Sulemani Keeda

Note: Originally written in April 2016

At some level, this movie feels like it has two souls battling for predominance. Yet, in a quaint way, you'd want both souls to co-exist. Only, a more experienced editor or director would have excelled at the flourishes that enable the two souls to be cohesive. 'Sulemani Keeda' juggles its screentime - on one hand, its a bromantic trippy adventure with groovy cuts, a witty soundtrack and a pulpy take on how aspiring writers lose to the system. On another hand, its a gorgeous and hazy coming of age story of a guy who reconnects with his true passion by way of a girl who he thinks he's falling unconditionally for. Though the bridging of these two is done a bit flimsily, each is shot and narrated with wit, gusto and a charming endearment. The characters are either acerbic caricatures or recognizable people, but always well defined, grounded and layered. And it feels very nice to spend time with them and listen to their conversations and that is indeed rare in today's Hindi Cinema. Amit Masurker has an enjoyable narrative style and Surjodeep Ghosh's camera work is gorgeous. Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari and Aditi Vasudev are perfectly cast. Other than the few and far apart moments where Sulemani Keeda is undecided about its tone, it is a pleasure to watch this film. Streaming on Netflix now....

Check out more on the film at IMDB and Letterboxd.