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Kaante

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Kaante
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySanjay Gupta
Written byMilap Zaveri
(dialogue)
Screenplay bySanjay Gupta
Yash-Vinay
Produced byPritish Nandy
Film Club Limited
Larry Mortoff
Sanjay Sippy
StarringAmitabh Bachchan
Sanjay Dutt
Sunil Shetty
Lucky Ali
Mahesh Manjrekar
Kumar Gaurav
CinematographyKurt Brabbee
Edited byBunty Nagi
Music byAnand Raj Anand
Vishal–Shekhar
Lucky Ali
Gregor Narholz
Production
companies
White Feather Films
PNC Films
Release date
  • 20 December 2002 (2002-12-20)
Running time
145 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹300 million[1][2][3] ($6 million)[4]
Box office₹43 crore (equivalent to ₹164 crore or US$20 million in 2023)  million[2] ($9 million)[4]

Kaante (lit. 'Thorns') is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film[5][6] directed by Sanjay Gupta, written by Milap Zaveri, and starring an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kumar Gaurav, Namrata Singh Gujral, Rati Agnihotri, Rohit Roy, Isha Koppikar and Malaika Arora.

Set in Los Angeles, the film follows six Indian men who are detained without evidence by the police. Feeling wronged and vengeful, they team up to plot a bank heist that would leave the Los Angeles Police Department penniless. However, once things go out of hand, they start suspecting each other's identities, resulting in violence and chaos.

Kaante was heavily inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) as well as the film that inspired it, Ringo Lam's City on Fire (1987).[7][8] According to Tarantino, Kaante is his favorite among the many films that were heavily inspired by his work.[9]

Kaante was released theatrically on 20 December 2002. The film was a success at the box office despite clashing with Saathiya, another box office success, with first-week earnings of £1.8 million in India, nearly $1 million in the United States, and £268,507 in Britain.[10] The film's final worldwide gross was ₹430 million[2] ($9 million),[4] including ₹ 331.2 million in India and $2.05 million overseas.[2]

Plot

[edit]

In Los Angeles, six men of Indian origin with a criminal record are detained by the police and interrogated about stealing a truck full of laptops and its whereabouts. Their deep antipathy towards the police for arresting them without any evidence, just because the witnesses had seen an Indian at the crime scene, grows into a daring plot. Sparked off by Jay "Ajju" Trehan and seconded by Yashvardhan "Major" Rampal, they all hatch a plan to rob the bank (American Services Bank), in which lies the funding for the Los Angeles Police Department. In return, Ajju reveals that he stole the truck and splits the steal with everyone else.

Marc Issak is a bouncer who hates that his girlfriend has to work as a club dancer and wants to rescue her from the club owner, Cyrus, by paying him the required money. He also has an ongoing spat with Ajju about his girlfriend. Major has a sick wife, whom he has to look after by supplying her with medicines and injections. Andy is a software engineer having divorce and custody troubles, as his wife won't let him meet their child. He is also jobless and has financial troubles. Bali is a drug peddler who lives off the street selling and buying illicit drugs under a drug lord. They meet when Bali is being chased by some drug dealers and meets Mak in an alley where he is adjusting something in his car. He agrees to save him only if he splits his loot. They agree to work thereafter. Mak is an undercover cop.

After the six guys get released from jail, they meet up again to discuss the bank robbery. Andy believes the loot from the truck Ajju stole earlier would be enough to gain custody of his son, but when his lawyer tells him that the money is insufficient, he again goes back to the gang. On a hotel rooftop, they start planning the robbery, in which they familiarize themselves with the bank and get cars, weapons, and gadgets to do this. Soon they establish their hideout in a warehouse, where Major reveals that the bank will be looted the next day instead of the day after as previously planned, to thwart anyone's hidden agendas.

