Kaminey
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Kaminey'' ( en, Scoundrels, italic=yes) is a 2009 Indian
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
-language
action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
written and directed by
Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Bha ...
and produced by
Ronnie Screwvala Rohinton Soli "Ronnie" Screwvala (born 8 September 1956) is an Indian entrepreneur. He has been named on Esquire's List of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century and ranked 78 among the 100 most influential people in the world on t ...
under UTV Motion Pictures, featuring
Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, in ...
,
Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...
and Amole Gupte in the lead roles. Set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld, ''Kaminey'' follows a rivalry between a pair of twins, one with a
lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lispin ...
and the other with a
stutter Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...
, over the course of a single day. Bhardwaj co-wrote the script with
Sabrina Dhawan Sabrina Dhawan is an Indian screenwriter and producer, born in England and raised in Delhi, India. Dhawan is an associate professor and the area head of screenwriting at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been commissi ...
, Abhishek Chaubey, and Supratik Sen. He bought the original script for from
Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
n writer Cajetan Boywhom he had mentored at a scriptwriting workshop in
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...
. ''Kaminey'' was released on 14 August 2009 and became a box-office success worldwide, grossing over against a production and marketing budget of . The film's soundtrack album, composed by Bhardwaj, also became a commercial success, with the song "Dhan Te Nan" topping the charts on various platforms. ''Kaminey'' received widespread critical acclaim, with several critics and media publications placing it at number one on their listings of "Best film of the year". Since its release, the film has attained
cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Thi ...
status. It received several awards and nominations at ceremonies across India. At the 55th Filmfare Awards, it received ten nominations, including
Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, Best Director,
Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...
,
Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
, and Best Supporting Actor; it won the award for Best Special Effects. At the
57th National Film Awards The 57th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2009. Three different committee ...
, ''Kaminey'' won two
awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...
 — Best Audiography for Subash Sahoo and Special Jury Award for its editing by
A. Sreekar Prasad Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
.


Plot

Charlie and Guddu are twins who were raised in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
. Charlie
lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lispin ...
s while Guddu stutters. Charlie likes to take shortcuts to fulfill his dream of becoming a
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...
at the racecourse where he works for three criminal brothers who fix races. He is closer to the youngest brother Mikhail than to Guddu, to whom he is hostile. A jockey deceives Charlie when he bets on a horse during a fixed race, losing all of his savings. Seeking revenge, Charlie locates the jockey in an upmarket city hotel. At the same hotel, policemen Lobo and Lele kill three drug dealers and collect a guitar case containing cocaine, which they must deliver to drug lord Tashi. Charlie and his men invade the jockey's hotel room and take all his possessions. The ensuing chase leads to the hotel car park where Lobo and Lele are placing the guitar case in their van. Charlie and his men seize the van to escape from the jockey's men and realise they have stolen a police vehicle, whilst also discovering the cocaine, which Charlie steals to sell. The policemen, upon returning, discover that the cocaine is missing and set out to find Charlie. Meanwhile, Guddu's lover Sweety, sister of the politician Sunil Bhope, reveals that she is pregnant with Guddu's child and expresses her wish to marry Guddu. They marry later that night. Bhope hears about his sister's actions and sends his men to apprehend the lovers. Bhope's men gatecrash Guddu's wedding and beat him, then realise that he is a migrant from
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
. This enrages Bhope, who orders his men to kill Guddu and return Sweety to his house so he can arrange a marriage for her. Sweety fights off her brother's henchmen and escapes with Guddu. Charlie tells Mikhail about the cocaine, who is delighted. When Charlie returns to retrieve the case, Bhope and his men are waiting inside the van. One of Bhope's men recognises Guddu as Charlie's twin and Bhope demands that Charlie reveal Guddu's whereabouts. An inebriated Mikhail interrupts their conversation and is killed by Bhope. On the way to the airport, Guddu realises that Sweety has faked her stutter. At a petrol station, Lobo and Lele notice the pair. Mistaking Guddu for Charlie, they arrest him. They assault Guddu, refusing to believe that he is Charlie's twin brother until Guddu's mobile phone rings; the caller is revealed to be Bhope. Lobo and Lele agree to exchange Charlie for Guddu and Sweety on a train. The policemen take Guddu and Sweety to Bhope's house, where Bhope reveals that a local builder will pay him to marry Sweety to the builder's son. Guddu bargains with Bhopeif he retrieves the cocaine-filled guitar case for Bhope, he will get Sweety. Bhope sends his henchmen with Guddu to retrieve the guitar case from Charlie's house. The policemen assault Charlie, who refuses to negotiate, realising that the policemen are in as much trouble as himself. Charlie outwits the policemen, takes them hostage and negotiates with Tashi to exchange the guitar case for . Charlie sends the policemen to deliver the details to Tashi and returns to his house to retrieve the cocaine. At Charlie's house, Guddu arrives with Bhope's men. Sweety hears about Bhope's plans to kill Guddu and shoots at the members of her household. Guddu finds the case and fights Charlie, who lets Guddu go. Guddu takes the cocaine to the police, who bug him. Guddu arrives at Bhope's house the same time as Tashi and his gang, with Charlie as their hostage. Bhope and Tashi negotiate to trade the drugs, but Charlie snatches the guitar case and threatens to destroy it if Guddu and Sweety are not released. The lovers escape as the police arrive, leading to a shooting spree in which the cocaine is destroyed. Charlie's bosses arrive to avenge Mikhail's death but are killed along with Bhope, Tashi and their henchmen. Charlie is shot and wounded. Sweety gives birth to Guddu's twins and Charlie opens a bookmaking counter at the racecourse. Charlie is engaged to Sophia, a woman earlier featured in his dream.


