Raw...InTeNsE...GRIPPING!. Review on Kaminey

For the first time ever, the collections of a film in Mumbaiterritory will be less than other territories of the country. The reason is obvious-the film wasn’t allowed to be released during weekends in the most profitable territory of the country due to the swine flu scare. But then came Monday and one of the most awaited films of the year, Kaminey, finally hit the screens in the city. Expectations were huge and it’s pleasurable to know that the film hits the bullseye and gives complete entertainment. After New York and Love Aaj Kal, Kaminey is surely the third biggie of the year which rocks!

The story of the movie: Charlie and Guddu (both played by Shahid Kapur) are twins. Both have speech defects and live separately and can’t stand the sight of each other. One rainy night, both commit a ‘sin’ which leads to corrupt cops, wicked politician and dangerous smugglers after them. And this was the night when they also run into each other. Will they be able to get out of the mess? And what such crime did they commit that so many villains were after them? Watch Kaminey and find out for yourself.

The beginning of the film is very unconventional…actually the entire film is! The film holds you right from the beginning (more after the song Fatak) and grips you till the last scene. The situation, the set up, characters and their background…everything here is raw and rowdy.

First and foremost, what really is damn impressive about the film are its characters. Each one of them is unique, weird but very interesting. Whether it is Charlie or the good guy Guddu, his girlfriend Sweety (Priyanka Chopra) and especially the villains-all of them special and director Vishal Bharadwaj deserve special mention for treating each of them wonderfully and rightfully. Not a single character in the film is unnecessary and each one of them has a purpose in the narrative.

The situation in Kaminey somehow reminded me of Priyadarshan’s films, although both directors and their films are as different as chalk and cheese. But like Priyan’s madcap comedies, here too, the characters are many; there’s a case of mistaken identity and the climax also felt somewhat similar (I won’t reveal why). But unlike Priyan’s films, everything in Kaminey looks real and doesn’t seem illogical or nonsense.

There are several scenes which are really out of this world. The drama in the 5-star hotel was well executed and the Go Charlie Go theme played during this sequence sets your heart pumping and enhances the impact manifold! The marriage, the intermission point, Charlie, Mikhail and the evil Bhope Bhau’s confrontation were rocking scenes. The best scene of the film was without a doubt was the one shot in the local train. And such a climax was unexpected and unpredictable but it was justified and its execution is exemplary.

The only thing that fails here is the flashback of Charlie and Guddu. It just doesn’t work at all. However, it was well-shot, without a shred of doubt.

When someone like Vishal Bharadwaj is at the helm, it is obvious that we’ll get to see someone of the finest performances. And as expected, each performer in the film came up with a marvelous performance. Kaminey would surely be remembered as Shahid Kapoor’s best performance ever. Words are not enough to describe his praiseworthy act. It is evident that Shahid has worked very hard for this film and it shows, especially for the character Charlie. He plays both the part convincingly and this time, he is surely going to win the Best Actor award.  The year has not yet ended and many more films are yet to come where we may get outstanding performances. But I am sure no would would manage what Shahid did in Kaminey!

Priyanka Chopra also gives a brilliant performance and manages to maintain a respectable position in the film amongst so many talented actors. She was at her best in the song Raat Ke Dhai Baje and she looked and sounded wonderful in the Maharashtrian attire and accent! After Dostanaand Fashion, Priyanka’s tryst of coming up with excellent performances continue!

Amole Gupte (as Bhope Bhau) is the star of the film! He was just outstanding and played his part effectively. Watch out for the scene with Charlie in the latter’s house…his amused expressions are a treat! Another scene where he rocks was his conversation with Sweety on the phone. The way he says, “Kon aahe to mulga? Tyaacha naav kaay aahe?” (Who’s that guy? What’s his name?) rock as it was typically Maharashtrian accent and didn’t sound fake at all!

Besdies the aforementioned actors, there are many others who are unheard but they manage to impress a lot. Chandan Roy Sanyal as Mikhail was brilliant. Tenzing Nima as Tashi was outstanding. His character was cool and sexy and he played his part convincingly. Shiv Subrahmanyam and Hrishikesh Joshi as inspectors Lobo and Lele were perfect. The cop brothers in many scenes remind of Thomsonand Thompson of Tintin series! Others were also great.

Vishal Bharadwaj also composed the music which is as exciting as the film. Dhan Te Nan is already a rage while the rest of the songs (Fatak, Raat Ke Dhai Baje, Kaminey) rock too. The theme music (Go Charlie Go) was outstanding! Gulzar as usual comes up with some of the best lines.

Tassaduq Hussain’s cinematography was highly superior and worked wonders in some of the scenes, esp in the climax. The production design was unique and top notch. The sets in the film looked cool and straight out of the real life. Take for instance, Guddu and Sweety’s residence and the surroundings. Then the scene where Sweety and Guddu are in a conversation and a stray dog enters the scene suddenly! And finally, Bhope Bhau’s haven seemed raw and in sync with the mood of the film.

Special mention should be made of Cajetan Boy, the African screenwriter, who gave Vishal the idea of Kaminey. Screenplay written by Vishal, Abhishek Chaubey, Supartik Sen and Sabrina Dhawan was highly effective. The four of them do a wonderful job and come up with one of the finest scripts in recent times.

Finally, Vishal Bharadwaj, the director, is a winner! He proves that he is a versatile genius! Making Kaminey was difficult but he comes out with flying colours. With this film, he also pays homage to the cultures and its people residing in Mumbai. Vishal also proves that one doesn’t need to go overseas to make a racy thriller. One can utilize the various moods, cultures and setups of the city to come up with an interesting film! Vishal, you rock!

(COTINUED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION)