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HomeFeaturesArjun Kapoor and Tabu starrer Kuttey is an assortment of guns, gangs...

Arjun Kapoor and Tabu starrer Kuttey is an assortment of guns, gangs and gaalis

Debutant director Aasmaan Bhardwaj holds the mix of performances and Gulzar’s stellar lyrics. But the best bit are the dialogues written by Vishal Bhardwaj.

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Aasmaan Bhardwaj’s directorial debut Kuttey is a call back to his father Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey (2009). It is not just the latter’s music, especially ‘Dhan Te Nan’, that courses through the film at various moments, but also the setting. Kuttey is about a gang of corrupt policemen who are referred to as “dogs” or, more specifically, gangs of “gully dogs”. The 108-minute runtime swiftly passes by as the twists keep you hooked.

As the movie starts, there is a scene that seems to be an ode to Quentin Tarantino’s iconic massacre at the House of Blue Leaves in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). Divided neatly into a prologue, epilogue, and three chapters, it draws from Aesop’s fable-like story, except it is quite literally a “dog eat dog” world.

The twisted story full of unscrupulous and trigger-happy characters unfolds on a rainy day on the outskirts of Mumbai. They hatch a plan to rob a van carrying cash meant for the ATMs in the city. When three separate gangs clash while trying to commit the same robbery, bullets and chaos fly. The world of mayhem begins in the very first minute and continues right up until the end.


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Power-packed characters

The ensemble cast is led by the ever-exceptional Tabu, who plays tough-as-nails and gaali-spouting Poonam, aka Pammi Sandhu. Apart from flawlessly dominating every scene she appears in, Tabu also brings most of the comic relief in the film. Konkona Sen Sharma as Naxalite leader Laxmi has limited screen time, as does Naseeruddin Shah as a Mumbai don, but both own each frame they are in. Kumud Mishra, who has recently been doing a lot of interesting roles, delivers another stellar performance.

Mishra plays Paaji, a cop who is simultaneously loyal and corrupt. He still has a bit of a moral compass, as opposed to the rest of the policemen in the film. His jugalbandi (joint performance) with both Gopal (Arjun Kapoor) and Poonam is enjoyable.

Kapoor brings glimpses of the promise he showed in Ishaqzaade (2012). His body language is on point and he manages to keep up with Tabu and Mishra.

Radhika Madan as Lovely and Shardul Bharadwaj as Navi are forbidden lovers out to secure a dream future, and they get embroiled in the cops’ plan to rob the cash-laden van. Madan manages to exude equal parts defiance and vulnerability in her performance as the daughter of a crime lord destined to a life she does not want.


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Multiverse of madness

The screenplay by Aasmaan Bhardwaj is not top tier, but it is held together by the mix of performances, Gulzar’s stellar lyrics, and Vishal Bhardwaj’s background score. But the best bit of Kuttey are the dialogues written by Vishal Bhardwaj. They hold the rapid twists and the characters together. 

Bringing in the popular heartland folklore of a frog and a scorpion, Aasmaan’s screenplay may have madness, but it also has method. He holds his own in directing the wide array of characters and the side plots and chaos that ensue. Every reference to dogs is used in the movie and quirk and eccentricity are keywords when it comes to characters and the situations they keep getting into.

In an interview, Aasmaan said that the worlds of Kaminey and Kuttey might come together if there is a story that connects the two. That is a multiverse that Bollywood would benefit by.

(Edited by Tarannum Khan)

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