Kaminey

Plot synopsis:
Charlie and Guddu are twins who were raised in Mumbai. Charlie lisps while Guddu stutters. Charlie likes to take shortcuts to fulfill his dream of becoming a bookmaker 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 ₹100,000 (US$1,600) 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 had 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. 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 ₹50 million (US$780,000) to marry Sweety to the builder's son. Guddu bargains with Bhope—if 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 ₹1 million (US$16,000). 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.

Tags: cult, neo noir, murder, flashback

Review:
Shahid Kapoor has always been a good actor in the simpleton Guddu type roles,but here he literally burns the screen as the whacko race-bookie Charlie.The tremendous passion which he brings to screen really keeps the viewers riveted to this scintillating saga of twin brothers.
Special mention would go to Priyanka Chopra, who plays Guddu's love interest Sweety, who nails the role to perfection.The movie shows the parallel lives of identical twins Guddu and Charlie who detest each other and haven't seen each other in years but how circumstances lead them to face each other.
Shahid, Vishal Bhardwaj & the background score has created a landmark in the industry for centuries to come in terms of cinematic excellence..I cannot agree anymore with Mr. Taran Adarsh when he says "Vishal Bhardwaj picked up the characters & executed them like Tarantino & Guy Ritchie.." You'll totally agree with that!It is clearly visible how hard the whole crew has worked to attain perfection, because the movie WAS PERFECT in every aspect!!
Upcoming directors have one of the biggest threats Vishal Bhardwaj in their way, if they at all touch a subject close to this..Shahid, Priyanka, Chandan Roy Sanyal (Mikhail), Amol Gupte (Bhope) were truly, truly outstanding!!I feel short of words to describe this movie..
After tense stories of Maqbool & Omkaara, he takes a deliberate take away from Shakespeare and delivers instead an awesome dark and twisted tale of two brothers each with his own share of mess to take care of, not to mention their speech impediments that provide some great sounding dialog to the audience and depth to the characters.
The mixture of comedy and action in the same scene is something that is extremely unique, and it shows that little bit of realism that people can see in their normal lives.The sound-work has been off the hook, mixing old Hindi songs and eerie tracks into the movie has really made the movie look different, and keeps you wondering what thrill will pop up.To be honest, in the start of his career, I found Shahid Kapoor to be a very over-excited actor, and he even threw in the occasional over-acting here and there.
All the promos and the rocking 'Dhan-te-nan' promised me that I was about to experience an intelligent Guy-Ritchiesque, Tarantino-ish thriller.But no words I can put here can sum up the movie better than the comments of my film loving mother: "What a mess!!" OK..OK..i'll go back a little..and give the film it's due, although it's awe-fully tough to pin-point the things I liked about this mess without putting a 'but' & 'if-only' after the statement.The film starts off rather well..the initial pace with which the plot is gradually unraveled is handled very well..the 1st half present an enthralling tale of drugs, deceit, quirky characters and well shot frames with a rather likable dark undertone.
Damn.I can go on & on & on about all the little things I disliked or barely-liked which would, in essence break down the facade of this whole film which, according to me was a badly executed, half-baked mess (all due to the 2nd half).However, full makrf to Fahid Kapur for a brilliantly execufid role as Charlie..and to Vishal - all I can say is that you're a brilliant director no doubt & my salute to you for making Omkara & Maqbool - 2 of the finest Hindi movies made, ever..but with Kaminey, you've certainly lost some credibility in my eyes.In my eyes, there are only 2 ways to enjoy this movie: 1) Watch the 1st half, eat some pop corn and go back home.
To the director's credit, the movie has its tiny bits – the hotel room shootout scene which must be the most intense, the cinematography of Dhan Te Tan with invigorating visuals and the Guddu- Sweety wedding ceremony clash before the intermission that involved the relentless beating up of Guddu and a high octane performance by Priyanka Chopra in her career best 2 min on screen.
