Sulemani Keeda

Mainak and Dulal, the chemistry between them leaves you in splits. This 90-minute film, low budget film is a laugh riot. Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) charms with her screen presence, and confirms that her performance in Do Dooni Char was not a mere co-incidence.

With just songs and some background scores, music is spot on. 'Door' song deserves a special mentions.

However, the winner in this indie is by far the 'dialogues'. Kudos to actors for timing each of them so well.

This movie would grow with word of mouth! At a breezy speed, 90 film just passes by leaving smile on your face. The movie is so real yet so filmy.

An original, autobiographical portrayal of struggles so unique to anyone who dares to follow his/her dreams. 'Sulemani Keeda' is about two bumbling amateurs struggling to make a mark in the world of script-writing for Hindi cinema, their attractions and distractions, with a lot of fun and hilarity thrown in.

The character portrayals are amazing and many of them are funny especially the lead actor's sidekick Mainak, Gonzo, Sweety and Nene.

Masurkar has done a great job with the script and direction. The chiaroscuro of hilarity with spells of seriousness, the international influences neatly tied with 'desi' locales and deliberate kitsch with sublime poetry all blends in superbly in the yarn he has spun with words as well as with the visuals.

This movie has a lot of taste and in that it is very Woody Allen - the writers' influences are from Andrei Tarkovsky; the movie collection shows 'Cinema Paradiso'; the book being casually read is on Francois Truffaut; the cat is named 'Fellini' (feliney?) and even the title of the movie, and this is my guess, is inspired by Salman Rushdie. The poetry and music in this movie is little but profound and timely. And Masurkar's muse, Mumbai, is depicted charmingly using local trains, Colaba eateries, beaches and bachelor pad apartments, right down to the last detail.

A thoroughly entertaining, fresh and hilarious watch - one of the best I have seen in a long time.

I watched Sulemani Keeda in an almost empty theatre and throughout the film I just kept asking the question: Why? Before I begin writing anything about the merits/demerits of the movie, I must say that we need more movies like this. The story of Sulemani Keeda is nothing to go gaga over but the almost non existential direction in its depiction of friendship gives it a conspicuously vicarious emotion; almost nostalgic at times. The story starts with a couple of aspiring writers trying to make it big in the big bad world of Bollywood. Dulal played by an excellent Navin Kasturia marvelously underplays his character. His naivety in many scenes makes you root for him. And, Mayank Tewari playing Mainak, complementing the almost tangible innocence of the Dulal with his loudmouth and unkempt attitude makes us believe the character even more. In one particular scene of the movie, Mainak recites a profane poem in a bar with gusto and 'I don't give a damn' attitude just after Dulal had read a poignant poem. The scene becomes extremely sweet and corny in equal measures. The title 'Sulemani Keeda' refers to the title of the film which Mainak and Dulal desperately want to write. In the pursuit of becoming writers, they meet with a producer's son called Gonzo (Yeah, the name is enough to crack you up) who is hell bent on making Bollywood film in Eastern European style cinema with full frontal male nudity. What ensue are some really funny scenes and an emotional one towards the end. The love track between Dulal and Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) is a sweet and introspective one. The discussion between them inspires Dulal to not succumb to the societal pressures but chase his dreams. Ruma's pragmatism makes you appreciate the character. The film's bare bones depiction of friendship, the anguish of lost love and most importantly the struggle to make it big on your own terms resonates long after the movie is over. It is mature and fun in equal parts. The only problem I had with the film was its ending. It felt like a desperate attempt to make the film unconventional and hatke. It certainly could have been different. This minor qualm aside, the film is a little gem and definitely deserves a watch.

~Shubham Rakheja

If you can forget about any specific plot, ready to watch natural performers instead of superstars, can ignore some extreme abuses used and willing to experience something straight out of the real life of two struggling writers knocking at every promising door in Mumbai then do give this a try by making a serious effort as a must. Particularly if you are among the ones who themselves have experienced such time in the city of dreams as a writer, actor or a creative technician looking for work and your first crucial break in the film world.

