I have deliberately refrained from comparing this film to a dozen Hollywood films we have seen in the past. I think its unfair to judge a Bollywood film produced entirely in Hollywood with a budget that’s a fraction of the cost of a low budget Hollywood film. Let’s judge this cinema as we judge an Indian cinema,
The opening sequence of this film sets the atmosphere for a warm summer day in LA. It sets the mood for some sinister event that is yet to happen. Some crime has taken place in the City and the usual suspects are rounded up by the LAPD and questioned. The usual suspects being: Yashvardhan Rampal ’’Major’’ (Amitabh Bachan), Jay Rehan ’Ajju’ (Sanjay Dutt), Marc Issak (Sunil Shetty), Raj Yadav (Mahesh Manjrekar), Anand Mathur (Kumar Gaurav), and Maqbool Haider (Lucky Ali). None of them trust each other, yet while the are in lock up they team up to rob a bank. (By mentioning the words ’’usual suspects’’ please bear in mind that I am not throwing you any hints.)
The first five minutes of the film sets the mood, perspective, character relationships, general theme of the story and direction of the plot. This first six minutes in itself is a first as far as Hindi film goes.
One of the most outstanding features of this film is that it has done away with post-production voice dubbing, and has made live on site recording of the dialogues. This is a real change from the unnatural dubbed voice-overs we have grown sick and tired of in Bollywood films. Dialogues are natural and the sound actually blends in with the LA atmosphere. There is also depth and perspective to the sounds. The sounds of police siren wailing away in the city below, constantly remind us that the events taking place are actually in LA. Some trained professionals have been put to work on the sound recording.
The title sequence in this film is also a welcome change. Something I have never seen in other Hindi movies. Smartly designed urban typography with proper spacing and thematic colours. Music is well chosen and Timing is uniform. Motifs and theme are also consistent. simply smashing !!!
For once Americans speak the way Americans usually speak, as opposed to the usual slowed-down-for-desi-audience-dialogues.
Cinematography of Kaante is brilliant! One can see a perfect marriage of editing and photography with sharp cuts, different camera angles and some dramatic perspectives of Los Angeles city. Anamorphic lenses have been cleverly used to show wide angle shots especially during the shots of the LA strip bar. However the use of warm (yellow) filter has been a bit overdone. Some indoor night shots can be seen in warm tones, which was quite unnecessary. Some nice time lapse sequences and aerial shots can also be enjoyed. This does not mean the photographer goes on a solo tour of LA city, as most Bollywood photographers do while shooting in foreign lands. You also won’t see the hero and heroin doing the usual Universal Studios tour in this movie for a change.
Kaante is packed with some decent action sequences. Perhaps also a first for a film shot outside India. Money has been well spent on some real American stunt actors playing cops. There is also a tastefully executed strip bar song and dance number with the sexy Malaika Arora. The American cast is excellent.
There are valid reasons for technical excellence in this film. Apart from the cast, direction and script writers, there is very little Bollywood presence in Kaante. Cinematography, set decoration, special effects, makeup, and almost all of the technicians in this movie are Hollywood hands. Perhaps that’s why this film is so very different.
Sanjay Dutt and Amitabh Bachan have performed their roles faithfully well. New comer Mahesh Manjrekar puts on a commendable performance as the crazed hoodlum. I couldn’t ressist comparing him to Joe Pesci in Casino. We hope there is more up his sleeves in the near future. The rest of the six main characters do not share equal screen time presence. However There is plenty of wit and humour to go about without the inclusion of a comic clown or any strain on the part of the characters. The dialogues are natural and actors perform effortlessly giving a casual appearance from start to finish. The task of dramatizing events and action sequences was lifted from the actors and passed on to the cinematographer.
Having said all that. There are drawbacks. The script is too wordy at times. The fast paced action sometimes grind to dreaded speech session. Some minor plot holes and illogical turn of events can be noticed. I mentioned that the plot introduction and character building took place during the first 6 minutes of the film. But then the story continues to build relationships even till the end of the film. During the last 1 minute of the movie we are shown some 2nd unit shots of Raj Yadav’s sister in an institution. This really has little bearing on the story, and is completely unnecessary. We also learn little about Majors wife and family hence we are unable to share his emotions. Sometimes its best to leave the complex relationship building effort in the first half of a story. It tends to distract the viewer from the story line. There is even a song towards end of the film, which was quite out of place. It seems there is an unwritten law in Bollywood that a film has to be longer than two hours, regardless of whether you have the material. This film would have been lot more exciting, if it was a little shorter.
But none of the drawbacks should scare away anyone who wants to see Hindi cinema at the juncture of a major revolution. Kaante will remain an unforgettable and major step in the evolution of Hindi Cinema. We are ready for the world.