'Kuttey' movie review: Poetic and dark

Kuttey

Hindi (Theatres)

Director: Aasmaan Bhardwaj

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Tabu, Arjun Kapoor, Kumud Mishra

Rating: 3/5

Aasmaan Bhardwaj’s ‘Kuttey’ blends his father Vishal Bhardwaj’s poetic and dark directorial style with a dash of Quentin Tarantino.

The production quality, perhaps, is the only distinction between Sr Bhardwaj’s ‘Kaminey’ (2009) and his son’s latest flick. ‘Kaminey’ revolved around the crooks and delinquents in the underbelly of Mumbai. ‘Kuttey’ is like waking up with a hangover of ‘Kaminey’, except it bombs in many ways, including the screenplay, which seems like it was borrowed from Vishal — a laureate of lowlife.

The inclusion of musical cues from ‘Kaminey’ also gives the impression of a reprise of the 2009 film. The audience may equate the gore and bloodshed with Tarantino’s style of filmmaking.

The film’s positive reception was understated before its release, but its political undertones and references ridiculing the mainstream TV media make it a genuine delight to watch, despite a predictable storyline.

Curiously, the title, ‘Kuttey’, is derived from a classic nazm by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

The film covers a wide range of topics — from the Maoist struggle to rogue cops and the Mumbai mafia. Arjun Kapoor is perhaps the film’s weakest link, but the performances of veterans like Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Kumud Mishra, and others compensate for the Kapoor scion’s shortcomings.

The film’s advice to focus “less on logic and more on character” sums up the Maoists’ choice to camp in one of the most notoriously Bougie districts around Mumbai, among a larger group of conundrums.

‘Kuttey’ is crude and repetitive, yet unapologetic and fiery, and has the potential to keep viewers captivated to the screen.

Overall, it’s a decent watch and a much-needed film with hushed political tones that aren’t as serious and logical as they could be.