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Kaamyaab

Starring Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal,Sareeka Singh

Written & Directed by Hardik Mehta

Kaamyaab is a very rare and precious film. It takes us into the lives of those unsung senior artistes who are not ‘junior artistes’—that derogatory term given to the blur of people who stands in crowds – but aren’t stars neither.

We could call them the Nowhere People, na idhar ke na udhar ke…Think about Om Prakash, Kanhaiyalal, Manmohan Krishna, Nasir Hussain, Iftiker,…They are all gone remembered for the way they blended into the fabric of the films that they kept appearing in with stubborn persistence. Kaamyaab has quaint cameo space for all the fringe players. In fact the film is dedicated to one of them Viju Khote who passed away in October 2019.

But the film belongs to Sanjay Mishra who plays Sudheer a bit player like the potato in a vegetable dish which...

“I always believe that my films should give some hope to the man who comes to watch them for those three hours. If he goes home on an optimistic note, I would feel satisfied at having done my duty.” – Yash Chopra

It was indeed a sad day when news spread that one of India’s finest filmmakers, Mr. Yash Chopra, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 80. Mr. Chopra is an undisputable legend and he has crafted some of the finest commercial films the Bollywood audiences have ever feasted their eyes upon. If Satyajit Ray is considered by Indian film enthusiasts to be the supreme director when it comes to art-house cinema, Yash Chopra can be classified as the definitive director when it comes to mainstream cinema. Yash Chopra is largely famous for making wonderful romantic films, though he has directed a handful of non-romantic films also. Yet no director...

Click above for more movie stills This one's a crucial week for the makers of Luck By Chance and Victory. Note the similarities between the two films: Both are helmed by first-time directors [Zoya Akhtar and Ajitpal Mangat, respectively] and both happen to be based on the two major passions of Indians [Bollywood and cricket, respectively]. Coincidentally, the films also happen to be the second release of the lead men [Farhan Akhtar, after Rock On!! and Harman Baweja, after Love Story 2050]. But not many are aware that the two films were never meant to star the actors who we see on billboards today. Not many know that Zoya Akhtar was supposed to start Luck By Chance way back in 2002, with Vivek Oberoi and Tabu enacting principal roles [enacted by Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma eventually]. But the project never went on floors. Zoya tried to start afresh with several actors, but something would always go wrong at the last minute. "Perhaps, the actors would develop cold feet since the protagonist has grey shades," Farhan confides. Zoya aborted the idea...

Click above for more movie stills Is Victory based on Dhoni or Sehwag's life? Does Harman Baweja's character in the film bear a striking resemblance to these two icons? That's the rumour floating around! "Not true," Victory director Ajitpal Mangat clarifies, "The only similarity is that like some of our cricketers, Vijay Shekhawat [the role enacted by Harman in Victory] hails from a small town. In fact, I'd say it's the story of an underdog, who rises from ashes to glory." Victory is a make-or-break film for both Ajitpal and lead man Harman. Having dabbled in acting and later, directing ad films, Ajitpal decided to try his hand at film-making. "The script of Victory was ready way back in 2000. Much later, when I narrated the story to Manmohan Shetty, my mentor, he suggested that I should not only direct the film, but also produce it. Manmohan-ji also suggested Harman for the project and when I met him,...