Cast

*
Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, in ...
as Charlie Sharma & Guddu Sharma (Double Role) *
Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...
as Sweety Shekhar Bhope * Amole Gupte as Sunil Shekhar Bhope a.k.a. Bhope Bhau, Sweety's brother * Deb Mukherjee as Mujeeb *
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (23 December 1959 – 10 April 2022) was an Indian actor and screenwriter who is known for his role as the leading industrial tycoon I. M. Virani in the Indian television serial ''Mukti Bandhan'' on Colors channel. H ...
as Lobo *
Chandan Roy Sanyal Chandan Roy Sanyal (born 30 January 1980) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in the Hindi and Bengali language films of India. After graduating with a degree in mathematics, he made his acting debut in the 2006 film ''Rang de Basanti ...
as Mikhail *
Shashank Shende Shashank Shende is an actor, director, producer and writer in India. Early life Shende grew up in Pune till 10th standard, in a middle-class family. He then moved to Ahmednagar for two years before moving back. After college, he started his o ...
* Tenzing Nima as Tashi *
Hrishikesh Joshi Hrishikesh Joshi, born in Kolhapur, is a Marathi actor. He has acted in numerous Hindi, Marathi Movies, tele-serials and theater and has won applauds from many noted professionals. He has acted in award-winning films like Harishchandrachi Fact ...
as Lele *
Rajatava Dutta Rajatava Dutta (Bengali: রজতাভ দত্ত; born 11 August 1967) is an Indian actor who appears in Bengali, Hindi and English films. He is often regarded as one of the most celebrated and respected Bengali actors of his generation. O ...
as Shumon * Harish Khanna as Afghani * Carlos Paca as Cajetan * Eric Santos as Ragos * Vishal Bhonsle as Steve * Satyajit Sharma as Francis * Adil Hussain as Flight Purser *
Neha Shitole Neha (Hindi/ Sanskrit: ''नेहा'') is a popular Hindi/ Sanskrit Indian feminine given name, often found in the Hindu community. It means "love" / "affection", "rain" / " downpour", and is sometimes translated as "beautiful eyes." Etymology ...
as Sweety's friend *
Aakash Dahiya Aakash Dahiya (born 20 September 1986) is a Mumbai-based actor and casting director, who is known for his work in Bollywood films. Career Born in New Delhi, Dahiya started acting in the New Delhi Theater. He then started working as associate ...


