Review: 'Allah Ke Banday' isn't a film to be remembered

Over the years, many a filmmaker has chosen the slums of Mumbai as the backdrop for his or her film, be it Yash Chopra (Deewar, 1975), Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay, 1988) or Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008). Now, Faruk Kabir gets down and dirty with his directorial (and acting) debut Allah Ke Banday.

Bhool Bhulaiya (read: Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum) is home to thriving textile, pottery and leather industries, not to mention the grisly crime scene. Children Vijay and Yakub get sucked into the growing web of illegal dhanda, drugs, arms and even the flesh trade. With dreams in their eyes and big plans, the charas and cocaine specialists are on their way to making it big in their world.

Falsely accused of the murder of a certain ‘boss’, the 12-year-olds land in a jail for juvenile delinquents. With a homosexual bully, his gang of overage 'juveniles' and a monstrous warden (Shah) to contend with, the boys find themselves in another Bhool Bhulaiya, this time right under the nose of the law. An episode of sodomy leaves the boys scarred and determined to end the bully’s influence and the warden’s cruelty forever.

As 23-year-olds, Vijay (Joshi) and Yakub (Kabir) are released from jail, armed, literally and figuratively, with a plan and funding for many wily coups.

Kabir seems to have done his research for the film diligently, while Vishal Sinha’s cinematography captures a cleaner rendition of slum life. The dirt and muck, it seems, are only in the way of life of the protagonists.

That innocence is largely alien to children growing up in Bhool Bhulaiya is only to be expected, but Kabir goes overboard to establish this, taking the whole of the first half to hammer home the reality of ‘children at war’. Looks like it will be a while before Hindi filmmakers learn the art and beauty of subtlety.

Joshi’s Vijay is coherent and first-rate without being over-the-top, while Kabir tends to take himself too seriously while portraying the hot-headed and illogical Yakub, whose character teeters on the edge of insanity.

 Flaws in the script come to the fore with Kulkarni’s schoolmaster act which could have been exploited better. A tested and talented actor like Kulkarni is wasted with minimum dialogue, mostly of the preachy shikshak kind, though the weight of his character is significant.

Shah is brilliant as always as the limping warden. He manages to make an impact in the little screen space he gets. The young, mop-haired Yakub needs special mention for perfectly showcasing a childhood lost in crime.

The style of story-telling isn’t great, and the film could have done with a tighter script. Reportedly, no actor wanted to play Yakub’s role, so Kabir decided to cast himself. He definitely needs to work on his acting and on his direction. He depends heavily on deafening rock music to make a lot of the chase sequences work. Kailasa’s music, however, helps to lift the sinister moods of Allah Ke Banday.

Watch Kabir’s directorial debut once. But don't be surprised if it doesn't stick in your memory.