Well, Bollywood is now more than a 100 years old. Right from the very beginning, there were stories or should I say fixed templates of the ‘hero’ successfully triumphing over the ‘villain’. And thus, the Bollywood Hero has been worshipped since the start. In fact, from our own childhood we are fed with the information that ‘jahaan mauka mile hero bano'(become a hero whenever an opportunity arises). But what fails to meet the eye is that the so called hero is ably supported by ‘other’ actors in a film. One such story is brought to us this week in Kaamyaab. Now, I had an option to watch Baaghi 3 too but I chose the underdog over this….was my attempt at gambling Kaamyaab?…lets find out.

Kaamyaab is the satirical story of a yesteryears side actor who(along with other side actors) is given the term Aaloo( citing the reason that Aaloo toh kisi ke saath bhi chal jaata hai). One day, he comes to know that he has completed 499 films in his career. And so his quest begins to sign off with a bang with his 500th film. The story is simple yet incredibly good. And the screenplay! One of the best ever written in recent times! It makes you laugh, it makes you cry and it makes you ponder long after the drama is over. It could so easily have been a dark film, instead it is light hearted in its treatment yet impactful in the message that it intends to deliver. And the Big Bad World of Bollywood is shown in a way that it is as real as it gets without labelling it as “bad”. And the finale just elevates the film to another level, with you wanting to applaude yet stirring your gut enough to make you teary eyed! Full marks to the writers! The dialogues are on point and few of them stay with you long after the movie is over! The city and the film industry are also represented well through the dialogues. The character of Isha Talwar in a scene says ” Mumbai bohot hi bura shehar hai. Yeh rejection ki aadat dalwa deta hai”. So relatable and true!! Music blends well with the mood of the film and the background score is quite awesome. Debutant Director Hardik Mehta(who was the script consultant in many movies like Lootera) seems to know the film industry so well. And that reflects in his direction. He has hit the ball out of the park with his direction!

Before I get to the performances, I want to bring your attention to the fact that in all my reviews(if you have ever noticed), I begin the performance section by mentioning the actors who have lent support, making my way to the so called stars. This is because I truely feel that those actors don’t get the credit that they deserve(leave alone that, many don’t even know their names at times). And so I do my bit to mention them before any of the stars. So over to the performances…Isha Talwar in a cameo has looked pretty and is a natural on screen. Avtar Gill playing himself has nailed his role to perfection. Akashdeep Arora is wonderfully sedate. Sarika Singh has done a fine job as Bhavana. Deepak Dobriyal has once again proved what a fine yet underrated actor he is. Excellent performance. There are a few actors who have played themselves(also a take on the roles that they have been doing, whether they are type cast or smaller inconsequential roles) like Guddi Maruti, Birbal, Lilliput, Ramesh Goyal, the late Viju Khote, Nasirr that deserve a mention! And there is Sanjay Mishra in a performance of a lifetime. He has such a great range as a performer and he literally doesn’t miss a single beat in his performance. Trust me, I have watched many memorable performances, but I can’t remember the last time that I have witnessed a performance of this level. The best in recent times(mind you I have watched and reviewed many performances of Ranbir Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajkumarr Rao, Irrfan, Ranveer Singh but none have been this perfect)! You root for him throughout especially in the climax where he commands your attention and forces you to applaude! I could go on and on and on but it is a performance to be studied and savoured!

Pitted against Baaghi 3, I am not sure how far this movie will go but Kaamyaab is an absolute must watch and a crime if you skip it. Such movies do require your support and the only way to do so is watch it in a theatre near you. As Sanjay Mishra in a scene says, ‘Audience sirf hero ko yaad rakhti hai, hum jaise kalakaaron ko nahi’. How true is that! I am glad I chose this over Baaghi 3, how I wish many of you would too!

PS : Many of you would say that your favourite actor is Pankaj Tripathi, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor or Sanjay Mishra. Sadly, when it comes to watching their movies in a theatre, there aren’t too many takers! Read that again!