Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama
Year: 2023
Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes
Director: Aasman Bharadwaj
Cast: Tabu, Arjun Kapoor Konkona Sen Sharma, Radhika Madaan, Kumud Mishra, Naseeruddin Shah, Shardul Bharadwaj
Kid rating: PG-15
You might have thought when Kaminey burst upon the scene like a cult classic, that Kuttey was around the corner. Well, we have waited 13 years for it, and post-watch, while it does pass muster, it’s not quite the blockbuster I was hoping for.
The movie is another hairy, madcap, feisty tale populated by low-lifes, or as the film lovingly puts it “kuttey”. The cast of characters includes a crooked cop Gopal Tiwari (Arjun Kapoor) and his right hand man “Paaji” (Kumud Mishra), wily policewoman Pammi Sandra (Tabu), wheelchair-bound gangster Narayan Khobre (Naseeruddin Shah) and his grand-daughter Lovely (Radhika Madaan), Naxalite Laxmi (Konkona Sen Sharma) and her gang. All of these people cross paths when they attempt to steal a large amount of money from the same source. The result is not pretty.
Kuttey is directed by Vishal Bharadwaj’s son Aasman, and while Kuttey is no Kaminey, the lad does show promise. The film’s strength lies in the way it presents its characters to us one by one, and then gradually brings them into the scene of the heist. First one turns up, and then, surprise, there’s another, and another, until they are all in it, battling it out. The motivations – the need for the money are varied – and well portrayed. Also nice, and adding to the drama and the building tension, are the interactions between the characters before the big climax.
The flaw in the film is that it is too hurried – I wish director Bharadwaj had taken the time to build his characters and their backstories, imbue them with some redeeming qualities, and let us pick our favorites, before flinging them all into a death match. As it was, I felt like I’d been pushed into episode 3 of a series, with nary an introduction to the characters.
Honestly I didn’t care too much for any of them save Paaji, Lovely and Laxmi. These three seemed like they might have some goodness deep down in them if you looked very, very carefully, but the rest were all pretty negative. And what fun is it if you don’t actually care about any of them? Yes, they are all kuttey, but were there absolutely no redeeming characteristics to show?
The cast is large and spectacular. Arjun Kapoor is unsurprisingly the weakest link, which is quite a pity because he has so much screen time. Kapoor is passable in romantic roles like “2 States”, even in mildly tension-filled romances like the enjoyable “Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar”, but when a deeper dive is required Arjun isn’t quite your man. Tabu delivers an excellent performance as the shrewd, street-smart Pammi. Kumud Mishra is a marvel even in is his relatively small role, and I felt real sympathy for poor Paaji, pulled willy-nilly into this awful predicament, all wobbly-chinned and wary-eyed. Konkona Sen Sharma and Radhika Madaan in their tiny roles still manage to shine.
The film moves briskly, and builds steadily up to the climax. The ending scene was a bit of a damp squib – you saw it coming a mile away. Kuttey does feel a bit rough around the edges. Hopefully, with time, director Aasman Bharadwaj moves to sophisticated camera angles, and crisper scene executions, but this was a good effort – Kuttey is an interesting film and well worth a watch.
Kidwise: Violent and bloody scenes. Profane language, a general miasma of seedy corruption and some adult situations.
