KAMINEY
Standing bloody tall & foremost in the bollywood graffiti of violent dark crime thrillers, ‘Kaminey’ is a true blue bollywood tribute by Vishal Bhardwaj to Tarantino – the pujari of pulp, violence & raw attitude cinema
by Vishal Verma

A UTV Motion Pictures Presentation & Release Of A Vishal Bhardwaj Film.

Producer : Ronnie Screwvala
Co-Producer : Rekha Bhardwaj
Based on an idea by Cajetan Boy
Director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Story : Vishal Bhardwaj
Genre : Action – Thriller
Target Audience : General

Shooting Studios
Filmcity

Starring

Shahid Kapoor...... Charlie / Guddu
Priyanka Chopra...... Sweety
Amol Gupte...... Sunil Shekhar Bhope (Bhope Bhau)
Deb Mukherjee...... Mujeeb
Rajatabha Dutta...... Shumon
Harish Khanna …….. Carlos Paca...... Cajetan
Chandan Roy Sanyal...... Mikhail
Tenzing Nima...... Tashi
Shiv Subrahmanyam...... Lobo
Hrishikesh Joshi...... Lele

Technical Analysis

After mixing desi liquor with Shakespeare wine in ‘Omkara’ to a knock out effect. Vishal, now gives a bloody call for brotherhood in ‘Kaminey’ - first graffiti on the wall of bollywood dark crime thrillers which is raw & delicious.

Vishal in association with UTV shake hands & deliver a rich pail of style, rawness, action, waters of attitude & sensational performance”. This one night story of twins caught amid gangsters from all over the globe is less gripping but more moody as compared to his previous ‘Othello’ adaptation ‘Omkara’, that surprisingly ignores the twist in the tale in its rush for cinematic glory.

Strongly cast, and with a remarkable performance by Shahid Kapoor in the role of the twins, ‘Kaminey’ certainly puts Bhardwaj in the top ranks of a thinking Mumbai-based helmers who cuddles their viewers providing the hatke – jhatke feel from time to time.

The movie transforms Shahid Kapoor from a light romantic lead to a weighty actor, dominates the going without any stumble or a fumble, as Charlie he runs on the railway tracks taking short cut in life & does the faying alive to delight & then as guddu makes no stumble in sitting inside your heart with an simply honest portrayal.

Transposition of Tarantino’s feel to an Indian gangster milieu works seamlessly, be it Amol Gupte (well done… sir now what? acting or writing?) as Bhope Bhau or the Bong Bangers Deb Mukherjee & Rajatabha Dutta (impressive) with Tenzing Nima as Tashi along with Harish Khanna as Cajetan it works to the rugged raw effect., like a delicious dal without tadka.

Priyanka Chopra is a revelation, the lass has given the sensational performance of her life till now. After watching her as the marathi mulgi it seems that the role was exactly tailored for her. Priyanka was just right sweety, the bubbly cute mulgi next door, watch her in the scene where she says she loves Shahid more then Maharashtra, Bangalore, & all. & the lavani pose before the marriage. Brilliant.

‘Kaminey’ is for the desperados of raw, gun loving, mischievous cinema. best enjoyed on its own terms -- and it works fine, apart from tale without a twist & predictability which slows down a bit during the second half  which results in a slow to push on to the climax. However, when the finale arrives, it's bloody, swift & powerful But it's a brotherly achievement for the two. First its Shahid Kapoor movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend. It's smart casting, superbly realized.

Second it’s another feather in the movie helmer cap of Vishal Bhardwaj, who thrillingly   introduces bollywood to the raw & delicious dark violence genre with intelligence. Notice the use of the Gr8 & never old (he cannot be) RD’s ‘sweet heart’ in the background when Shahid dances with the guitar which has the loot & at the same time the other one gets caught by mistake. Underlining moment.

Another which stays with you apart from the highly energetic, peppy ‘dan tan na’ that takes you to trance, it’s the mischievous dishkhiyaoo dishkiyaoo play by the bhope & tope that offers a true blue bollywood tribute to the pujari of violence - Queintien Tarantino.

Excellent production values, the tech team deserves extra pats on their backs. The background score pushes the thrill along. Tassaduq Hussain's widescreen lensing and Meghna Manchanda Sen’s sharp cutting especially those early morning shots of a drizzling Mumbai are both standouts.

‘Kaminey’ gets 3.5 out of 5.

One for its unique styling & intro to the new bollywood gentre – bloody, dark, crime thrillers. One for Vishal Bhardwaj for his right choice of cast & crew that made his vision possible & helped the helmer in his tribute to the pujaris of this genre in west.

One for the marvelous performance by Shahid & Priyanka. & the last half for the highly energetic & peppy ‘Dhan Tana Na’ that will remain a rage in pubs, discos, and trance parties, festivals etc for quite some time.

The movie losses points on not providing any twist to the idea of mistaken identities.

  

The Story

KAMINEY is about a pair of twin brothers, Charlie and Guddu (Shahid Kapoor). Charlie lisps, while Guddu stammers. They are as different as chalk and cheese. And they can't stand the sight of each other. Till one fateful rainy night, their lives cross.

Charlie gets mixed up in a deathly get-rich-quick scheme, while Guddu realizes that the love of his life, Sweety (Priyanka Chopra), has unwittingly put a price on his head. The brothers are sucked into a world of drugs, guns and money. Their lives collide head on with the lives of gangsters, rebel soldiers, rogue politicians and crooked cops.

The brothers have to run to protect themselves, their dreams, their love. And most importantly, realize that all they have is each other.

Promotion

Right from the word go, this movie has been in the news throughout. Attention grabbing promos, teasers, are doing the click trick. Dhan Tana Na’ is slowly becoming the tinsel town’s anthem & the media promotion has been aggressive.

Business Analysis

‘Kaminey’ is for the desperados of raw, gun loving, mischievous cinema, this new graffiti on the walls of bollywood is seeing theatres across the country and worldwide in 1200 screens excluding markets of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

Like ‘Dhan Tana Na’, which is spreading like an epidemic, ‘Kaminey’ will also capture the heart & mind of the audience & will spread. UTV has a winner in their hands.

Other Credits
Cassettes and CD's on T-Series. Lyricist: Gulzar. Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj. Cinematography: Tassaduq Hussain. Choreography: Raju Sundaram & Ahmed Khan. Action: Shyam Kaushal. Editor: Meghna Manchanda Sen. Screenplay: Vishal Bhardwaj, Sabrina Dhawan & Abhishek Chaubhey. Dialogue: Vishal Bhardwaj. Costume: Dolly Ahluwalia. Media Promotion: Parull Gossain & Nine Winds. reviewed at Adlabs Preview theatre, film city, Mumbai on August 13, 2009. Running time: 2 hrs 10 minutes(approx). Cleared with an ‘A’ certificate.

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