The robbery proceeds as planned, but they find a SWAT team waiting for them outside the bank. They are engaged in a gunfight, and Mak is hit by a bullet while saving Major. They all escape and meet at their hideout. Mak, who was hit, is not allowed to be taken to the hospital, and Major treats his wound with some Black Label whiskey. They all have verbal scuffles, after which Ajju reveals that he has kidnapped the police chief Det. MacQuarrie. They interrogate him and learn that one of them is an undercover cop. This strikes suspicion among them, and they decide to bring the stolen amount to their hideout. Major learns that his wife has died. Ajju befriends Marc and tells him to elope with his girlfriend, where he also reveals that he actually knows English and was purposefully talking nonsense to the cops. When they return, they find Bali dead, killed by Mak for being inhuman in his interrogation of MacQuarrie. Ajju reasons that Mak is the undercover cop, but Major disagrees because he believes Mak saved him during the gunfight at the bank. Marc backs up Ajju and points his gun at Major. They all arrive at a Mexican standoff, as Andy retreats and runs away with the money. The four of them shoot each other, after which Major apologizes to Mak for not saving him. In reply, Mak apologizes, saying he was just doing his duty as he is the undercover cop, and that he was the one who buzzed the cops at the bank to arrive. Major realises his mistake and shoots the already dying Mak in the head. Marc's girlfriend is shown waiting for him at the airport, and Andy is shown at the end driving off the highway pursued by a police helicopter, with Mak's voice narrating the story, leaving his fate to the discretion of the audience, followed by ending credits.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

The film was to star Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kumar Gaurav, Akshaye Khanna, Shilpa Shetty and Lisa Ray initially.[11] Akshaye Khanna opted out and was replaced by Lucky Ali,[12] Malaika Arora stepped into Lisa Ray's shoes[13] and Namrata Singh Gujral was cast opposite Kumar Gaurav in lieu of Shilpa Shetty.[14] Sunny Deol was offered Kumar Gaurav's role at one point.[15] Isha Koppikar was signed for a full-fledged role opposite Sanjay Dutt which got relegated to just the song "Ishq Samandar" because of length concerns. Rohit Roy (from Shootout at Lokhandwala and a popular television actor) also makes an appearance in the song.[16]

The film was the first Bollywood film to be completely shot in Los Angeles.[17] The film's production team used Hollywood technicians.[17] The filming was completed in 35 days.[3] Namrata Singh Gujral was the only role cast in Hollywood from the principal cast. All other principals including Amitabh Bachchan were flown in from Mumbai for the Hollywood shoot.

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[18] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film three and a half stars out of five and stated, "Kaante takes a step forward in terms of content and technique. An apt example of progressive cinema that breaks the shackles of stereotype, the film has everything to woo the cinegoer: an impressive cast, grandiose look, an excellent second half, well executed stunts, popular music and eroticism in plenty".[19] Prem Panicker of Rediff criticized the film saying "A more taut script, a little less of indulgence in directing, a tad more ruthlessness in editing, and this film could have pulled off a badly needed box office heist."[20] A reviewer at Sify awarded the film three and a half stars out of five and wrote, "A film far ahead of its time in terms of execution, Kaante is a visual delight. And combined with good performances and superb action, it's a must-see this season."[21]

Derek Elley of Variety praised the direction and performances of the lead cast, saying, "From the protags' initial meeting, heavy on closeups, Gupta directs the film primarily as a character piece, with Bachchan, Dutt and semi-comic relief Manjrekar driving the drama with richly characterized roles. Shetty, a tightly wound actor at the best of times, strikes few sparks as the nightclub bouncer, and his scenes with Arora as the chanteuse are flat."[22] Dave Kehr of The New York Times reviewed the film writing, "A delirious Bollywood reimagining of Reservoir Dogs, complete with musical numbers, Sanjay Gupta's Kaante shifts as fluidly between cinematic idioms as it does between Hindi and English."[23] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said, "there is a steadfast earnestness in director Sanjay Gupta's deluded attempt to equal or even better Hollywood on its own ground that is rather touching -- but not to the degree that it sustains the film's many tedious stretches."[24]

Quentin Tarantino cited Kaante as his favourite among the many films that were heavily inspired by his work. He praised the film's character-building for going beyond what he was able to do with Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino stated: "Here I am, watching a film that I've directed and then it goes into each character's background. And I'm like, 'Whoa'. For, I always write backgrounds and stuff, and it always gets chopped off during the edit. And so I was amazed on seeing this. I felt, this isn't Reservoir Dogs. But then it goes into the warehouse scene, and I am like, 'Wow, it's back to Reservoir Dogs'. Isn't it amazing!" He also praised Amitabh Bachchan's performance.[9] Tarantino later screened Kaante at his New Beverly Cinema alongside Reservoir Dogs and City on Fire.[25]

Awards

[edit]
48th Filmfare Awards:

