Hindi
13 Jan 2023 | A | 108 Mins
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Kuttey Review: An enthralling Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Kumud Mishra film that doesn’t optimise its potential (Pic Credit: T-Series / YouTube)
Aasmaan Bhardwaj’s caper - Kuttey - is largely driven by a common human emotion, which is greed and the never ending lust for money. It begins with Gopal (Arjun Kapoor) and Paaji (Kumud Mishra) landing themselves into trouble, their attempt to bail out of it - and while they are at it, the destiny entagles them with a few more characters and a van loaded with money - which to them looks like a solution for all their problems. Do they truly manage to find a way out, or does Narayan Khobre (Naseeruddin Shah), Pammi (Tabu), Laxmi (Konkona Sensharma), Lovely (Radhika Madan) and Danny’s (Shardul Bhardwaj) interest and interference lead them all in a fierce situation? Watch the film to find out!
What truly works for me in this Bhushan Kumar, Luv Ranjan and Vishal Bhardwaj backed movie is its last 20 minutes. While the film struggles to get you invested in the first half, it picks up pace in the latter portion of the film, especially when it accelerates towards the climax. All the pieces truly begin to come together as the film gravitates towards its end, only to fall apart once again in the finale. This sudden momentum in the narrative keeps you on the edge, while making you wonder about the lack of it in the initial portion of the project.
Having said that, the overall treatment of the film is unique, impactful and rare in the Hindi film space, and kudos to director and writer Aasmaan Bhardwaj for pulling that off. Yes, the concept of greed, ambition and betrayal isn’t new, but it has been packaged in a way which sets the story apart. Dialogues penned by Vishal Bhardwaj stand out. Like Konkona’s “Sirf Tum Aur Tumhara Malik Desh Nahin Hai, Hum Bhi Hai’ makes you think, and few one liners like Tabu’s commentary on men, will crack you up.
Another highlight of Kuttey is its music and background score composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. When a few scenes struggle to hold your attention in the first half, it is the BGM which helps it hold its ground. Music is top notch as well, and has the potential to eventually grow on the audience. My personal favourite from the album is “Tere Saath”, which is penned by Gulzar, and sung by Vishal Bhardwaj and Kiran and Nivi. It is as soulful as it can get. Director of Photography (DOP) Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi’s lens brings the world of Kuttey alive, production designers Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty stay true to the look and feel of Kuttey, and costume designer Karishma Sharma too has done justice with her and the director’s apparel vision for the characters.
What doesn’t work in the favour of the film is its elongated screenplay. All the characters in Kuttey are quirky, and the narrative takes its own sweet time to establish their individual features, while also taking the story forward. This sometimes makes the viewer impatient for what’s to follow. Furthermore, Ashish Vidyarthi’s character adds nothing to the overall story, and that whole part alongwith Tabu’s frog and scorpion story could have been completely eliminated. Maybe, another way could have been found to establish what that scene wanted to convey, because the existing one is long and pompous. Editor A. Sreekar Prasad could have helped screenplay writer Aasmaan Bhardwaj and additional screenplay writer Vishal Bhardwaj in sharpening these portions. Action choreographed by Harpal Singh and Anton Moon looks caricaturish.
Arjun Kapoor gives a sincere performance as Gopal, and is able to convey the emotions through his craft. Tabu, Konkona Sensharma, Kumud Mishra deliver a very controlled performance that speaks volumes of their experience and expertise as actors. Naseeruddin Shah leaves an impact in his limited screen time, while Radhika Madan and Shardul Bhardwaj shine as their respective characters. In fact, Radhika’s growth as an actress is truly remarkable.
Overall, Kuttey does entertain and enthral, but in parts. The film was capable of a lot more and doesn’t optimise its potential.
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