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Kaamyaab Movie Review: Sanjay Mishra's Heartfelt Ode To Unsung Actors Ticks All The Right Boxes
'Inhe dawa ki nahi, dua ki zaroorat', 'Beta aaj agar tumhare pitaji agar zinda hote toh', 'Police ne tumhe charo taraf se gher liya hai'...these are some of the most clichéd Bollywood dialogues which are still quite popular with the crowd. But do you remember the names or faces of the actors who mouthed these dialogues on the big screen? Hardik Mehta's Kamyaab is heavily inspired by the life story of these artistes.
What's Yay: Story, Performances, Dialogues
What's Nay: Post interval, the film wobbles at a few places.
Popcorn Refill: Interval
Iconic Moment: The scene where Sudheer (Sanjay Mishra) and his young neighbour (played by Isha Talwar), both drunk and down, bond over the pain of rejection and poke fun at the plagiarism in the music industry, speaks of some poignant writing.
Plot
Kaamyaab begins with Sudheer (Sanjay Mishra), a nearly-forgotten character actor being interviewed by a Bollywood reporter at his residence. While the interviewer tries to hide her indifference behind her fake smile, Sudheer too, churns lazy answers to her.
However, his eyes light up when he is told by her that he is just one film short of completing 500. In a bid to finally attain his moment of glory, Sudheer decides to complete his 500th appearance on screen.
He pulls out his wig, dons his starry avatar and reaches out to his old friend and casting director Gulati (Deepak Dobariyal). But things have changed in the industry since Sudheer last worked. "Yeh purane chawal se risotto banana bohot mushkil hota hai," Gulati tells his assistants when they audition him for a role in a historical film. Eventually, Sudheer bags that part. However little does he know that his struggle is yet to end.
Direction
In one of the early scenes in Kaamyaab, the protagonist Sudheer equates the versatility of character actors with that of an 'aloo' which can be relished alone or with any other vegetable. Director Hardik Mehta pays a fitting tribute to character artistes who have faded into oblivion or ended in tragedy.
With his well-researched writing and dialogues packed with a punch, the filmmaker throws bright light on actors who were reduced to sidekicks in Hindi films. The story is relatable and takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions.
On the flip side, the climax comes across as a bit abrupt despite its emotional message.
Performances
It's an irony that Sanjay Mishra's character in the film resonates with its real life and the talented actor impresses from the first frame till the last one. Be it his funny liners or emotional moments, he creates a solid impact with his acting prowess.
Deepak Dobriyal as the glib casting director, is brilliantly cast and does complete justice to what has been offered to him on paper.
Sarika Singh and Isha Talwar lend a good support to the film.
It's an absolute delight and some major nostagia bytes when actors from the past like Late. Viju Khote, Birbal, Lilliput, Guddi Maruti, Avatar Gill make an appearance on the big screen.
Technical Aspects
Piyush Puty's cinematography perfectly captures every mood of the film. Prasanth Ramchandran's editing has some rough ends especially towards the climax.
Music
Rachita Arora's music works well for Kaamyaab. While there isn't much scope for songs in this Sanjay Mishra-starrer, 'Tim Tim' in Bappi Lahiri's vocals makes for a hummable tune.
Verdict
Sanjay Mishra's character has a popular catchphrase in the film which says, 'Enjoying life aur option kya hain'. If you are a cinephile fed on a staple of films from 70s, 80s and 90s, you will feel a warm rush of memories that make you smile, shed a tear and even ponder, while watching this earnest ride.
We give 3.5 stars out of 5 for Sanjay Mishra's Kaamyaab.