Production


Development

During a scriptwriting workshop held by
Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
in 2005, Cajetan Boy, a Kenyan writer from Nairobi, showed
Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Bha ...
a script about twin brothers from the city's slums and the events that occur in their lives during a 24-hour period. Bhardwaj liked Boy's approach to the script; Nair and Bhardwaj discussed it and thought it was a typical Bollywood
masala Masala, Massala or MASALA may refer to: Spice * Masala (spice), any of the many spice mixes used in South Asian cuisine ** Masala chai, a flavoured tea beverage ** Masala incense, Indian incense using a spice mix ** Masala dosa, an Indian dish Pl ...
film. Boy sent Bhardwaj another draft of his script. Three years later, Bhardwaj asked Boy to sell him the idea, and he later bought the script for US$4,000. Bhardwaj revisited the idea and added some Bollywood elements and a dark, serious side to the script. He worked on the original idea with writers
Sabrina Dhawan Sabrina Dhawan is an Indian screenwriter and producer, born in England and raised in Delhi, India. Dhawan is an associate professor and the area head of screenwriting at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been commissi ...
, Abhishek Chaubey and Supratik Sen. He included Dhawan in writing the screenplay because as he thought she would give it a "solid structure". Bhardwaj said that during the writing of the screenplay, most of the original ideas were changed and the climax was "Indianized". His re-worked version now included one brother with a stammer and the other with a lisp. Bhardwaj said that despite the complicated structure, ''Kaminey'' is "anything but
arty Arty may refer to: People * Arty (Queen), 8th century BC wife of Pharaoh Shebitku * Arty (musician) (born 1989), Russian record producer and DJ born Artem Stolyarov * Arty Ash, stage name of British actor Arthur Richard Dodge (1895–1954) * A n ...
" and could not alienate audiences in any part of India, and that it is a simple story but with a complicated structure. Dhawan said that the film's script was complex and has multiple stories which required excessive writing and rewriting to make each character sound distinct. The media showed concern over the film's title, deeming it "odd", and some people were shocked because of the title, which can be translated into English as "mean". However, the makers said that "kaminey" is not a negative term and is actually a term of endearment. According to Bhardwaj, the idea for the title came from a scene from
Gulzar Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
's ''
Ijaazat ''Ijaazat'' () is an 1987 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Gulzar, based on a Bengali story, ''Jatugriha'' by Subodh Ghosh. Starring Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel in leading roles, the film followed the story ...
'' (1987), in which the lead actor (
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare ...
) refers to the actress in a loving manner; it was the first time that he heard the word used that way. Bhardwaj told
Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
, "when the script of this film was written, it was like discovering your own mean side. The format of the film is of a caper and all the characters in this film, excluding one, has an agenda. So I thought it was an apt title for the film".


Casting

Shahid Kapoor was cast in the film's lead role. Several media outlets reported that Bhardwaj considered many actors before casting Kapoor in the role, which he refused. Bhardwaj refuted the claims, saying, "There is a huge difference between discussing and narrating and offering someone a film and I would like to clear up the rumour by saying that Kaminey was never offered to anyone else and so no one rejected it." Kapoor said that he accepted the role after reading the script. Priyanka Chopra was cast to play Sweety, the lead female role. She initially turned down the role, saying she felt it was a boys' film and her eight-scene part did not seem good enough. However, Bhardwaj persuaded her to accept the role. The idea for casting the screenwriter Amole Gupte came from the casting director Honey Terhan. Gupte said that when he received a call from Terham, he thought it was a joke. He stated, "A man named Honey introduced himself as Vishal Bhardwaj's casting director and offered me a very important role. I banged the phone down not believing a word of what he said". However, after meeting Bhradwaj and hearing a script reading, he loved the story and accepted the offer. The actors Chandan Roy Sanyal, Shiv Subramnayam, Hrishikesh Joshi,
Rajatava Dutta Rajatava Dutta (Bengali: রজতাভ দত্ত; born 11 August 1967) is an Indian actor who appears in Bengali, Hindi and English films. He is often regarded as one of the most celebrated and respected Bengali actors of his generation. O ...
and Deb Mukherjee were cast in supporting roles. For the role of drug dealer Tashi, Bhardwaj chose his friend Tenzing Nimaa tour operator in Mussooriesaying he had the character and attitude he wanted, and a weird sense of humour.


