DHAN-TE-NAN

The title itself was very unusual to be translated in a Bollywood commercial movie. I hate using the word commercial. It is an institution, which is going to inspire a completely new genre of film making in India. I only hope they don’t end up copying or creating multiple cheap versions of this movie. Secondly the actors who have been introduced in this movie shouldn’t be type caste. They have oodles of talent. Every actor ignites the screen. The movie only had two very commercially viable names – Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra. Others included Amole Gupte who had ideated Taare Zameen Par as Bhope Bhaoo propagating the slogan – Jai Maharashtra! Outsiders not allowed. Inspector Lobo & Inspector Lele fitted to T in the role of corrupt cops. Taashi – The Great proved how great an actor he is. Zetan looked dangerous. Mikhail was simply addictive. Every big and small character was given a Lion’s share to put their acting skills to work. No one tried to outdo the other or tower amongst the others. Every one was perfect.

The most surprising element though was Shahid Kapur. He is both Charlie & Guddu. One stammers, the other lisps. One lives by the gun and the other is a brand ambassador of peace. Turning their world upside down are two things – A Guitar Case & Sweety (Priyanka Chopra). The Indian film industry is full of movies that had twin brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. But KAMINEY stands out.

Kaminey is definitely dark. As I mentioned above, the title itself is so unusual that thinking of it as a movie is itself incredible. Internationally only Quentin Tarantino can risk something so dark and yet come out unscathed. But Vishal Bharadwaj is our answer to Hollywood. With Kaminey he has unleashed a new brand of movies. I am much more biased because I love stories told in a dark light. I always like the other side of a personality which is tarnished, bruised and demands attention. Kaminey has all of that. Mine is not a review but an appreciation what I say. The movie had ample doses of Marathi and Bengali dialogues. They were not that tough so every one followed what the characters spoke and the entire auditorium echoed with laughter.

After a long period, I also thoroughly enjoyed the climax of the movie. It did complete justice to the dark humorous feel of the movie. My heart still went out to Mikhail. In him, I discovered a friend who can remain a friend till the last breath he takes. Mikhail loves Charlie like his brother. He doesn’t dread the gun that threatens to endanger his life. He only knows that he hates seeing Charlie in trouble. He shares Charlie’s aspirations and he is an important link in the movie. The way he sings in the rains, the way he teases his elder brothers and the way he snorts coke; simply phenomenal. Chandan Roy Chaudhary who plays Mikhail is a discovery by Vishal Bharadwaj after Deepak Dobriyal. Kaminey had no known faces from Maqbool or Omkara but the introduction of new characters complemented its freshness.

Kaminey focuses on the meaner side of our lives. Even a kid can’t help being getting mean when he is tempted to something he likes most. Brothers, cops, partners, politicians, sweetheart and every one else is mean, meaner and meanest. Kaminey is all about that. And if you think, so much of meanness isn’t enough; wait for Ishqiya to come your way. Trust me, Love can’t get meaner than this.

So let’s welcome the new Dhan-Te-Nan.

- vociferous