Dharam-ji has made a career out of Kaminey: Priyan

By Joginder Tuteja

When it comes to Bollywood releases, time and again one hears a declaration from the makers that 'audiences should leave their brains behind before stepping into auditorium'.

However, Priyanka Chopra makes an exception and insists that her latest release Kaminey respects the intelligence of the audiences and wants them to bring their brains to the theaters.

Talking to Joginder Tuteja, she admits that Kaminey stays true to the title with quite a few 'kamina' characters in the film. She also talks about Guy Ritchie world of film making in the narrative of kaminey and also the various twists and turns that the movie takes.

First things first. Weren't you flabbergasted when Vishal Bhardwaj came to you with a film that had a title like Kaminey?
[Laughs] Frankly, I thought that he was joking. However, soon I realized that he was indeed very serious. Only he could have dared to come out with something like this. I guess he is the biggest 'kamina' amongst us all and that shows in his work.

Apparently, Gulzar approved the title as well.
Yes, him giving his nod to the title was some reassurance as well. Vishal is a big fan of Gulzar saab and when he said that he was fine with the film's title as Kaminey, there were no doubts whatsoever.

Since Kaminey is a plural world, would it be right to assume that it's not just Shahid Kapoor but even you who turns out to be a 'kameena' in the film?
Actually every character in the film is a 'kamina' except for one.

Can you reveal who is this person? Or is a suspense element?
No, it's not really a suspense element but why don't you check it out for yourself?

This year we have seen 'kaala bandar' and 'kaala naag' as a metaphor of sorts in films like Delhi 6 and Videsh - Heaven on Earth. Does the term Kaminey too substitute as a metaphor by any means?
No, not at all. There is no metaphor business here. The word is used straight and simple as 'kaminey' in the true sense that we use it. It stays honest to its meaning. The film is an action caper with comedy and stays on to be a fun ride.

(Laughs) In fact during the first half of the film, you would wonder what the film is all about and where is it heading. It is only later that the entire drama starts unfolding and there is some resolution to the entire guessing game that audiences had indulged themselves in.

There have been questions raised around the film's title though.
I don't really see Kaminey as abusive-abusive in the true sense. We make statements like 'kitna kameena aadmi hai yeh' or 'kitni kameeni harkat kari hai isne' in our daily language. And come on, what are we really talking about. After all Dharam-ji has made a career out of this word! (Smiles)

One look at the promos of the film and you are led to believe that Kaminey is following a Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino brand of filmmaking. How much of that is true?
Well yes, Kaminey does enter a similar space as that of Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino. The film is first of its kind experience at least in Indian cinema. Kaminey has an altogether new and different approach to story telling and at least I don't remember any such film being made before.

Director Ahmed Khan did try to do a Snatch with Fool N Final though with not-so-positive results.
I haven't seen the film so can't really comment on that. As far as I know, Kaminey is the first time when we have gone all out with a narrative like this.

So are we looking at a linear narrative for the film? Or we would be witnessing quite a few layers to Kaminey?
It's a film about two brothers and what happens to them in the course of a day. There are lot of layers and lot of sub tracks in Kaminey.

Yes, all of it does tie up all in the end. While you are playing the guessing game, you can't predict that what's going to happen next. The film is like Ram and Shyam on speed.

You know, the old school kind of stories where there is an 'achcha bhai' and a 'bura bhai'! Kudos to Vishal since only he could have thought something like this. There are so many characters in the film and he has made them all so real.

Does that make Kaminey a complex affair?
Not complex but then it doesn't facilitate spoon feeding for sure. It's high time that we stop thinking that audiences ko kuch samajh nahi aayega jab tak saari baatein clearly nahi batayenge!

Let's move away from this mentality because we are the same people who love such cinema from Hollywood that allows audiences to use their brains judiciously.

Then why don't we apply the same thought when it comes to Bollywood flicks too? Why do we under estimate the intelligence of our audiences?