Characters

Bhardwaj instructed the film's entire cast and crew to watch caper classics such as ''
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' is a 1998 British black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, produced by Matthew Vaughn and starring an ensemble cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Steven Ma ...
'' (1998), '' Snatch'' (2000), ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...
'' (1994) and ''
True Romance ''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...
'' (1993) to study the nuances and become familiar with the genre. Shahid Kapoor played both Charlie and Guddu, twin brothers with speech impediments; Charlie has a lisp and Guddu stammers. The producers did not want them to look like caricatures, so Kapoor prepared for both roles by meeting and interacting with speech therapists and people with these impediments. According to Kapoor, the producers wanted to find out about the medical reasons for the impediments and their mental effects. They met specialists and thoroughly researched stammering and lisping. Kapoor said that each role had its own challenges. Charlie's physique was very different from Kapoor's and it took him nearly a year to change the look of his body. He found changing from one character to the other difficult. Chopra described her character Sweety as "feisty and vivacious". She said, "Sweety is very busy, and does not have time to take care of her looks and apply make up. Her only aim in life is to bunk her lectures and visit her boyfriend's college or stay in his hotel, and eventually marry him." Chopra described both her character and herself as being "outspoken and fun-loving" as well as honest and unable to "hide something that is wrong". She said she had a different cultural background to Sweety, and found it challenging to convincingly portray a Maharashtrian Marathi girl. She had to adopt body language and a Maharashtrian accent to suit the character. She learnt the
Marathi Language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...
to make the character as authentic as possible, which she found difficult. Chopra said: "I am speaking a lot of Marathi in the film. It was difficult for me because it's a difficult language and I am not good at Marathi. But I think it's my luck that through Kaminey I got to learn one more language." Gupte described his character as mercurial and found playing him a physical delight. Gupte said his character keeps the frame unpredictable and that it provided him with a foil to express rage and anguish. He worked a lot on his characterisation and tried to bring in his own references from European and Japanese cinema. Chandan Roy Sanyal described his character Mikhail as provocative, mad, wicked and humorous. Subramnayam and Joshi, who played Lobo and Lele respectively, described their characters as the most corrupt policemen in their department at the Anti-Narcotics Bureau. They said that to prepare for the roles they followed the script and Bhardwaj's instructions to get the characters right. Mukherjee prepared for his role as Mujeeb by reading the script and understanding the characters and discussing it with Bhardwaj. Dutta, who played Shumona Bengali criminal involved in fixing horse races and arms dealingsaid that he did not have much time to prepare for his role because he was given the script after he arrived in Mumbai, where Bhardwaj briefed him.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...
commenced in mid-2008, and the film was mostly shot in Mumbai. During a late night shoot for a scene in
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, Chopra received minor injuries. Chopra was supposed to ride a motorcycle with Kapoor seated on the pillion seat. Both fell off the motorcycle as it skidded on mud. Kapoor was unhurt but Chopra received scratch marks and bruises. It was reported that Kapoor suffered from several injuries while shooting. During filming, Chopra became hoarse because she had to scream her lines; an essential part of her role as an "extremely vocal Maharashtrian girl." Some important railway sequences were shot at Wadi Bunder Yard near Sandhurst Road. Kapoor found filming for both of his characters at nearly the same time very difficult; he would shoot them on alternate days.


