'Kapkapiii' Review: A haunted mess that has its heart in the right place & works on most instances

Kapkapiii

Rating - *** (3/5)

Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Siddhi Idnani, Jay Thakkar, Sonia Rathee & more

Writers: Kumar Priyadarshi & Saurabh Anand

Director: Sangeeth Sivan

Not every film arrives dressed in high drama or wrapped in cinematic sheen. Some, like Kapkapiii, stumble into the frame with more chaos than craft — and oddly enough, that becomes its biggest charm. This is not a polished genre piece, nor does it attempt any grand thematic unpacking. What it offers instead is an intentionally messy, intermittently spooky, often ridiculous ride that doesn't pretend to be anything more than a late-night group watch.

The premise is comfortingly simple. A group of six jobless yet brimming-with-ideas friends cohabit in a flat that has clearly seen better days. One bored evening, they decide to host a séance — not out of belief, but pure mischief. Since funds are low and ambition oddly high, they substitute the classic Ouija board with a dusty carrom board. What begins as a joke quickly takes a left turn when the fictitious ghost they create, “Anamika,” starts behaving... less than fictional.

This haunted prank-gone-wrong forms the core of Kapkapiii. At first, the group laughs off the eeriness. But soon, what felt like harmless improv veers into something that moves, responds, and disrupts in inexplicable ways. Lights flicker, answers arrive unprompted, and slowly, the laughter in the room gets replaced by glances that ask — “are we still pretending?”

Misfits, Mayhem, and Mild Hauntings

Tusshar Kapoor makes his entry mid-mayhem as Kabir, a friend merely looking to crash for a few days. Instead, he walks into full-blown ghost drama. Kapoor doesn't fight spirits or lead any moral charge. He simply reacts — confused, mildly terrified, and occasionally resigned. His blank stares and hesitant whispers serve as a mirror to the viewer: he is the audience avatar caught in this spectral circus.

Shreyas Talpade, as the de facto ringleader of the group, strikes a balance between being exasperated and entertaining. Around him is an ensemble that leans into their quirks: one is a failed toilet salesman, another lives in delusion, and the third talks more than he contributes. This collective dysfunction keeps the script moving — not always with precision, but never without energy.

Upstairs, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Rathee play the curious neighbours. Their involvement in the haunted antics feels more proactive than ornamental. Idnani, especially, stands out — not just for her performance but for the tonal leap from her last serious outing in The Kerala Story to this absurdist comedy-horror hybrid.

A Spirited Farewell in Chaos

Director Sangeeth Sivan, whose filmography includes Kya Kool Hai Hum and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, makes his final directorial appearance with this film. There’s a strange appropriateness in the way Kapkapiii embodies a kind of cinematic farewell — noisy, unserious, but full of verve. It doesn’t tie up neatly or claim legacy, but its intent is unmistakably clear: create chaos, sprinkle some ghosts, and let the audience have fun with the nonsense.

That’s not to say the film is without cracks. The genre of horror-comedy in Hindi cinema is well-tread territory, and Kapkapiii doesn’t necessarily bring innovation to the table. At times, the humour overshoots, tipping into forced slapstick. The scares, while competent, rarely go beyond the predictable. And when the film tries to deliver something more substantial, it slips — not disastrously, but noticeably.

Still, there’s an undeniable sense of playfulness here. Produced by Jayesh Patel and Vipin Agnihotri, the film thrives on its loose structure. It’s less about plot progression and more about vibes: late-night chatter, jump scares that lead to punchlines, and a tone that winks at its own absurdity.

In the end, Kapkapiii is less a film and more an experience — the kind you don’t watch for brilliance but for the shared laughter and occasional shiver. It's the kind of film you quote the next day not because it was memorable, but because it was ridiculous enough to enjoy.

Just maybe hide your carrom board afterward. You never know who’s still playing.