Kuttey starts with an incarcerated wounded Naxalite woman (Konkona Sen Sharma) narrating a fable to an empathetic cop (Kumud Mishra). It’s about how a lion uses a dog and a sheep to his benefit. But despite featuring two of Hindi cinema’s finest actors, it fails to leave any impact. This is when it’s one of the better scenes of the film.

Most of Kuttey is a jumbled set of ideas that lead to nowhere. Set in Western Maharashtra in 2016, it builds up to various groups chasing a truck loaded with cash on a rainy night, wanting to break out of their individual traps. There are two detained cops desperate for quick crores to revoke their suspension. There’s a local gang lord’s daughter (Radhika Madan) in love with one of his gun-toting men (Shardul Bhardwaj), eager to elope. Then there’s a senior cop (Tabu) eyeing a comfortable life, bigger and better than a job as a policewoman can accord. But it feels like debutant director Aasmaan Bhardwaj doesn’t quite know what to do with this motley group of people.

So he makes them utter cuss words, narrate fables, and fire guns every chance they can. There are at least three elaborate shootout sequences in the film. There is no character building at all, so nothing to discuss there. In fact, some of the characters are so paper thin, they are absolutely dispensable. Take, for instance, Sen Sharma's or Naseeruddin Shah's. So is the film’s understanding of its socio-cultural milieu. Its use of the whole Naxalite movement is so gimmicky, it’s appalling. I have many questions but I’ll take the liberty to ask just two—what happens to Shah’s character in the end? Also to the principal target of the poolside shootout? Guess we’ll never know.

Kuttey is full of details and scenes that amount to nothing. There’s one in which Arjun Kapoor’s character Gopal waits for the clock to strike 12 because he doesn’t kill on a Mangalvaar (Tuesday). When it does, he prays for a bit and then executes a full-blown carnage. There’s another prolonged chase sequence in which Tabu and Kumud Mishra’s cop characters try to get hold of a guy who tumbles to his death on the railway tracks. All of it so unnecessary and tedious. It’s not even entertaining. The dots just don’t join.

There are also too many in-your-face dog-related metaphors and symbolism. I get the impulse but underlining it this aggressively is undermining the intelligence of your audience. Also, did I mention Kuttey arguably has the most ridiculous climax ever? It isn’t just Gopal’s rehearsed, forced reaction; the entire plot twist is staged so poorly, it’s difficult to take it seriously. I understand karma getting back at you when you least expect it but it takes a Rajkummar Rao to pull it off the way he did in Vasant Bala’s terrific Monica, O My Darling. Talking of him, if you want to experience a more nuanced take on the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, watch Rao’s Newton (2017).

A film that feels more like a middling college project shouldn’t hurt so much. But Kuttey does because it brings together some of the finest talents the Hindi film industry has to offer and puts them to spectacular waste. Also because it’s made by the son of a man who has the chutzpah to make films that matter. Vishal Bhardwaj’s influence and contribution are evident—he’s co-written the film with son Aasmaan, co-produced it, and even composed its music. But Kuttey is not a Vishal Bhardwaj film.

However, it’s a bit unfair to compare Bhardwaj Jr. with his brilliant father just yet. This is only his first film. With his access and parentage, I wait in anticipation of what he makes next. Until then.

Read other pieces by Sneha Bengani here.