The film stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit and Sonakshi Sinha.

[6][11] It received mixed reviews upon release, with praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the ensemble cast, but criticism towards its direction, story, screenplay and length.

She goes back to her native village in the Rajputana area and requests her acquaintance, Roop, to provide companionship to her husband, Dev Chaudhry who runs a liberal newspaper.

Roop expresses interest in writing about the condition of Heera Mandi, the locality in which the kotha is located, during which she meets with a womanising blacksmith named Zafar.

As Abdul's political stance gains leverage, riots against Hindus and Sikhs in the city take place, during which the Chaudhrys decide to flee to Amritsar with the help of Zafar, but not before Saroj, the benevolent maid is brutally stabbed to death.

[23][24] Filming of an introductory song featuring Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Kiara Advani with nearly 500 backup dancers was completed on 7 May 2018.

[26] On 2 June 2018, a few leaked stills from the film showed Dixit donning an anarkali outfit and pasa/jhumar (hair jewellery).

[11] Kalank received mixed reviews upon release, with praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the ensemble cast, but criticism towards its direction, story, screenplay and length.

Rachit Gupta of The Times of India rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and remarked, "Kalank is a true labour of love that tells you a story laced with beautiful moments that will tug you at your heartstrings."

She also remarked "The film is an operatic fantasy filled with staggering sets, swirling fabric and heartache, but to enjoy it, you must wholly suspend disbelief.

He remarked "Directed by Abhishek Varman and shot by the masterful Binod Pradhan, the makers of Kalank not only want every frame to be a painting, but every dialogue, a proverb, every scene, a portent.

[48] Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta gave it 1.5 star out of 5 and says, "Kalank doesn't really lift off the screen.

The whole feels like a giant set, stately and ponderous and minus impact; the characters all costumed and perfumed and largely life-less, sparking only in bits and pieces.

"[49] Writing for NDTV, Saibal Chatterjee praised Dixit and Bhatt for their screen presence and concluded her extensive review as, "Kalank has unmistakable contemporary resonance because it celebrates the transformative power of love and reconciliation in a time of rampant discord.

"[50] Writing for the Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath noted out that the film glamorised the partition by replicating kitsch aesthetic, and added, "The sets, that are meant to enhance the big-screen experience, end up creating a distance from the messiness of the emotional conflicts.