Sulemani Keeda (2014)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Very well executed

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Indie films are a rarity in India. Rarer still are good ones. Sulemani Keeda is a little film that satires life in the periphery of the film industry. It's a bittersweet tale of how struggling writers' lives unfold in the glitzy by lanes of Mumbai. Some of it is truly hilarious, some profound and a little bit just doesn't make sense. Like any piece of art, it has its imperfect strokes. The story for example, is a tad too simple. Yet, the movie reflects upon certain insider truths of the industry that make for an invigorating experience.This is the story of two writers waiting for their big break. They're dug into the dream of making a film called Sulemani Keeda. But neither has any serious professional guile other than their honest aspiration. They also come with a set of prejudices and stereotypes. Mainak (Mayank Tiwari) for one is the trash talking guy who thinks he's better than the world. Dulal (Naveen Kasturia) on the other hand is a classic case of hesitation getting the upper hand on talent. The two make an unlikely writing pair and you're introduced to their lives as they beg for a chance to the likes of Mahesh Bhatt, Anil Sharma and Amrita Rao. Let's just say their career prospects are borderline pathetic and it doesn't help that the two know nothing about scoring with chicks. But when Dulal meets Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) things seem to change for the better. But they also run in with trouble when Mainak and Dulal decide to write a film for Gonzo Kapoor (Karan Mirchandani). The only big conflict in the film is predictable and yes you could argue that's how the cookie crumbles in real life. But then again, good writing can make fact stranger than fiction. That's what worked for films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaro and Chashme Buddoor. With Sulemani Keeda, it's the dialogues that steal the show. They're funny, quirky and then on moments they're a revelation. The 'perhaps it's time to grow up' line hits you like a rock. Masurkar does a fantastic job with the lines, not so much with the script though.Then to say that visuals could've been better is really nitpicking. End of the day, this is an indie film. It doesn't even have the budget of a commercial b-grade movie. Even so, one has to contend with unimaginative camera work. This point only becomes a subject of criticism because we're talking mainstream exhibition. If Sulemani Keeda had been a niche product one could've overlooked the lack of quality in its imagery. Especially because certain parts show you the team was capable of shooting good frames. But the inconsistency robs the movie of its punch. It's not a major deterrent. But it is enough to put off the average movie viewer.The great thing about the movie though is its cast. Naveen, Mayank, Aditi and Karan are the four pillars on which Masurkar builds his story. Naveen's performance with the subliminal nervous energy and the totally gullible personality is good. Better still is Mayank's performance which shows a character with brazen disregard for the system. He swears everywhere and he's just spearheading into everything he jokes about. These are real characters and the actors do a more than good job. Aditi and Karan are in shorter roles but their performances are superb. Karan especially looks creepily awesome in his Tarkovski inspired role.A special mention to the CGI scene where Karan's character snorts cocaine. This particular scene belongs in such memorable movies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End. This is beyond hilarious. It will give you a stomach ache. A thousand likes to Masurkar for deviating from the norm and having the audacity to try something different. But, a story is the heart and soul of a film. And Sulemani Keeda falls short on that aspect by some margin. Clever writing and word play do save the scene. But then it could've been better.