Cleverly shot in a different, realistic mode by the debutant director Amit Masurkar, his SULEMANI KEEDA might not be a perfect winner, but it does have that much required freshness to offer post many mediocre projects supported by all big names. Its pleasingly authentic portrayal of two struggling writers, their try at girls in a bookstore, the unlimited rounds to the homes & offices of celebrities like Amrita Rao, Mahesh Bhatt, Anil Sharma and Aditya Chopra, their attempt to write something out of the box for their eccentric rich client, falling in love, fighting with each other and then surrendering to the corrupt system ignoring their own cherished art-form, truly gives you a quite mature account of the real life lived by such artists in Mumbai looking for that one major break.

With many admirably natural performances from Mayank Tewari, Naveen Kasturia and the entire supporting cast, who don't really seem to be acting, the film many a times gives you a feeling of watching something straight from the real life shot in a docu-drama style. And that's where it scores the most despite losing the grip in the middle (due to the repetitive love affair) and then becoming all predictable towards the end of its 90 minutes duration. Shot in a simple but impressive manner on all next door Mumbai locations, SULEMANI KEEDA remains a comedy throughout maintaining a fine balance between real life and its unique characters. But along with that also represents the deep pain felt by every single person who comes to the city in search of name, fame and money in big numbers.

It mocks at the film industry's way of functioning much better than the recent HAPPY ENDING and THE SHAUKEENS and has an interesting soundtrack and background score too adding to the overall impact. Yet admittedly it doesn't hit that hard in the end with the fun losing out to all familiar scenes in its final 45 minutes. Moreover, targeting only the urban youth or selected audience, the film is certainly not going to be seen and enjoyed by everyone as it seems. Having said that, it still gives you a name to watch in the future of its director Masurkar, who surely has a keen observing eye on the life around.

Ending on a different note, SULEMANI KEEDA might only be rated as a realistic, promising first attempt by the entire team performing well, but it definitely needs to be given a chance without any doubt. Specifically if you are film writer yourself or often write about films of the present or the past on your own blog/site as a passionate hobby.

And in case you are still not convinced then sample this one line from the film saying, "Agar Filmein Bechani Hain Toh Dukandaar Ki Tarah Socho, Writer Ki Tarah Nahin!"

If you have a few brain cells, a sense of humour, and are as sick of the '100 crore' rubbish being churned out by Bollywood on a daily basis, please do watch this movie. You will love it. It is as indie as indie movies get, so don't expect it to look as slick and manufactured as your typical Bollywood Khan starer, but the very fact that it is an indie movie is what makes it so charming and refreshing (and lights another beacon of hope for a more diverse Indian film industry).

The movie is about two struggling writers trying to get their screenplay produced - one a relatively straight-laced idealist, the other an in- your-face, street smart guy on the make, with a hidden vulnerability. The caste is virtually unknown - in fact most of them were not actors before this movie was made, but they are all from the movie industry. The lead, Naveen Kasturia (Dulal) worked as an Assistant Director, the co-lead, Mayank Tewari (Mainak), is a columnist, screen-writer, poet and amateur stand-up comic, the pseudo European art-house cinema loving producer's son and actor in waiting Karan Mirchandani (Gonzo) is a director. Only Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) was a professional actress at the time the movie was shot, but a very young one who had only just started in the industry (she had acted in Do Dooni Chaar and Talaash). And this really works, because they all bring a freshness and naturalness to their roles.

The movie itself is a 'slice of life' piece about the fringes of the film industry, the hopes of the new aspirational middle class (who can now dream of being more than just doctors and engineers), young love, and above all, friendship. What shines through the most are the dialogues, which are crisp, sharp, natural and very very funny. Apparently a lot of them were improvised during the shooting process, which gives them a very unrehearsed feeling. There is the odd sequence where the editing could have been a wee bit tighter, but it doesn't take away from the charm of the movie.

I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes the next big cult film in India, which people will be talking about 20 years from now, like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and Andaaz Apna Apna.

Bottom line - watch it.