Meri Aarzoo Kameeni. Review on Kaminey

I usually forget a movie 5 minutes after walking out of the hall. After watching Kaminey, I kept replaying the scenes of the movie in my head again and again for an hour. After another hour I wanted to go back and watch it again.

Story :-

I guess by now everybody knows the story – twin brothers Guddu (the simpleton who stutters) and Charlie (the rogue who lisps) hate and avoid each other. Charlie dreams of having his own racing booth and is pretty low on morals. Guddu is a sincere NGO worker whose ordinary life gets shaken up one fine day when he discovers that not only is his girlfriend Sweety (Priyanka Chopra) the sister of a dreaded gangster cum aspiring politician Bhopu (Amol Gupte), but she is also pregnant with his child. Now Bhopu is baying for Guddu’s blood. On the other hand Charlie gets involved in a drug heist which proves to be more dangerous than he thought. Both are on the run for their lives and……well, one I don’t want to give away the whole story and second, its too bloody complex to explain.

Impact :-

Frankly the first 20 odd minutes bored me but I told myself to have faith in Vishal Bhardwaj. He did not disappoint and the movie picked up soon after that. And how! Watching Kaminey is like watching a puzzle where the pieces keep coming together bit by bit – 24-odd hours between different sets of people who end up getting involved in one thread by some crazy co-incidences. Bhardwaj displays his command over his storytelling skills giving due respect to the viewer’s intelligence. He does not over explain his complex plot, just gives you the necessary hint and carries on. You need to be attentive enough to get the hint or you will be lost. Thankfully the movie grips you so much that its difficult not to be attentive.

The black humour is subtle, yet makes you laugh out loud. Another thing that works a lot in the movie’s favour is the great chemistry between the actors. If the chemistry between Guddu and Sweety is heartwarming, then the chemistry between Charlie and Mikhail is mindblowing. The screen crackles when these two are together (no, not in a dostana way!). The Lobo-Lele duo compliment each other perfectly. The affection between the three Bengali brothers comes across strongly in just a 2-minute scene.

Bhardwaj also manages to make his point about various social issues like caste politics, AIDS etc. without once sounding preachy (something which Rakeysh Mehra was not able to do convincingly in Delhi 6).

But but but….Kaminey is not a perfect movie. It has its boring moments. Biggest drawback is too many characters – it takes time to introduce them all and some of them are quite unnecessary. Some disappear as soon as they are introduced, for eg. the character of Francis is introduced in a very stylish way but his role ends in 5 minutes, so does that of his companion bookie. After a point of time I was feeling irritated with having to remember who is who. Also Rs. 10 crore is too small an amount for so many people to go crazy after, especially an underworld big shot and a long time goon-cum-budding politician.

Performances :-

Shahid comes up with a brilliant performance(s) as both Guddu and Charlie, giving both the characters their own quirks. His Guddu is not just docile, he also displays a hint of steel. Charlie is not just a scoundrel, he also has a strong vulnerable streak. Priyanka shines as a spirited ‘Marathi-mulgi’ who has the courage and cleverness to live life on her own terms. And then there is the amazing supporting cast - most of them are unknown faces but boy, can they act? Lobo-Lele, Tashi, the Bengali brothers, and a lot of other characters whose names I don’t know are all perfect in their roles. Special mention for Amole Gupte as Bhopu and the guy who played Mikhail – just brilliant.

Technically :-

Hats off to the talent of Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj. Whenever they come together, they produce pure magic. I can go on and on about the wonderful lyrics and music but since this is not a music review, I will stop here.

The screenplay is one of the best in recent times. Then there are the superb dialogues – witty, cutting, mindblowing. Though I wonder why Vishal Bhardwaj went so easy on the ‘gaalis’ here – there was a lot of scope for more gaalis. Watch Shahid calling the world a ‘hzadi’ in the climax and you will know why I missed more of these ;)

The art direction is fabulous. Cinematography and lighting just perfect. A special mention for the editor – it’s a tough job editing a movie of this style without giving the scenes a choppy feeling. Especially the chase scenes and the one where Guddu and Charlie have a long argument/fight were fantastically edited. The movie does get slow in places but I don’t think the editor is to be blamed for it.

Finally, Kaminey is Vishal Bhardwaj’s movie all the way. He is a unique filmmaker who has the ability to make larger than life movies with realistic settings. That’s Kaminey’s USP too. Taking the authentic background of Mumbai’s bylanes, railway tracks, chawls etc, he makes an out and out commercial potboiler!

My Final Take : Kaminey has Attitude. You will either love it or hate it. I loved it.

3.5 out of 5 stars