Sulemani Keeda has been billed as one of India's first mumblecore films, as its low-budget shooting style, amateur actors, naturalistic dialog, and rather plain directing have made it easy to lump into the American-born subgenre (not movement) in filmmaking. If this is any key to where low-budget Indian cinema is headed, I'll be a full-fledged supporter, for this is one of the funniest films of the subgenre I've seen in quite sometime.The film concerns Dulal and Mainak (Naveen Kasturia and Mayank Tewari), two slacker roommates that dream of making it big in the Bollywood film industry one day with their script "Sulemani Keeda" (Hindi for "pain in the ass"). The two wind up going all around their community, being rejected by producers all over, until they finally find the financial and distributional assistance of Gonzo Kapoor (Karan Mirchandani), the drug-addicted son of a famous B-movie producer. He hires them to write a quirky art-house film for his directorial debut, which will serve as the game-plan for the two men to break out into the movie business until Dulal meets Ruma (Aditi Vasudev), a gorgeous photographer, his goals become secondary to pleasing his newfound love interest, much to the dismay of Mainak.Sulemani Keeda has the kind of showbiz comedy that isn't so meta and reliant on the interworkings of Bollywood to remain interesting nor as basic and as insubstantial to resort to dreary comedy clichés. It exists somewhere in the middle; a film that is pleasantly human and memorably comedic, as it focuses on two optimistic but unmotivated men who know they want to create beloved films but have a hard time figuring out how exactly to get said film out to the public.Such a film wouldn't be as successful without the pleasant chemistry of Kasturia and Tewari, who provide Harold and Kumar/Bill and Ted like sensibilities here. They are men engulfed in their own laziness, but pleasantly so, never resorting to malicious tactics but simply caught in their own realm of off-color jokes and goofy nature. Consider when Dulal tries to get the attention of Ruma in a bookstore, upon first meeting her, and the end result is a tragic misunderstanding that has Mainak simply grateful it wasn't him who embarrassed himself.Scenes like this are the gas in Sulemani Keeda's tank, which is a thoroughly pleasant comedy that could very well introduce people to Bollywood in a casual manner. Many Bollywood films are long (some long as seven or eight hours), and here is an eighty-nine minute film that feels more like a cinematic exercise than a formal film. It's a sweet, endearing story of the struggle to make one noticed in a sea of independent talent and corporate-controlled industry, and Kasturia and Tewari work to give the film a rare, lively spark of unbridled chemistry that charms as much as the simple script and basic shooting methods of a memorable, foreign comedy.Starring: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev, and Karan Mirchanadani. Directed by: Amit V. Masurkar.

I watched Sulemani Keeda in an almost empty theatre and throughout the film I just kept asking the question: Why? Before I begin writing anything about the merits/demerits of the movie, I must say that we need more movies like this. The story of Sulemani Keeda is nothing to go gaga over but the almost non existential direction in its depiction of friendship gives it a conspicuously vicarious emotion; almost nostalgic at times. The story starts with a couple of aspiring writers trying to make it big in the big bad world of Bollywood. Dulal played by an excellent Navin Kasturia marvelously underplays his character. His naivety in many scenes makes you root for him. And, Mayank Tewari playing Mainak, complementing the almost tangible innocence of the Dulal with his loudmouth and unkempt attitude makes us believe the character even more. In one particular scene of the movie, Mainak recites a profane poem in a bar with gusto and 'I don't give a damn' attitude just after Dulal had read a poignant poem. The scene becomes extremely sweet and corny in equal measures. The title 'Sulemani Keeda' refers to the title of the film which Mainak and Dulal desperately want to write. In the pursuit of becoming writers, they meet with a producer's son called Gonzo (Yeah, the name is enough to crack you up) who is hell bent on making Bollywood film in Eastern European style cinema with full frontal male nudity. What ensue are some really funny scenes and an emotional one towards the end. The love track between Dulal and Ruma (Aditi Vasudev) is a sweet and introspective one. The discussion between them inspires Dulal to not succumb to the societal pressures but chase his dreams. Ruma's pragmatism makes you appreciate the character. The film's bare bones depiction of friendship, the anguish of lost love and most importantly the struggle to make it big on your own terms resonates long after the movie is over. It is mature and fun in equal parts. The only problem I had with the film was its ending. It felt like a desperate attempt to make the film unconventional and hatke. It certainly could have been different. This minor qualm aside, the film is a little gem and definitely deserves a watch. ~Shubham Rakheja

Yet another pseudo film. Shabbily shot and written, This boring film about two young screen writing pals looking to trade their TV job for a ticket to Bollywood is transformed into boring young urban comedy, The title has limited appeal to smart local audiences who recognize the writers' hangouts in the western Mumbai suburbs and get the inside jokes. The writers also wander around Bollywood offices futilely trying to peddle their script until they stumble upon Gonzo Kapoor (the well-cast Karan Mirchandani), a muscular playboy whose producer-father is willing to bankroll a vehicle to launch his aging heir. There isn't that much here that's narratively new and poor direction doesn't help either. Complete avoid.