Film Review: Kaamyaab

Har Kisse Ke Hisse: Kaamyaab, or just Kaamyaab for short, is a Hindi language Indian film that just recently hit Netflix. It’s a dramedy directed by Hardik Mehta, who also co-wrote the film with Radhika Anand, that follows Sudheer (Sanjay Mishra), a long retired character actor who now lives alone in a small, humble apartment. His wife has been gone for a while, so he mostly spends his time hanging out and drinking, and refusing his daughter Bhavna’s (Sarika Singh) wishes for him to move in with her husband and daughter.

We first meet him doing an interview with a small TV crew for a show that spotlights actors, and for most of it, he is not particularly engaged. He compares himself to a potato, he talks about how he didn’t see his work and his memorable lines to be any special. He reluctantly repeats an iconic line, “Bas enjoying life, aur option kya hai?” which translates to “Just enjoying life, what other option is there?.” However, once the interviewers points out that in his career he managed to act in 499 productions, there’s a sense of pride that practically pulls him out of his daze.

While having a drink with a friend, a suggestion is brought up to take one last role so that his number of roles will go to 500. He wants his final role to be special, redefining, and a perfect cap to an illustrious career. He gets in touch with a friend who is a former actor-turned-casting director, Dinesh (Deepak Dobriyal), who agrees to help him find the perfect role to round off that 499 into 500. However, as Sudheer dives into the industry after many years, he finds himself overwhelmed and even baffled as he struggles to fit into the modern era of filmmaking.

With a premise like that there are plenty of different avenues the filmmakers could take, and while the final product is not necessarily one that took the most substantial route, it still does a fine job at being a gentle love letter to character actors. Throughout the film, there are numerous cameos by real character actors playing themselves like the late Viju Khote (who the film is dedicated to), Guddi Maruti, Lilliput, Manmauji, Birbal, Ramesh Goyal, and Avtar Gill (who more or less plays Sudheer’s nemesis after a dubbing mishap). This is where the heart of the film lies, in taking the time to showcase everything we love about these character actors having seen them in numerous films growing up and exploring the everyday struggles that they face.

The only problem is whenever the film gets into some of the drama outside of Sudheer’s attempts to find a role. Sudheer’s drinking and his somewhat strained relationship with his daughter feels like it was included not because it added more to the character, but because it feels obligatory for this kind of story. When Bhavna finally tells her dad how she feels about how he hadn’t given his family the attention they needed while he worked just ticks off all the boxes for that kind of dynamic, which has been explored many, many times before without adding anything particularly new or nuanced, and it isn’t really given the time to settle on the viewer for its desired impact.

While Kaamyaab has its fair share of flaws, what ultimately brings it together is Sanjay Mishra’s performance. An active character actor since the 90s himself, it wasn’t really until the 2014 indie drama, Ankhon Dekhi, where he finally got serious attention as a lead. He brings a great sense of history, subtlety, and warmth to his performance here that makes the film’s lighthearted and occasionally broad approach resonate. While fans of Bollywood will probably find a lot to love about this, I don’t think you necessarily need to have the same level of familiarity to find something to connect with here. It’s observations about regret, redemption, legacy, and perseverance ring true because you believe in Sudheer, and it speaks to the greater truth about the way many of these performers have brought us joy while often not getting the recognition they rightfully deserve.