With less than a month to go before Khadaan releases in theatres, the character posters of the film shared on its cast’s social media pages have added fresh excitement among fans about the upcoming action entertainer.
Heart and fire emojis have flooded Dev’s Instagram page ever since he posted a 30-day countdown poster featuring himself. The poster depicts him sitting on a mound made of large chunks of coal, glaring at the camera with his eyes narrowed, with one arm resting on a giant-sized, blood-smeared battle axe. His look offers clear hints that he plays the role of a coal mafia boss, engaged in a violent conflict against an adversary who is a threat to his operations. His attire and hairstyle also indicate that the film is set in an earlier era.
Another poster featuring Dev and Jisshu Sengupta has also attracted considerable attention. Also visualised on the theme of violence, it shows Dev’s character striking a fatal blow on somebody with an axe, blood spewing out from the impact. Behind him stands Jisshu’s character dressed in a white dhoti-kurta, with a cold, menacing expression on his face. He too carries a sharp weapon and looks poised to kill. What is interesting about Jisshu’s look is that he wears a sacred tilak on his forehead similar to the one worn by Vaishnavs, making the poster look all the more intriguing as it is clear to the viewer that this apparently holy man is Dev’s character’s partner in crime.
Jisshu also has a poster designed only for his character. In it, he is seen standing with his back to the camera, playing a dhol which is tied with a gamchha across his right shoulder. His face is partially visible and perhaps he is also singing a kirtan. Surrounding him are hordes of rural folk, raising their arms in unison, possibly chanting along with him. The poster makes it evident that his character is a popular performer and that he holds sway over them. The swirling fumes from distant factories also make it clear that the film will be set in the vicinity of an industrial town.
Two other posters of Khadaan that have heightened curiosity among fans are that of its women characters. One of them is of Barkha Bisht’s character, who appears to be a tribal woman named Jamuna. Clad in a simple, faded sari and carrying a baby goat in her arms, she is a personification of nature. She obviously represents the traditional way of life, which is endangered by industrialisation. The other poster is of Sneha Bose as Rekha, a woman belonging to the labouring class. Simply dressed and carrying a sickle over her shoulder, she probably belongs to a family of miners or farmers. She looks calmly into the camera and appears to symbolise the dignity of the working class despite their poverty and hardships.
Anirban Chakrabarti also has a poster devoted to his character, named Mandi. The representative of a primitive people, he carries a bow in his hand with a sliver of arrows strapped to his back. His jewellery and accessories suggest that he may be a tribal leader and may have a key role to play alongside the other male characters in the story.