Nominated

Soundtrack

[edit]
Kaante
Soundtrack album by
Anand Raj Anand
Vishal–Shekhar
Released28 June 2002
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LanguageHindi
LabelT-Series
DirectorSanjay Gupta
ProducerPritish Nandy

The songs were mainly composed by Anand Raj Anand, while Vishal–Shekhar and Lucky Ali were guest composers. Lyrics are penned by Dev Kohli and Vishal Dadlani. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 18,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack addalbum was the year's fourth highest-selling.[26] Tracks like 'Maahi ve', 'Rama re' and 'Ishq Samundar' got good popularity. The soundtrack was #94 on the list of "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time", as compiled by Planet Bollywood.

The song "Ishq Samundar", was re-made for the Film Teraa Surroor which was sung by Himesh Reshammiya and Kanika Kapoor. The song Maahi Ve was recreated by Gourav-Roshin in the voice of Neha Kakkar for the film Wajah Tum Ho.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Baby Baby"Dev KohliAnand Raj AnandSunidhi Chauhan 
2."Chhod Na Re" Vishal–ShekharUdit Narayan, Sanjay Dutt, Sudesh Bhosle, Mahesh Manjrekar 
3."Dil Kya Kare" Anand Raj AnandKumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurthy 
4."Ishq Samundar"Dev KohliAnand Raj AnandSunidhi Chauhan, Anand Raj Anand 
5."Maahi Ve"Dev KohliAnand Raj AnandZubeen Garg, Sukhwinder Singh, Richa Sharma 
6."Maut" Lucky AliLucky Ali 
7."Rama Re"Dev KohliAnand Raj AnandZubeen Garg, Shaan, Sanjay Dutt 
8."Socha Nahin Tha" Anand Raj AnandShaan 
9."Yaar Maangiyasi" Anand Raj AnandSonu Nigam 

References

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  1. ^ Unnithan, Sandeep (17 September 2001). "Indian films promise new thrills as filmmakers import state-of-the-art gizmos from Hollywood". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Kaante". Boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b Govil, Nitin (2015). Orienting Hollywood: A Century of Film Culture Between Los Angeles and Bombay. NYU Press. p. 64. ISBN 9780814785874. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "PACIFIC Exchange Rate Service (48.6 INR per USD)" (PDF). UBC Sauder School of Business. University of British Columbia. 2002. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  5. ^ "I am too old to be wild". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020. We made Kaante because we believed the audience was ready for a Hollywood kind of action thriller.
  6. ^ "'Kaante' goes to Hollywood, where it always wanted to belong". Scroll.in. Retrieved 23 May 2017. Sanjay Gupta's action thriller shares screen space with Quentin Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs', the movie it blatantly copied.
  7. ^ "The Reservoir Dogs Remake You Probably Don't Know About". Screenrant. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Movies: An interview with Sanjay Gupta". Rediff. 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  9. ^ a b Subhash K. Jha. "Tarantino likes the cop-y & robber tale". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Kaante revives Bollywood". bbc.co.uk. 6 January 2003. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Who is the surprise package of Kaante?". Rediff. 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  12. ^ Subhash K Jha (3 April 2002). "A time to kill". Rediff. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Malaika in Kaante". Rediff. 8 October 2001. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  14. ^ Arti R (18 December 2002). "Indian cinema is getting global". Rediff. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  15. ^ Kehr, Dave (20 December 2002). "Kaante (2002): Film Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  16. ^ "Kaante: Complete Cast and Crew details". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Kaante: A special". Rediff. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  18. ^ "Kaante". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ^ Adarsh, Taran (20 December 2002). "Kaante Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  20. ^ Panicker, Prem (19 December 2002). "Kaante pricks the bubble of hope". Rediff. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  21. ^ Ad-Lib. "Review: Kaante". Sify. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  22. ^ Elley, Derek (22 December 2002). "Review: 'Kaante'". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  23. ^ Kehr, Dave (20 December 2002). "Movie Review - - FILM REVIEW; Shot in Los Angeles, But Bombay All the Way". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  24. ^ Thomas, Kevin (20 December 2002). "'Kaante': On Hollywood's turf". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  25. ^ Gaekwad, Manish (23 May 2017). "'Kaante' goes to Hollywood, where it always wanted to belong". Scroll. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008.
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