanding its pound of flesh. Nila also offers dark humour in his serious film but the movie, especially the climax sequence, will give you with goosebumps and it will make you think.

Ranvir Shorey Matches Incredibly Impactful Sanjay Mishra. The two superlative performances lend Kadvi Hawa its heft. The director does not take recourse to over-dramatic means to convey the depth of despair that drives the two men into each other's orbit in circumstances that are so fast spinning out of control. One thinks that the other could be of help, but neither really knows where their lives are headed. They are both equally at the mercy of the elements and of a system low on humanity. Yet, owing to the clarity of the vision that powers the film, Kadvi Hawa hits home with the force of a gale. It is designed to provoke contemplation and action, a mission that it achieves without any serious slips. Sanjay Mishra and Ranvir Shorey's film is delivered without any sugar-coating. Watch it because it is an important film that offers an essential takeaway. 

Ranvir Shorey as a villain appears all too human when you understand just why he is choosing to do what he does. With a thick Odiya accent and a permanent scowl on his face, he carries of his role well. Sanjay Mishra, too, is effortless in his role of a blind, worldly-wise old man. This may be one of the best performances he has given, as he hops around on his stick thinking ways of getting his son out of the conundrum. With his dhoti and bedraggled look, just like the film's poster, he blends into the landscape. What's nice about the film is that filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda never tries to shove global warming in your face. He shows how, the changes happen gradually, like a failing crop. But the effects of it, like the loan a farmer takes, linger on. The chemistry between Ranveer and Sanjay is darkly entertaining. You may even feel guilty while enjoying a moment of black humour in scenes between the two actors. With powerful dialogues by Nitin Dixit and achingly beautiful lyrics by Mukta Bhatt, the film is an engrossing watch. For a serious film on global warming, Kadvi Hawa is non-preachy and entirely watchable.