Kaagaz

Kaagaz is a 2021 Indian biographical comedy film written and directed by Satish Kaushik and produced by Salman Khan and Nishant Kaushik under the banner of Salman Khan Films and The Satish Kaushik Entertainment Production. The film stars Pankaj Tripathi, Monal Gajjar and Amar Upadhyay.
The plot of the film is based on the life and struggle of Lal Bihari, a farmer from the small village of Amilo Mubarakpur, who was declared dead on official papers. It marked the last directorial venture of Kaushik before his death on 9 March 2023.
At the 2021 Filmfare OTT Awards, Kaagaz received 3 nominations – Best Web Original Film, Best Actor in a Web Original Film and Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film. The spiritual sequel Kaagaz 2 was released to positive reviews on March 1 2024.

Synopsis

The film depicts the struggle of Bharat Lal Bihari against the Indian bureaucracy after he was declared dead on government records. His fight with the government lasted for 19 years.

Cast

Pankaj Tripathi as Bharatlal Bihari
Monal Gajjar as Rukmanii
Satish Kaushik as Advocate Sadhoram Kewat
Mita Vashisht as MLA Asarfi Devi
Brijendra Kala as Highcourt Judge
Amar Upadhyay as MLA Vidhayak Jaganpal Singh
Lankesh Bhardwaj as Sr. Inspector
Neha Chauhan as Journalist Sonia
Garrvil Mohan as Pablo
Pranay Narayan as Devilal
Amit Pathak as Harilal
Sharat Sonu as Rampal
Ratan Lal as Motiya
Mahesh Chandra Deva as typist
Arun Shekhar as Chaman Lal
Dinesh Sharma as Panditji Pandey
Yogesh Kumar Shukla as Shukla Ji
Sandeepa Dhar Special appearance in Laalam Laal song
Ajay Singh as Tyagi, Peshkaar of High court judge
Lal Bihari in a cameo appearance as the man cycling beside Bharatlal
Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Pravesh Mallick, Rahul Jain and ceAzer while lyrics written by Aseem Ahmed Abbasee, Rashmi Virag, Kunaal Vermaa and Shweta Raj.

Release

It premiered on 7 January 2021 on ZEE5.

Reception

Critical reception

Pallabi Dey Purkayastha of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 and wrote "To sum it up, Kaagaz could have been the go-to movie for those seeking a burst of inspiration, but it ends up being a uni-dimensional masterclass on one man’s acting prowess. Not that we are complaining, but the film had the potential to tug at the heart strings. Alas! It was not to be."
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3/5 and wrote "Satish Kaushik's labour of love drives home the plight of a common man up against an administrative system that thrives on running the already dispossessed further into the ground."
Gautaman Bhaskaran of News18 rated the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Kaagaz goes beyond the realm of parody, and a tighter leash on characterisations and scene conceptualisations could have gone a long way in turning Kaagaz into a more worthwhile watch."