Vishal Bhardwaj ’s Kaminey , like most Hindi films these days, does not have any place or need for songs in its narrative. It is a Guy Ritc...
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey, like most Hindi films these days, does not have any place or need for songs in its narrative. It is a Guy Ritchie-style crime caper that follows the events of one day at breakneck speed. And yet, unlike most Hindi films that do not need songs these days, it has a stellar soundtrack.
Not all of these tunes are done justice to visually by Bhardwaj. Two songs are lip-synced to in sequences forced into the narrative, two are chopped up and used as background score, and a solid romantic ballad is wasted in the end credits. Bhardwaj has composed for all his films so far. Usually, these songs are fantastic, but Bhardwaj’s filmmaking style seldom allow them to visually bloom on the screen.
Being a densely plotted film featuring several prominent characters, Kaminey is all the more unsuitable to have space for a song sequence. The soundtrack has, however, found a life beyond the film. Dhan Te Nan, an instant chartbuster at the time, as well as the lush Pehli Baar Mohabbat, are modern classics.
But the best song is the title track sung by Bhardwaj. Kaminey is named so because the crooks, gangsters and cops in the film are all morally bent, and even the most innocent characters are pushed...
