KAMINEY: Bhardwaj is India's new 'showman'

DIRECTOR: Vishal Bhardwaj
STARRING: Shahid Kapur, Amol Gupte, Priyanka Chopra, Chandan Roy, Tenzing Nima.

REVIEW: Dhan Te Nan is the first phrase that comes into my mind on being asked about the film 'Kaminey'. I had a hell lot of expectations on this one, and this time around, Bhardwaj does not disappoint.

Forget the rustic locales of 'Omkara' and 'Maqbool', this is Mumbai meri jaan. Get ready for one of the wackiest and most original experiences in Indian film history. If not for anything else, Kaminey can at least be lauded for exploring a territory rarely dealt with in the past: caper thriller. I could see clear shades of Guy Ritchie's 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch' in the two-hour long dark thriller. Bhardwaj single-handedly juggles around with the music, direction and dialogues of the film, which surely confirms that there is least chance that he mistakenly conveys what he does not want to.

The movie tells the story of two protagonists, twins Guddu and Charlie (enacted beautifully by Shahid Kapur), both of whom have very different ways of looking at life. Both, however, want to achieve the same goal in life: wealth and stability, but they have contradictory means of acieving them. Guddu is rather mild-mannered, and works as a social worker on the streets of Mumbai. His dreams come crashing down when he is forced to marry his girlfriend Sweety (Piggy Chops), after he accidentally impregnates her. Unfortunately, it turns out that Sweety is the dear sister of Bhope Bhau (Amol Gupte), a feared gangster-turned-politician, who has a deep-rooted loathing for North Indians residing in Mumbai. On the other hand, Charlie, who along with his friend Mikhail (Chandan Roy) dreams to be a successful bookie one day, and he manages to get meddled up with gangsters and corrupt policemen, after a twist of good luck brings him under the ownership of a lot of expensive drugs. The lives of both brothers collide when they are pitched against the rest of the underworld, and have no one except each other to bank upon.

The movie takes time to build-up itself and pick up a pace. The first half is riddled with short and racy action sequences, which are brilliantly choreographed and executed. These scintillating scenes are adorned with Vishal Dadlani crooning to Dhan Te Nan, creating an effect that does not fail to excite the audience. Hats off to Vishal Bhardwaj for using the catch-phrase in such a unique and intelligent manner.

However, what goes wrong with the film is its length, and its climax. The second-half droops into Bollywood masala cliches, which looks like a compensation from Bhardwaj to those viewers who still prefer over-the -top sequences and naach-gana routine, rather than innovative and inquisitive cinema. Kaminey is non-linear in its structure many a time, and has a unique style which does add to its offbeat-ness. Hence, the director strikes a balance of typical Bollywood formulae and offbeat elements, creating a huge window for viewership. I cannot stop myself from comparing this very quality of his with that of Subhash Ghai, who also came across as an intelligent, and at the same time, commercial film-maker. That justifies the titling of this review.

Kaminey is true to its emotions. The bhai-bhai relationship is very believable, and I could really relate with the characters of the twin brothers. The director simmers with the emotions throughout the length of the film, and bring them to center-stage in the climax. I found the climax to be over-loaded with visuals and somehow, a little over-the-top too. The excessive killings seemed random and out of context.

The music and background score is flawless. Its second only to Bhardwaj's previous works in 'No Smoking' and 'Omkara'. Some of the gems are Dhan Te Nan (but of course!), Raat Ke Dhai Baje, and the Kaminey track sung majestically by Vishal Bhardwaj. Its the multi-tasking of the man that stuns me. This guy is sure to take Bollywood places.

The dialogue, once again written by the man himself, is very witty and cleverly hilarious. Also the quirky cinematography works in the favor of the film, creating an amazing out-of-control feel. The acting ranges from brilliant to very good. Priyanka Chopra depicts the bold Marathi gal with great chutzpah. Amol Gupte as Bhope Bhau, Chandan Roy as Mikhail, and Shahid Kapur as the living-life-on-his-terms Charlie are all flawless. The characterization of Guddu by Shahid was not great, but I still found it better than almost all of Shahid's earlier acts.

To sum it up, if you are hungry for Tarantino and Guy Ritchie like stuff, this might be the seven-course meal you have been looking for.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 for witty and entertaining cinema.

BLACK FRIDAY: A fearlessly truthful and powerful movie...

DIRECTOR: Anurag Kashyap
STARRING: Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra, Aditya Srivastava, Dibyendu Bhattacharya.

REVIEW: Over the years, I have developed a strong liking for Anurag Kashyap's unique and enjoyable movie line-up, and what started merely as a bleak interest, has now snow-balled into full-fledged fanaticism. I am actually researching Kashyap's career in reverse, because it was not until 'Gulaal' that I took this guy seriously. After that, however, I enlightened myself with his previous works like 'No Smoking', 'Black Friday' and more recently, 'Dev.D'.

Coming to the film at hand, first of all, I'd applaud the sheer courage and intelligence of the director to translate the real-life happenings to the 70mm screen with great intensity and flair. Passion for anything always brings out the best men in that field. Kashyap is one of them. He does his job with remarkable romance and commitment towards what he is trying to achieve.

The film basically follows the various characters who were involved in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. It tells about the meticulous planning and training that went on underway to make the attacks successful. The film is sub-divided into various chapters, each having a different perspective from the former. The whole incident lies bare for the audience to gasp and bewilder on. Black Friday is one of the most breath-taking depictions of a real-life incidence in the history of Indian cinema.

The acting put forward by the ensemble cast, including veterans like Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, and Pavan Malhotra is flawless. The actors never seemed to be acting, they seemed to be living out their reel-life counterparts to the core. Its a pity to mention that these amazing actors act as mere props in high-budget flicks, sidelined away to make way for the 'star-kids' to hold forte. This truly shows how immature our audience is. There is no scope for commercial success for anyone who tries and experiment with unconventional themes.

The dialogue of the film is worth mentioning, and a chill ran down my spine every time a character shrieked with anger. The editing is one of the best that we have ever seen in Indian cinema. The chapter-wise story-telling had till now been left alone by our film-makers. The music score by Indian Ocean is very beautiful, and one I liked very much. The lyrics are also something that I found thought-out.

This is purely a director's movie, and I find it safe to conclude that it would act as a perfect lesson in film-making for all the aspiring directors out there. The overall experience is sure to give the viewers goosebumps, and a lot of food for thought on the subject tossed by the director. I also found the no-nonsense narration and raw feel of the movie very attractive. It conveys its message without being too loud or over-the-top, and subtly makes the audience believe what it wants them to. This indeed is a remarkable feat for a 2 and a half hour movie, and that is why its one of my favorite movies of all time. Let's hope Bollywood is adorned by such masterpieces in the coming future.

RATING: 4.5/5 for top-notch output in all departments. Hats off!!