Themes and influences

According to the ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...
'', ''Kaminey'' "is the first attempt to deal with reality in a mature, matter of fact manner." Unlike other Hindi films, in which the female lead is
Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
, the protagonist is
Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
and the antagonist is
Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...
, the characters in ''Kaminey'' are nuanced humans in "layered and complex" situations. Namrata Joshi from '' Outlook'' wrote that ''Kaminey'' reflects Bhardwaj's "enduring fascination for underdogs, characters on the margins of society and the morally compromised". Bhardwaj told Rediff.com that the film deals with "themes that affect our lives directly", and "is a reminder that we all have a dark side, and often we are not fully aware of that side". Rakesh Bedi from ''
The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bu ...
'' wrote, "Bhardwaj presents the two warring brothers with speech defects. In today's world of logorrhea, communication is fraught with many dangers: misunderstandings, paranoias, recriminations, conflicts. Everyone speaks but no one understands. Bhardwaj gave the twins verbal impediments to show that the world has now been so hardwired to convoluted and calamitous communication that it needs silence or a speech defect to hash things out." He continued, " th some glitches, Bhardwaj has almost re-birthed the Hindi film". The film also explores sex and sexuality, which according to Bedi were explored in a "radically different and refreshing" way, and the director "daringly takes it a step further". When Sweety becomes pregnant, the couple "decide to carry the pregnancy to term after a bit of hesitation. So she literally pushes her man into marriage. (Had Bhardwaj abjured marriage, it would have been a complete break but the nuptials were essential to the drama of the film.)"
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
said that "for aficionados of the Hindi-language genre, Kaminey is a revolutionary manifesto. It takes classic Bollywood tropes—estranged brothers, a case of mistaken identity, high drama approaching slapstick comedy—and presents them with Hollywood-style realism instead of Bollywood's wink-nudge mix of melodrama and posturing. Bhardwaj has been influenced by many directorsincluding
Manmohan Desai Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmaker of the 70s and 80s. Desai is now considered one of most influential film director of Bollywood and a pionee ...
,
Subhash Ghai Subhash may refer to: People * Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker * Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai * Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politician ...
,
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
and
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...
and combines these influences in his work. Rakesh Bedi wrote that "Bhardwaj keeps displaying his vision throughout the film". Reviewers have compared the film's multi-plot narrative to those of several films by Tarantino,
Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchi ...
and the
Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
. Reviewers said that the film mostly belongs to the level of ''Pulp Fiction''; Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' called it "Bollywood's first all-the-way-out-to-there pulp fiction". Bedi wrote, "there's Buñuel in the Bengali dons, there's Kurosawa ... in that surreal train car in which Charlie lives, there's
Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...
in money-floating dreams that Charlie has". Keshav Chaturvedi of the ''Hindustan Times'' compared the apocalyptical gang war in the climax to ''
Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph ...
'' (1979). He said, "Bhardwaj just demolishes the cliches of Bollywood. In ripping apart the stereotype, he gives us a prototype: a Bollywood that deals with alienation, ... angst, ...  and atrocity." A review in ''The Times of India'' said that the film's climax reaches the level of ''
Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarantino, and Edward B ...
'', and described it as "absolutely riveting stuff, with the camera going on a hitherto unexplored journey in Indian cinema."


