Gangsta Wrap

Films like Hera Pheri,Dostana,Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na,Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and recently,Love Aaj Kal have been drawing audiences of all demography,but every now and then,a movie like Kaminey rekindles our fascination with gangsters and molls.

So what is it about this Vishal Bhardwaj flick that has made us want to watch it first day,first show? Producer-director Sanjay Gupta feels that movies are usually reflective of the times we live in. “Though it has given us some memorable film characters,like Bhiku Mhatre,the fact is that the underworld is dead here. Besides,it is the times when young filmmakers are experimenting with subjects ranging from romance to comedy to love stories and even horrors and suspense thrillers. One wonders then why Vishal would touch a topic so jaded,” he avers.

In these times,when rom-coms rule ticket sales,one may wonder what makes Kaminey one of the most anticipated films of the year. But Lakhia attributes much of the market buzz to the chartbuster track Dhan Te Nan. With unusual lyrics and a peppy beat,it’s a song you have probably been hearing even in your sleep. “Songs have always helped attract audiences’ attention to the movie and Dhan Te Nan is a path-breaking song that everyone,from your friends to your milkman can enjoy,” remarks Lakhia.

Bhardwaj’s explanation is succinct: “Kaminey is a film full of clichés — it brings together all possible formulae,like identical twins,and turns them around on their head.”

Filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar,who made the memorable Vaastav on the same lines,attributes the interest in Kaminey to the cinematography,lingo and snazzy dialogues the audience has tasted in the promos of the film. “Sharp,clipped dialogues with rasta lingo cuts across classes and masses. India associates and expects that from an underworld movie. And then,it doesn’t matter if the mafia has moved to Dubai or Delhi,because it is full entertainment and paisa vasool,” he explains.

Gangsters as characters are always fascinating — tough boys these,their attitude and achismo make for roguish heroes themselves. But Bollywood being what it is,has been rehashing characters,often turning them into caricatures.

“Instead,Bhardwaj has cast the typical chocolate-boy Shahid Kapoor as the local goon who gets mixed up with the mafia,” notes filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia whose Shootout At Lokhandwala counts among his successful projects.

“Vishal has always experimented with his projects to come out with something innovative. With Kaminey,he intends to pack in the entire story into 48 hours — complete with songs,romance,action and a double-role drama — and this alone sounds like a treat,” says Lakhia. “Besides,there’s always a market for fast-paced thrillers that address a taboo — the mafia and terrorism are subjects every filmmaker keeps

coming back to.”