“Kaamyaab” Review: A Bittersweet Tale Of Unsung Background Artists

Kaamyaab revolves around a background actor who has essayed a number of blink-and-you-miss-it roles in hundreds of films over the years.

Sanjay Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal play important characters in director Hardik Mehta’s film, presented by superstar Shah Rukh Khan though his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment. Let us find out what Kaamyaab is all about.

Story: Sudheer (Sanjay Mishra) is a nearly-forgotten background actor who seems to have completely forgotten his worth and achievements. One fine day, a Bollywood reporter visits him at his residence to interview him. Sudheer answers her questions nonchalantly, flashing a fake smile on his face.

However, his eyes light up when the reporter tells him that he is just one film away from completing 500. Upon learning the same, Sudheer decides to make a comeback and go before cameras again and achieve the feat of completing 500 films. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Critical Analysis: Kaamyaab is a Hardik Mehta directorial, who has previously made a documentary, Amdavad Ma Famous, which won the National Award for the Best Non-Feature Film in 2015. He makes his Bollywood debut with Kaamyaab, which bears no similarity with the work that he has done before. It is great to see that he chose a subject which is heart-warming and searing to enter Bollywood.

Apart from its fluid writing, what stands out the most in the film is its apt casting. Award-winning actor Sudhir Mishra, who himself has played a sidekick in several Bollywood films, is at the centre of stage here. He plays the lead character of Sudheer, who is trying to resurrect his career after leaving the industry years ago, as naturally as possible. He is a delight to watch on the screen in the perfectly fleshed-out character.

Coming to Deepak Dobariyal, he is bang-on in the character of casting director Dinesh Gulati. Dobariyal is an underutilized actor and his talent has hardly been tapped into. But director Hardik Mehta manages to take the best out of him. We hope to see him more in movies where his talent is put to good use. Actress Isha Talwar also leaves a lasting impression with her performance.

Kaamyaab is a slow-placed film, so you need to be patient before you start connecting to it. Cinematography, make-up and costumes deserve special mention for making the film what it is. Editing could have been better.

Final Verdict: Kaamyaab gives you extraordinary insights into the volatile lives of thousands of junior artists working in the film industry. Actor Sanjay Mishra delivers a remarkable performance. Deepak Dobariyal as a casting director proves his mettle, too. Overall, Kaamyaab is an entertaining and, at the same time, an eye-opening film which does deserve a watch. I am going with 3.5 stars.

Movie Credits

Banner: Red Chillies Entertainment, Drishyam Films
Director: Hardik Mehta
Casting: Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Isha Talwar, Nasirr Khan
Runtime: 2 Hours
STARBIZ Rating: 3.5 Stars

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