PS : Watch this movie as it was the first time Shahid Kapoor came out of his chocolate boy image and delivered a superb performance with likes of our desi girl Priyanka Chopra
shahid kapoor has been most overrated actor .who has failed to live up to his reputation...but things turned out to be magical as kaminey hit theater's...the portrayal of guddu and Charlie by shahid kapoor....makes one fall in love with the portrayal of the movie..while one roots for sex magnetic Charlie and other fall for the innocent stammerer guddu..priyanka again sweeps the show and proves why she is the one the best actress ever..the surprise package is amol gupte as the baddie of the film.no one can say its his debut looking at the glimpse in his eyes..watch out for surprise package the third Bengali brother....!!!!!!
Kaminey directed by Vishal Bharadwaj is one of the best movies that has been brought out in the Indian Cinema.Excellent performances,brave writing,stylish narration,engrossing background score and superb cinematography makes Kaminey a must-watch not once but twice,thrice..Story: Guddu (Shahid Kapoor) and Charlie (Shahid Kapoor) are identical twins born and raised in the slums of Mumbai.
The music by Vishal Bharadwaj is very good.The dialogs are witty.The cinematography is good too.Performances: Shahid Kapoor does an excellent job as Guddu and Charlie.It would have been a tough job for acting as both, Charlie who lisps and Guddu who stammers,but yet Shahid Kapoor manages to take both Guddu and Charlie to another level with his excellent performance.Amole Gupte as Bhope Bhau is an actor to watch out after Shahid.He is superb,mind-blowing,awesome...I am falling short of adjectives to describe his performance.Special mention of Tengzing Nima who portrays the role of Tashi is fantastic.Priyanka Chopra,although having a minimal role is fine.Her Marathi accent is good.Deb Mukherjee as Mujeeb,Shiv Subramanium as Lobo,Chandan Roy Sanyal as Mikhail are excellent in their respective roles.All in all,Kaminey is a must-watch not once but twice or thrice because it has the guts to be something different from the other Hindi movies.I am giving it a nine on ten.Thumbs Up!.
i think Kaminey was the best movie of the year 2009 and will remain one of the best movies that Indian cinema has ever given.Shahid Kapur and Vishal Bharadwaj are the stars of the movie.A movie works because of its script and Kaminey has an excellent story and screenplay.The movie is on par with a classic Hollywood movie in all aspects.i was saddened when the movie lost the best movie award to 3 idiots.as we all know,Dhan Te Nan is a chart buster.Vishal Bharadwaj's direction is simply superb.His music is excellent.The movie's story is so simple yet so complex that you actually have to take a few minutes to explain the movie or say nothing at all!
Simply superb story and screenplay.coming to the performances,Priyanka Chopra is elegant as is Amol Gupte and Chandan Roy Sanyal but it is Shahid Kapur who stands out as the soul of the movie through his renditions of Charlie and Guddu,two contrasting characters played so convincingly by Shahid that you feel they are played by different people.it is Shahid's best performance till date for which he deserved a Filmfare award but Indian cinema does not honour excellent movies instead they honour some totally insane and senseless movies.i would say that if you want a taste of cinema,watch Kaminey,an simple story told in a way you would least expect it to be told.marvellous,excellent,fantastic and fabulous!!!.
First of all I would like to extend a big "THANK YOU" note to director Vishal Bhardwaj for acknowledging the fact that this film was inspired by an idea of Cajetan Boy. I absolutely hate and detest those Bollywood movies which become blockbusters and shamelessly copy from other Hollywood movies without even giving them credit and acknowledging them.2) Acting: What to say about it !!!
The effort from Vishal Bhardwaj is also commendable that how in all his movies he manages to extract such superlative performances from all his actors and actresses (Tabu in Maqbool, Kareena Kapoor and Konkana Sen in Omkara, Shreya Sharma in Blue Umbrella and Priyanka Chopra in Kaminey).3) Sound: The background musical score and the songs were fantabulous !!
I would like to make a big REQUEST to Vishal Bhardwaj that "Please sing more in movies !!!" I was really surprised and thoroughly enjoyed his singing the title track of the movie.(In fact I think the song of this film which I have heard the most is 'Kaminey' sung by Vishal Bhardwaj) 4) Humor : The lines are very witty and humor is never forced in the movie by performing silly slapstick sequences.P.S.:- I can go on and on about the movie for hours (maybe even days !!) it is so good.
