Kaamyaab (2020)

Kaamyaab Review: Written by Yogeswaran Ganapathy @moviemanyogi

Ratings: 4/5

Synopsis: An everlasting ode to the pillars of movies – The character Artists.

The opening sequence of Kaamyaab shows a montage of the films in which Sudhir (Sanjay Mishra) has played the role of character artists. The montage ends with one of his most recognisable dialogues “Enjoying life; aur Option kya hai “. But ironically, his present life is anything but that. He is remembered as that guy who played that part but not as THE guy who played THE part. That is beautifully captured by the way he is presented on screen for the first time. He is in the middle of screen but out of focus. That’s what the life of any character artist is. 

He realises that he has acted in 499 movies. The idea of doing a 500th movie crops up. He wants to ensure that his legacy is not just lost in few seconds of WhatsApp forwards but a memorable one. And thus begins a new journey towards the elusive 500th film of his life!

Enjoying life; Aur Kya hai.

The direction of Hardik Mehta is supported by the his solid writing. The Bollywood industry is explored with a gaze that would make us laugh and cry with same intensity. He also makes pleasent little tributes to all the character artists, which added the nostalgic feel to the film. The dialogues by Radhika Anand deserve a special shout out for aiding the screenplay in a very good way. Comedy is sprinkled in right doses and issues such as casting couch, nepotism are touched upon in subtle ways throughout the film.

Deepak Dobriyal, Manoj Bakshi – the supporting cast of the main ‘Supporting star’ did their best. Isha Talwar appears in a few scenes but has great impact on the character arc of the lead actor. The first half is breezy and the second half is where the conflicts are explored. The family of the Sudhir forms the emotional conflicts. The interactions with the daughter are staged to give us an emotional urge. Sudhir removes his fake make up and reveals his real face to the world in only two brilliantly written sequences. Only Sanjay Mishra could have convincingly pulled off both the scenes with such ease.

Enjoying life; Aur Option Kya hai.

People only remember about the Sun that appears during the day, but not the stars that are present all the time. Such is the case with film stars and character artists. The fact that Gauri Khan produced Kaamyaab is bitter sweet, as most people noticed the film because Shah Rukh Khan and his company Red Chillies Entertainment’s name was attached to the film; which in itself is ironic. The last one minute of the film surely raises the bar of how films make you breathless with just one mind boggling moment. Kaamyab is definitely a resounding kaamyab.

Poster courtesy: www.imdb.com