Movie review: Kaamyaab charts the life of a yesteryear character actor

"I am an artist, not a hero," says the protagonist of Har Kisse Ke Hisse... Kaamyaab, Sudheer (played by Sanjay Mishra) and that is precisely the crux of the movie. 
Premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, the film written and directed by Indian national award winning director Hardik Mehta tells the story of a yesteryear actor who tries to get back to sets to fulfil his dream of 500th film.
The film is realistic, offers a sneak peek to industry insiders as well as newbies and is highly relatable.
Produced by Drishyam Films and distributed by Red Chilles Entertainment, the independent movie with the blessings of veteran actor Shah Rukh Khan, also portrays the changing dynamics of audience's taste in content.
Personal space, its struggles and limits, is depicted beautifully with the protagonist hearing tales of those living alone and his daughter constantly discouraging his lifestyle.
The film opens with a journalist interviewing the yesteryear actor Sudheer and telling him about the online platform IMDB which has a list of all 499 movies he had been part of.
He soon begins dreaming to make a mark by playing one more role and rounding the count of his films to 500. And then the struggle begins.
Sudheer meets industry newbies who are unaware of who he is, as well meets contemporaries who mock at him for his past roles.
A casting director, Gulati (played by Deepak Dobriyal) comes to help Sudheer and secures a role. Unaware of the shooting set rules which had changed in the years he had stayed apart, he messes up while trying to play the role and is busted. 
He still tries to pursue his dream but is constantly disappointed. As the film reaches its climax, Sudheer hurries to the annual school function of his happiness molecule, his granddaughter, where the chief guest is late. He is asked to keep the audience entertained and pulls out a stunning performance. Yet, when the hero arrives, he is ignored and the pain you feel as a spectator is deep.
The film connects on a deeper level of nostalgia and tells how it works in a society. Its resemblance to Oscar-winning Birdman is also uncanny.
The use of natural lights according to moods and depiction of confined spaces are beautifully framed by cinematographer Piyush Puty. The film also follows thorough colour-coded cinematic grammar and is easy on the eye and grasps your heart deep. The way Hardik makes a cinematic necklace out of nostalgic beads is a fulfilling watch for the soul.
sameeha@khaleejtimes.com 
 
Kaamyaab
Director: Hardik Mehta 
Cast: Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Isha Talwar