Soundtrack

Vishal Bhardwaj composed the music soundtrack for '' Kaminey'' and Gulzar wrote the lyrics. The album contains five original songs, two remixes and one theme song; it was released on 6 July 2009. The song "Dhan Te Nan" is a rehashed version of a song originally composed by Vishal Bhardwaj for an episode of the
Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-ba ...
series ''Gubbare''. The soundtrack album was commercially successful after its release, especially "Dhan Te Nan", which topped the charts across various platforms. The soundtrack album received positive reviews from music critics. Rediff.com rated the album 4.5 out of 5, labelled it a "masterpiece" and wrote, "Bhardwaj has delivered a soundtrack that is lethally explosive. Not that we expected anything less. And trust Gulzar to artfully craft a really long fuse for the Kaminey bomb, making sure the tracks stay afire long before and after they actually go boom." Joginder Tuteja from
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provide ...
gave a rating 4 out 5 and wrote, "Kaminey is certainly not a run of the mill album and this is where its prime strength lies. The album boasts of at least three chartbuster tracks'Dhan Te Nan' (sure shot superhit), 'Thode Bheege' (must for the hearts in love) and 'Raat Ke Dhai Baje' (for some 'masti' and 'hungama'). Songs like 'Fatak' and 'Kaminey' are innovative and situational which showcase the range of Vishal Bhardwaj. Add to that the 'Go Charlie Go – Theme Music' and you know that Kaminey is yet another addition to some excellent albums that have hit the stands during last one month." Planet Bollywood rated the album 8.5 out of 10 and said it is the best soundtrack released that year, and that " has experimentations with both music and lyrics".
Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The s ...
praised the soundtrack and said that " ... "Kaminey" is easily among 2009's finest scores. Experimental in its sound, yet very mainstream in appeal. Vishal Bhardwaj has proved his mettle yet again."


Marketing and release

The teaser poster of ''Kaminey'' was received positively by critics. The trailer, which introduces four characters; one lisping, one stuttering, a woman yelling about having raped a man and one jeering at the lisper, received positive reviews. Critics kept their expectations high due to Bhardwaj's previous films, and said the trailer was like a comic book which introduces the characters of Kapoor and Chopra differently. The theatrical trailers and the music generated interest for the film. The film's marketing also involved public appearances by Chopra and Kapoor. The makers of the film were disappointed by the Censor Board for Film Certification's decision to grant the film an " A" certificatemeant for viewers 18 years or olderinstead of a " U/A" certificate that they had expected. Bhardwaj said, "It was an injustice to us. There is no abusive language used in the film and the violence is of 'comic book kind'." The Censor Board asked him to replace dialogue which mentioned the city of
Pilibhit Pilibhit is a city and a municipal board of Pilibhit district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Pilibhit is the north-easternmost district of Bareilly division, situated in the Rohilkhand region of the sub- Himalayan Plateau belt next ...
which they said was a sensitive constituencywith a fictitious city name. He replaced Pilibhit with Barabanki." The film was subject to some controversies. A
First Information Report __NOTOC__ A first information report (FIR) is a document prepared by police organisations in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan when they receive information about the commissio ...
was filed by Jagannath Sena Sangathan at a police station in
Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...
against the film for allegedly denigrating Lord Jagannath. According to them, a scene in which the text "Apna Hath Jagannath" is seen in a toilet on a semi-clad model had hurt religious sentiments. The objectionable portion of the scene was removed from the prints released in the state of Orissa. A complaint supported by a caste group backed by a
Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; translation: ''Socialist Party'', founded 4 October 1992) is a socialist political party in India, headquartered in New Delhi but mainly based in Uttar Pradesh, with significant presence in other states as well. With a ...
MP about the use of the name of a community "teli" in the song "Dhan Te Nan"which was considered derogatory to the Teli communitywas filed with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Censor Board reacted to the complaint, insisting on the replacement of the word, which was later replaced with "Dilli". ''Kaminey'' was scheduled to release on 5 June 2009. However, the release was postponed because of problems between the producers and multiplexes in India. The film was released on 14 August 2009 on 1,200 screens worldwide. Because of the
2009 flu pandemic The 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1 influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 2009 to August 2010, is the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus (the first being the 1918–1920 Span ...
, the film was not released in the Maharashtra regionincluding Mumbai and Punebecause the multiplexes in these cities were closed by the Maharashtra government for three days as part of precautionary measures against swine flu.
Moser Baer Moser Baer was an Indian multinational manufacturer of optical discs, storage devices, CDs, DVDs, based in New Delhi. The company was present in over 100 countries, serviced through 15 marketing offices and representatives, and had tie-ups ...
Home Videos released ''Kaminey'' on DVD in October 2009 across all regions in a two-disc pack complying with the
NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...
format. One disc contains the film and additional content including a "making of the film" documentary, the original beginning and deleted scenes, while the other contains a random free film.
VCD Video CD (abbreviated as VCD, and also known as Compact Disc Digital Video) is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard optical discs. The format was widely adopted in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the ...
and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
versions were released at the same time. Bollywood Hungama critic Joginder Tuteja rated the DVD 4 out of 5, praising the bonus features and the packaging.
Airtel Digital TV Bharti Telemedia Limited, doing business as Airtel Digital TV, is an Indian direct-broadcast satellite service provider owned and operated by Bharti Airtel. Its satellite service, launched in October 2008, transmits digital satellite televisi ...
premièred the film on its Pay Per View service on 12 September 2009. The satellite rights for ''Kaminey'' were syndicated between Star India &
Viacom 18 Viacom18 Media Private Limited is an Indian media and entertainment joint venture between TV18 and Paramount Global based in Mumbai. It was founded in 2007 and owns various channels, as well as content production studios in India. History In ...
before being internalized by the former in 2020, and a world television première of the film was broadcast on
Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
on 28 February 2010. The film is also available on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.