After multiple viewings, this aspect of Kaminey gains more prominence than any other and that includes the more exalted - Bharadwaj's TarantinoRitchiesque approach to the screenplay, Shahid Kapoor's research behind the execution of the speech defects, Amol Gupte, Priyanka Chopra and Dhan Ta Nan. The elderly Bengali brothers Mujeeb and 'Fumon' are avuncular in their adoration of Mikhail who prefers Charlie's company much like Charlie himself.
The non-linear screenplay is filled with unfamiliar twists and confusing turns that are likely to baffle you along the way; yet they're all neatly tied up and culminate in a thrilling climax which is violent and comical in equal parts.The film's dialogue is top-notch; writer-director Vishal Bharadwaj finds a way to make the lines humorous without ever seeming to ask for a laugh.Kaminey boasts the best performance you will see by an ensemble cast in a long time, and that includes even the bit players.Of the central cast, Amole Gupte is fantastic as the demented Jai Maharashtra-spouting gangster-politician Bhope, and Chandan Roy Sanyal hits all the right notes as the coke-addicted Mikhail.Also delivering impressive turns are Tenzing Nima as the charismatic drug-smuggler Tashi and Shiv Subramanium as the vulnerable corrupt cop Lobo.Shahid Kapur rises to the challenge of creating two entirely different characters out of Charlie and Guddu, and delivers a credible performance as each.Breaking out of his chocolate-boy image, he gives evidence of his potential when trusted with well-written roles.Springing a delightful surprise in a smaller part is Priyanka Chopra as the feisty Sweety, who sprinkles her lines with a smattering of fluent Marathi and emerges one of the film's most lovable characters.For an audience numbed by predictable Bollywood potboilers week after week, Kaminey might take some time to settle into; go in with an open mind and enjoy the ride.With unchoreographed action scenes and dances, and long portions with no background score at all, it's a wildly imaginative, original offering from a fearless filmmaker who doesn't insult your intelligence.I'm going with 10 out of 10 for director Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey; amidst all the bloodshed and bullets, this film has a full beating heart.
It is violent but not gratuitously shown...it is funny (without being broad)...it is definitely a very stylishly put together movie...nothing is slammed in your face...its for you pick the nuances and enjoy it...Above all the writing of the individual characters is the best - charlie, guddu, sweety, dhope (my favourite of the lot), mikhail (great name for a bengali gangster!) and tashi...
Vishal Bhradwaj's Kaminey is one of those tense, rich entertainments falling in the genre Quentin Tarantino and Coen brothers bred since their emerging heydays.A departure from dark, his previous two superb back to back adaptations of Shakespeare's great tragedies (Maqbool-Macbeth, Omkara-Othello) supremely talented writer-director reinvents himself with his latest.
the latest flick from Vishal Bhardwaj who is widely considered to be one of the best directors to emerge from the Bollywood factory in recent years.It has been widely compared to the work of Guy Ritchie which is true to some extent in its style of storytelling and something of a novelty for the majority of Indian audiences.It has been also called a very hollywoodish film (whatever that means!)..if that it means better production values yes Kaminey delivers..
That's really a good news for the Hindi Film Industry since after a long time, this kind of response is seen for a complete out of the box, dark and witty thriller coming from the thinking director, Vishal Bhardwaj.So all geared up, we got seated excitingly in the theater, expecting a complete new chapter to unfold on the screen.
So the viewer keeps waiting for some funny dialogues or humorous sequences to be there but instead they have to laugh on the deliberate stammering act by the second Shahid (in double role).The other major point to be considered is the unimpressive use of the Smash Hit song "Dhan Tan Nan" in the movie.
The surprise act of Amol Gupte is quite pleasant since he delivers a fine controlled performance as The Bhai.Musically, keeping the cult track "Dhan Tan Nan" aside, I found the soundtrack a bit less scoring then the earlier works of both Vishal Bhardwaj & Gulzar.
