Kuttey

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Kuttey is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller directed by Aasmaan Bhardwaj in his first film. He co-wrote the story with his father, Vishal Bhardwaj, who also composed the music. The film is produced by Vishal Bhardwaj Films, T-Series and Luv Films.

It stars Tabu, Arjun Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Radhika Madan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kumud Mishra. The story follows three rival gangs who cross paths on a rainy night outside Mumbai as they chase a van filled with crores of cash. Greed and missteps lead to a tense, sometimes darkly humorous sequence of events.

Filming took place mainly in Mumbai from September 2021 to February 2022, with some COVID-19 disruptions. Cinematography was by Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Vishal Bhardwaj also wrote the score and songs, with lyrics by Gulzar and Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Kuttey released on 13 January 2023, has a runtime of 108 minutes, and is in Hindi. The budget was about ₹80 crore, and it grossed around ₹4.65 crore, making it a box office flop.

Critics gave mixed to negative reviews. They praised the performances (especially Tabu), the visuals, direction and music, but criticized the screenplay. On Rotten Tomatoes, about 36% of critics liked it. Some reviews called it a one-time watch for fans of dark humor, while others felt the story was not strong enough. The film drew inspiration from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs in its development, and the title Kuttey nods to a feral, chaotic mood similar to the filmmaker’s style.