“Kaminey”, the word that comes into play during a tantalizingly full-blown tongue lashing has now become a buzz-word of sorts, and for all the right reasons. For its namesake(the best in the film oeuvre of Vishal Bharadwaj) stands out as a beacon of the new-wave cinema while taking the movie-making medium to a different level. One can’t help but marvel at director, Vishal Bharadwaj, who has brilliantly crafted the movie, and also added to its musical quality(courtesy a brilliant composition and matchless vocals).
If I were to describe the movie, it flows like a beautiful ballad that strikes rhythmic chords with you, while haunting you with its harmonious score. Some of the moments captured in all its lyrical nuances linger in your memory for long. For instance, the initial scene shows Charlie(Shahid Kapoor) wallowing in his dream world where a hundred-rupee note flutters in the sky, beyond his reach. Another scene where you can hear an eerie silence amid a staccato of bullets also stands out as a striking example of how film screens can flicker with emotions so overwhelming and diverse.
Cut to Charlie and Guddu(twin brothers played to perfection by Shahid Kapoor) who posit as each other’s antithesis. While the former is a dreamer who thinks that there is a chota short-cut to quick money, the latter has a yearly plan to shin his way up the success ladder. Also, Charlie speaks with an endearing lisp while Guddu stammers(except when he is singing). Sweety(Priyanka Chopra) plays the love interest of Guddu and is also the sister of the dreaded don, Bhope Bhau(Amol Gupte).
By a quirk of fate, Charlie ends up becoming a significant part of a large drug conspiracy, when he finds a bag of drugs worth a fortune. Guddu is in for a bigger trouble when he decides to marry Sweety much against her brother’s wishes. The duo are tracked by their foes, though one is confused for the other. Several strands to the story are revealed, such as why the brothers can’t see eye to eye with other, though they were inseparable as children. Also, issues of bribery, casteism, drug trafficking et al are pooh poohed on, though in a quiet way.
How the brothers respond to the viciousness around them is the crux of the story. While the smoldering rage in Charlie’s eyes fires up a great mayhem, Guddu brings an end to the carnage by tipping the honest police officers. The scene where the rival goons shout the rates to buy the honesty of the officers(a la trading pit) is down-right hilarious and also a sad sign of the times that we are living in.
On the acting front, Shahid Kapoor and Amol Gupte prove themselves as the actors par-excellence. The biggest surprise element is Priyanka Chopra, who seems to evolve with each role. Full marks to Vishal who unspools the layers beneath the acting veneers bit-by-bit, thereby extracting a superior performance from all his actors.
All in all, a great movie that bring with it a whiff of change in the movie industry. The message by the director is clear…you can tread on some age-old formulaic plots, but still retain its freshness, by treating it in a different way.