The performances were decent or may be the best of their life times for the actors, I don't give a damn but the plot, the character development, the story the concept for which I was craving all through was so flawed and I am still not liking it...should I dare to watch it again I would be more angry After, coming out my initial reaction was he screwed it all up and he was the biggest KAMINA as he cut the ass of viewers like me and made an illusion as the best movie of the year nope not you mister Vishal Bharadwaj.
no clichés and most of all is relative and meaningful to the common man of 21st century...Omkara was much better work and each of the characters had a special impression on the audience ...was a very Forceful movie in a nutshell right from the Hijacking start ...for all i know Blue umbrella could have won an Oscar if it was released at the right place and at the right time with of course with the right budget...this is just my side of opinion which in no way overshadows your previous Masterpieces ..u still a genius.
Well they can be ..Kaminey is not the usual bollywood which has come to be recognized with senseless love stories...Its a masterstroke ...a movie which leaves u gasping for breath and asking for more...Shahid finally does it ..
The music is awesome and goes with the flow of the movie.The first half is pretty good but its the second half that blew me away especially the last 20 minutes with the exceptionally well shot climax scenes and the way humor is used even when everybody is shooting bullets.I want to thank Vishal Bhardwaj and the cast and crew of Kaminey for restoring my faith in Bollywood..
U don't expect such movies out of bollywood !If there ever is a word "engaging" in the English dictionary , n if u think of it in terms of screenplay in bollywood ; it has to be Kaminey.I have never seen a more engaging , ferociously fast n splendid screenplay ever for a long long time.Kaminey tells us the story of Two brothers - Guddu ( the sweet innocent boy ) n Charlie ( a local goon who works for the underworld) .
Amol Gupte who plays Bhope typically stands out and makes the villain look crazy enough to start admiring the actor, but then others fail to reach there.Coming back to the twins, i like the character of Shahid both Guddu and Charlie to stand out, like the dialogue in the movie, "Ek Haqlata hai, Doosra (f)Totla hai." In English, "one stammers, the other lisps".
The director manages to use certain styles developed by the two iconic directors and blend them into something that is the cinematic equivalent of tandoori chicken, which for those who don't know, is really tasty.The acting was excellent, Shahid Kapoor truly comes of age as the stuttering Guddu and the lisping Charlie, pulling off the dialogues and mannerisms without a hitch, Priyanka Chopra too was excellent as the fiery Sweety, in fact hers was the stand-out performance of the movie.
As the name suggests this film may seems “kaminey” to all those producers who released their films recently.This film is original,speedy,dark ,humorous and looks international.Vishal Bhardwaj with his previous great films like Omkara and Maqbool already sets a very high standard for himself, again comes out with a great script,.”Kaminey” is the first Indian film with noir texture(Partly).Shahid Kapur who plays twin brother(Guddu and Charlie) one with dark shed and other with light romantic shed, delivers his best ever performance till date.Priyanka chopra plays a bubly crazy but not so stupid girl sweety,also done a great job with perfect marathi mulgi expression and attitude.Amole Gupte(the real man behind Taare Zamen Par)also make a great comeback.Good story with unique twists and great background music (also By Vishal Bhardwaj) makes it really a pleasure to watch.Great lighting and cinematography by Tassaduq Hussain completes its international look and gives another reason to watch that film.The main problem with the film is its bollywood masala ending where all the character comes together and makes a clumsy silly ordinary ending.After great 2hr this ending really disappoints.Another problem is involving too many characters and not able to justify few of them properly(Like Character Played by Rajatava Datta just wasted).Though typical bollywood ending,this film has great substance and really worth a watch.Hats off to Mr Vishal Bhardwaj for such brave and different attempt..
An almost perfect direction and power-packed performances from Shahid Kapur & Priyanka Chopra, make this one of the best movies Bollywood has seen.
Bhardwaj has expended valuable screen time building up characters like 'Tashi the Great' and the crazy Bong brothers — and you see nothing of their individuality or agency in the climax where they supposedly play an important role (this is another area in which the movie falls way short of Reservoir Dogs — a film Kaminey has been compared to — where the explosive climax works precisely because it derives from subtle characterization).