Critical reception

''Kaminey'' received widespread critical acclaim from critics who praised many aspects of the film. Raja Sen of Rediff.com rated the film 4.5 out of 5 and wrote, "''Kaminey'' is startlingly clever, an innovative film with genuine surprises. A kind of film whose success we ought all pray for because it'll prove smart cinema works." ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' gave a rating of 4 out of 5, calling it "Bollywood's first all-the-way-out-to-there pulp fiction".
Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in his ...
of
CNN-IBN CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internat ...
gave the film 4 stars out of 5, called it a "must watch" and wrote, " 's an unpredictable crime drama that combines violence and dark humor in a manner that's reminiscent of the films of Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and the Coen Brothers. And yet Kaminey is so original and inventive in the manner in which it takes Bollywood's favorite formulatwin brothersand turns it on its head." He praised the writingwhich he said was the film's real strength, the non-linear screenplay and the dialogue, and wrote that the film has "the best performance you will see by an ensemble cast in a long time".
Nikhat Kazmi Nikhat Kazmi ( hi, निखत काजमी; 1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast ...
from ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rated the film 4 out of 5, and said it is "Bollywood's first film which is full of brains, brawn and belligerence besides being a bravura attempt to rewrite the tried and tested idiom of desi movielore. Kaminey is a smart and balsy film that brings Hollywood to Bollywood which catapult the viewer into the dark, violent world of crime and criminals, leaving you no time to blink or breathe easy ... Tarantino, take a bow. Brave new Bollywood is here."
Anupama Chopra Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
gave a rating of 4 out of 5 and wrote "Kaminey is the best Bollywood film I've seen this year. It's an audacious, original rollercoaster ride. Written and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Kaminey requires patience and attention but the pay off is more than worth it."
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provide ...
rated the film 4 out of 5 and wrote "Kaminey is bold, stark, funny and unpredictable and is a film with an attitude. Like it or leave it, but you'd never be able to ignore it. Word from the wise: Go for this hatke (different) experience!"
Zee News Zee News is an Indian Hindi-language news channel owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group. It launched on 27 August 1999 and is the flagship channel of the Zee Media Corporation. The channel has been involved in several controversies and ha ...
also rated the film 4 out of 5 and said, "Bhardwaj has once again delivered a powerful film that completely bowls you over with its splendid script, riveting narrative and stellar performances by lead pairShahid and Priyanka hohave a cracking on-screen chemistry that certainly reminds you of yesteryears on-screen couples." The review also said, "''Kaminey'' is an engrossing flick that does not let you move from your seat!" Kaveree Bamzai of ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...
'' rated the film 4 out of 5 and said it "is dark, melodramatic, poetic and ultimately operatic". He also said, "Its lyrics are the blow-up-your-brains-out kind ... and its music, composed by the multi-talented Bharadwaj is perfectly in sync with a narrative that doesn't pause for breath." Namrata Joshi from ''Outlook'' gave a rating of 4 out 5 and called ''Kaminey'' "a strikingly anarchic, unusually energetic, quirky and frenetic film". Sudhish Kamath of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' gave the film 4 stars and wrote, "Kaminey takes the post-postmodern noir genre to a whole new level, to a sophistication the Indian audience isn't used to. Watch it at least twice to fully appreciate this masterpiece." Writing for ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', critic Joe Leydon described the film as a "tasty cinematic masala that is energetically entertaining, if not consistently coherent".


