Kaminey

The much awaited Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Kaminey' finally hit cinema screens and it does not disappoint! The primary thing that you will notice and appreciate in the movie is the acting. From the main characters Charlie and Guddu ( identical twins played by Shahid Kapoor ) till the supporting actors, everyone manages to impress you. Special mention would go to Priyanka Chopra, who plays Guddu's love interest Sweety, who nails the role to perfection.

The movie shows the parallel lives of identical twins Guddu and Charlie who detest each other and haven't seen each other in years but how circumstances lead them to face each other. The plot is gripping, the acting is flawless, the setting is dark and the direction is slick. Probably the only thing that could have been better is the ending. Though the ending wasn't bad, I guess I had a little more expectations hoping for something darker or unexpected. But all in all a fun movie not to be missed!

Vishal Bhardwaj's films are generally masterfully crafted, whether it's the high production values, the narrative style, the superb acting or the beautiful music. Kaminey is no exception. Bhardwaj is an integral part of every such aspect in his film. He uses the best technical advances, he pays attention to the smallest of details, he extracts never-seen-before performances by his actors, and insists that he be the one who composes the film's music and score. His unique direction is aided by excellent cinematography, great editing and very well-written dialogues.

Kaminey is about two estranged twin brothers, both of whom are slightly (and funnily) limited. The one lisps, the other stammers. An incredibly twisted plot that reveals many little truths through flashbacks and confessions from time to time, it depicts a world of drugs, gangsters, murder and crime. The twin characters are very well written and defined. Charlie is a guy who lives life as if there was no tomorrow. He is cruel and carefree. Guddu is a simple guy who considers himself a duffer yet he has many plans for the future and has a relationship with a simple Marathi girl.

The acting is very good. Shahid Kapoor gives a fine performance, excellently displaying the differences of the two characters he plays. Additionally, he does what could have seemed to be very difficult (lisping, stammering) with noted ease and conviction. Priyanka Chopra in a much smaller part provides great support with her hysterical and hilariously loud Marathi girl. Without taking anything from the main lead, the one who completely blew me away, however, is Amol Gupte, who is simply outstanding in his natural and funny act as Bhope.

Kaminey is messy yet beautifully so, it is dark yet artistically so. It has hilarious comedy, emotional drama, and many great moments. It is not overdone, and one more noteworthy aspect about Vishal's films is that unlike many current filmmakers, he does not try to make them overly western and modern to make them more mass-appealing. He prefers to centre more on the rural India and show its uniqueness. Kaminey is one such film, and it presents the rural life, maybe not in a totally positive way, but certainly in a fairly realistic one. All in all, I recommend Kaminey. I wouldn't exaggerate by saying it's the best, but it is an impressive, visually stunning and entertaining picture.

Vishal Bharadwaj has done it again. After tense stories of Maqbool & Omkaara, he takes a deliberate take away from Shakespeare and delivers instead an awesome dark and twisted tale of two brothers each with his own share of mess to take care of, not to mention their speech impediments that provide some great sounding dialog to the audience and depth to the characters.

The film does not try to emulate one as the good brother and the other gone wrong. That's not what the director wants to show.

One brother knocks up a Don's sister unknowingly (the buildup to this is awesome) and the other one chances upon a guitar full of cocaine.As the plot thickens, both the brothers must gets their hands on the same cocaine to save their lives. Then, the director takes on a joyride through the shanty towns of Mumbai.

The film has strong overtones of the current issues in Mumbai politics and a leading lady in Priyanka Chopra, who is very much representative of present day Indian girl. She is no arm candy, she has a pivotal role and takes the film to its climax. A climax that drags on with one little twist after another, but it is't boring. by the end of it, you would want another.

The music is very good and does not interfere with the pace of the film. Gulzar has again delivered deep meaning lyrics that are more in sync with the film's theme than with classic poetry.

There are a lot of characters to take care of in the film and it's easy to lose to track, but none is less important than the other. Each one has a defined part and is intertwined in the destinies of Guddu & Charlie. It does remind you of Guy Ritchie films like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels etc but it is in no way an imitation of such works. It is a complete masterwork in its own right.

With Jab We Met, Shahid Kapur showed that he can carry a film on his own, Kaminey shows that that two of him are better than one. He plays both his parts with such panache that its hard to see that its the same actor. This could well be the point when he lands more serious roles and less of the boy next door.

The film is dark with everybody fighting for survival but the presentation is such that you do feel for the people in it but can't help but sadistically laugh at them. that is what Bhardwaj has been able to achieve with Kaminey which very few directors in India can manage to.

Definitely one of the best works of contemporary Indian cinema.

Kaminey is one of those gems which is churned out by the the Bollywood film industry maybe once in five years. If it has to be described in one word, I think 'Extraordinary' would be a good one. Nobody would disagree with the fact that Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have both established themselves as fine actors as they delivered the performances of their career. Vishal Bhardawaj once again proves why he is counted amongst the elegant filmmakers that India has to offer. This film will surely help Bollywood break out of the barricades of outdated film making, and shift towards a more contemporary technique of pleasing audiences. Vishal Bhardawaj himself will agree that Kaminey is his most outstanding film till date.

9.5/10

Vishal Bharadwaj takes a break from Shakeshpeare and decides to give the Bollywood audience a break from candy-floss films (read that as K-Jo, YRF and their lookalikes!). He gives us a taster session of Tarantino & Guy Ritchie, famed for their distinct style of film-making. Unique (and loony) characters, tension-building scenes, unexpected turn of events, razor-sharp lines, strong background score - you name it "Kaminey" has all the ingredients. There is no "Once upon a time....." business here, the audience find themselves thrown into the middle of quagmire owing to which in the first few reels you find find yourself gasping to comprehend. Not being funny, but only the smart & intelligent stay with the proceedings.

Brilliant performances from all actors, including the host of new faces.

۩ Shahid Kapur:: Guddu & Charlie - not exactly "chalk-and-cheese" there, as you would normally expect in a storyline of identical twins. Let's say one is slightly more deceitful. Divide the stutter and lisp between them and Shahid gets a role of his lifetime which he delivers with utmost perfection.

۩ Priyanka Chopra:: Just about completing her home-run and needless to say her performance as the Maharashtrian girl is a feather in the cap.

۩ Amol Gupte:: Another Mahesh Manjrekar in the making.

۩ Deb Mukherjee:: Nice to see him after a long sabbatical, though short- role.

"Dhan Te Nan" is an obvious scene-stealer while the rest of the numbers would take sometime to catch up. Gulzar's lyrics as usual is mystical.

Crap was the word that first came to my mind when I watched "Pulp Fiction" but it took a couple of years of maturity to retrace my steps and appreciate the body of work. It goes without saying "Kaminey" deserves a second-time watch to get the gist and perhaps a few more to notice the grammar of fine film-making.