Indian National Award-winning director Nishikant Kamat, who died on August 17 in Hyderabad after battling a chronic liver ailment, was a master of weaving skilful vigilante films and action-fuelled thrillers.
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If his Hindi film ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ (2008) explored the Mumbai terror bombings, then his more recent project ‘Drishyam’, starring Ajay Devgn as a doting father who covers up a murder, was a faithful adaptation of Malayalam director Jeethu Jospeh’s blockbuster of the same name.
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The director was particularly effective in films that had anti-establishment heroes driving the narrative. He also starred in ‘Bhavesh Joshi Superhero’, a tale about a caped crusader starring Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor. His collaboration with John Abraham in ‘Force’ packed a punch. He’s particularly good at showing narrative that expose the apathy and corruption in a state. As a tribute to the director, here are a few film that you can re-visit to celebrate his short, but eventful career in the world of entertainment.
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Drishyam: Director Nishikant Kamat did a splendid job of recreating the magic seen in Malayalam blockbuster ‘Drishyam’, starring Mohanlal. In Kamat’s version it was consummate actor Ajay Devgn who played a middle-class father who goes to great lengths to protect his family from a sexual predator. Just like the original, the Hindi adaptation of ‘Drishyam’ was filled with suspense, intrigue and drama. While purists may argue that this isn’t an original work, there’s no denying that Kamat was good at being faithful to the original and not ruining it by tweaking it too much. Certain characters and situations were tinkered upon, but the movie is still entertaining. Watch this for Devgn’s top act too.
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Force: Starring John Abraham as supercop ACP Yashwardhan, this was the remake of Tamil blockbuster ‘Khakha Khakha’. Abraham was well cast as a tough, super-hero like cop who could demolish his enemies with his brains and brawn. But things go awry in his professional life, when the loner cop falls in love with a vivacious young woman, played ably by Genelia Deshmukh. The movie moves at a brisk pace and it looks like director Kamat had his pulse on what commercial action-filled blockbusters are all about. Watch this for Abraham’s top action and drama.
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Bhavesh Joshi Superhero: This film wasn’t directed by Nishikant Kamat, but he played a crucial role in this film that unfortunately didn’t come together as a whole. Director Vikramaditya Motwane’s intentions were noble as he set out to make a vigilante film about a young man who fights for justice when his best friend is murdered. The expose on the state’s moral bankruptcy and corruption was interesting at first, but the movie requires audiences to be patient as it’s incredibly slow paced. While actor Harshvardhhan Kapoor is earnest, he wasn’t always successful in engaging viewers. But it was a brave attempt by Kamat to play a pivotal role in this experimental film.
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Mumbai Meri Jaan: This film is one of Kamat’s most splendid works. The movie, starring R Madhavan and Soha Ali Khan, is a grim reminder of the devastation that a terror attack can do to the civilians of a city. Based on the serial train bombings in Mumbai in July 2006, the movie is seen through the lens of multiple lives. How does an act of terror rock the existence of a cross-section of Mumbaikars? If you want to truly remember and honour Kamat, make sure to re-visit this film fuelled by supremely confident performances by R Madhavan, Paresh Rawal and Soha Ali Khan.
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Madaari: It’s a tale about a common man, played brilliantly by the late acting legend Irrfan Khan. It chronicled the voiceless man’s fight against corrupt government forces and how he resorts to extremely violent measure to gain the state’s attention. It may be a typical new-age vigilante films, but the frustration and the fury of a common man is wonderfully articulated in this film. Khan as the kidnapper Nirmal Kumar is bang on target, while actor Jimmy Shergill and Anupam Kher as cops are equally good at this cat and mouse game.
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Dombivali Fast: It was clear that Marathi director Nishikant Kamat had a strong inclination towards making anti-establishment and vigilante films. This movie earned him the first National Award honour of his career — for Best Feature Film in Marathi. The tale of an honest, middle-class bank employee Madhav Apte who takes matters into his own hands because of the unending corruption around him forms the spine of this celebrated Marathi film. Kamat directed the Tamil remake of the movie, called ‘Evano Oruvan’, with R Madhavan.
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