Before I begin my review, let me admit.’Kaante’ is a different movie, definitely different from other Bollywood fare.....’Different’, I said, not ’better’.
So enter the world of Guns-’n’-Poses.True to its name, Sanjay Gupta’s desi version of Quentin Tarantino’s ’Reservoir Dogs’ pricks you till you jump out of your seat, screaming ’’Kaanta Lagaaaaaa.....aaaa.....aaa...aah!’’
The plot is about six Indian crooks who land up in a Los Angeles prison & for some childish reasons, decide to teach the L.A.cops a lesson by robbing the ’’Service American Bank’’, a bank that caters solely to the L.A.P.D. Suffer then, at the hands of the six thorns---a riches-to-rags businessman(Amitabh Bachchan) who has a cancer stricken wife(Rati Agnihotri, wasted), a computer whizkid(Kumar Gaurav), a sex-starved maniac(Mahesh Manjrekar), his partner-in-crime(Lucky Ali), a Smokin’ Joe(Sanjay Dutt) & a strip club bouncer(Sunil Shetty).
The first half of the movie focuses on how the six ’’heroes’’ plan to go about the robbery.A major part of the planning involves downing bottles of booze, taking turns at going around the bank in circles and snapping dozens of photographs of the bank entrance(why?) with the number ’Rama Re’ playing in the background.(By the way, the bank, for some strange reason, has so little security, the L.A. cops ought to have deposited their earnings in ’’The Jungli Maharaj Bank of Jhumritalaiya’’.)
To make things worse, the whizkid’s estranged wife fetches in a bit-role, screaming till her character leaves a strong impact............on your eardrums, that is.
And to seek the support of the viewers, the movie also dishes out a dose of patriotism-an arms dealer who claims to supply ammunition to Kashmir militants is bumped off, after which the six gentlemen celebrate as if they have just won the Kargil War.
So far, so endured.The second half begins with an incomprehensive bang-bang fight between the cops & the robbers.By the time the fireworks end, you are ready to go home for some ’’sound’’ sleep.But hey!Wait a minute!The movie, for once, does manage to actually arouse your interest.One of the robbers, it seems, is an undercover cop.You sit up & begin to take notice because you genuinely feel that the story is about to take an eventful turn, from being a boring action flick to a suspense-filled drama.And it is precisely at this juncture that your hopes are mercilessly thrashed.In a moment of madness, the ’’thorns’’ aim their guns at one another.......and bang!Game over.The End!........As if the entire movie was a joke of sorts, pulled on us by the director.And a cruel one(joke, not the director) at that!
Call me squeamish.But the murder of a dutiful policeman with brutality that would shame the meanest of all terrorists does not make for ideal viewing.Well-known film critic Khalid Mohammed has rightly called the movie ’’morally offensive to the point of lauding crime’’.
Of the cast, Amitabh Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sanjay Dutt & Sunil Shetty are sincere & convincing.But there is nothing special about their performances.On the other hand, Lucky Ali & Kumar Gaurav are amazingly inert.Lucky Ali looks largely disinterested in the proceedings, and in Kumar Gaurav’s case, it is difficult to say who is more expressive-he or his dark glasses?
The only relief comes in the form of some foot-tapping songs.In fact, this is one of the rare instances in recent years that a movie has managed to have a catchy music score without employing A.R.Rahman’s expertise.
The other positive aspect is the cinematography, with a crimson background doing the honours for the entire length of the movie.
So, to sum up, if ear-shattering gunfare is what you crave for, dialogue that hits below the belt is your cup of tea, and lewd references to the you-know-what have you rolling with laughter, go watch ’Kaante’.Else watch the video of ’Kaanta Laga’ instead.Ouch!
PS:Just an observation-One of the songs in the movie goes ’’Chhod Na Bheja Phod Na Re’’(’’Don’t Blow Up My Brain!’’)But this is exactly what the movie does to the viewer.