Box office

''Kaminey'' was successful throughout India, with occupancy around 90% across multiplexes. The film was successful across most single screens, and collected in India during the opening weekend. In its first week of release, the film collected in India. Because of the delayed release in Maharashtra, it lost about . However, the film profited in Mumbai after its release in Maharashtra on Monday and during its run, and it had earned within four weeks. ''Kaminey'' earned worldwide;
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014. About Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its ow ...
declared it a hit and it became a commercial success. Overseas, the film grossed around in North America, the UAE, the UK and Australia during the opening weekend. The film's most successful overseas market was North America. It collected around in 10 days from international markets and proved to be a commercial success outside India.


Legacy

Film director
Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...
praised the film, saying, "Kaminey catapults Indian Cinema in modernity beyond Tarantino". He said that ''Kaminey'' would be able to compete with any film in the world in terms of its design, performances, inherent narratives, editing and pace. Filmmaker Karan Johar labelled it a cult film, describing it as "edgy ... cult and geniusely performed and executed! Go get a shot of new age cinema and cinematic bravery!" The film became the most widely debated and dissected Bollywood film after
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian film director, occasional actor and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006) and ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' (2013). He is the writer and director of ...
's 2006 film ''
Rang De Basanti ''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkar ...
''. Rajeev Masand, and Rediff.com rated it as the best film of the year. Raja Sen said the performances were among the best performances of 2009. Gupte, Roy Sanyal and Kapoor were placed at numbers six, three and one respectively as the best performances of 2009 by a Hindi actor by Rediff. Rediff.com placed Chopra at number one as the best performance of 2009 by a Hindi actress. Chopra said, " u don't get to work in a fantastic movie like ''Kaminey'' and play someone like Sweety every day". Hindi Film News said ''Kaminey'' was the best Bollywood film of the decade. It ranked Shahid Kapoor's performance at number four for the finest performance by a Bollywood actor for the decade, and in a public poll the song "Dhan Te Nan" was voted the thirteenth-best Bollywood song of the decade. Rediff.com also included the film on its list of "Top 25 Hindi Action Films of all Time". Since its release, the film has gained a cult following and is regarded as a cult film of the 2000s decade of Bollywood.


Awards and nominations

''Kaminey'' has received several awards and nominations in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself, to its cinematography, direction, screenplay, music and cast performances. At the 55th Filmfare Awards, the film received ten nominationsmore than any other filmfor awards including
Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, Best Director,
Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...
,
Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
, and Best Supporting Actor. However, it won only the award for Best Special Effects. The film also won two National Film Awards; Best Audiography for Subash Sahoo and Special Jury Award for Film Editing at the
57th National Film Awards The 57th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2009. Three different committee ...
for
A. Sreekar Prasad Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
. It received eleven nominations at the 5th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award and won two, one of which was
Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
for Chopra.


References


External links

* * {{UTV Movies 2009 films 2000s Hindi-language films Films about organised crime in India Films directed by Vishal Bhardwaj Indian action films Films set in Mumbai Indian nonlinear narrative films Films scored by Vishal Bhardwaj UTV Motion Pictures films Films that won the Best Audiography National Film Award Films with screenplays by Sabrina Dhawan 2009 action films