# Kaminey (कमीने)
**Kaminey** (कमीने) is a 2009 Hindi-language action thriller directed by [Vishal Bhardwaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/vishal-bhardwaj), starring [Shahid Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shahid-kapoor) in a double role as estranged twin brothers Guddu and Charlie, with [Priyanka Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-chopra) as Sweety and Amole Gupte as the gangster Bhope Bhau[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey) • [2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html). Produced by UTV Motion Pictures and released in India on 14 August 2009, the film is remembered for its dark, interwoven crime plot, its twin-lead performance, and the song "Dhan Te Nan"[3](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/) • [4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 14 August 2009 (India, wide theatrical release)[5](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/kaminey) |
| Director and studio | Vishal Bhardwaj; UTV Motion Pictures[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey) |
| Lead roles | Shahid Kapoor as twins Guddu and Charlie; Priyanka Chopra as Sweety; Amole Gupte as Bhope[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html) |
| Story origin | Idea by Kenyan writer Cajetan Boy, encountered at a 2005 Mira Nair scriptwriting workshop; rights reportedly bought for US$4,000[3](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/) |
| India box office | Nett gross ₹415.2 million (₹41.52 crore) against a ₹400 million (₹40 crore) budget; worldwide gross ₹715,650,000[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145) |
| Awards | 12 wins and 48 nominations, including a National Film Award for Best Audiography (Subhash Sahoo)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/) • [7](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/57th%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf) |
| Critical scores | 100% Tomatometer (5 reviews) and 76% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; 7.4/10 on IMDb[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film centers on identical twin brothers raised in the slums of Mumbai who have grown apart and want nothing to do with each other[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295). Each has a speech impediment that marks him: Charlie pronounces the "s" sound as "f", while Guddu stammers[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html). Their paths diverge socially as well. Charlie is drawn to the world of crime and makes his living hedging bets at the racecourse, while Guddu works for a voluntary organization and hopes to climb into the middle class[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html) • [9](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Kaminey?hl=en_US&id=VxOvaKNfnVg).
The brothers are pulled together over one frenetic stretch of roughly 24 hours. Guddu's girlfriend Sweety is the sister of the gangster and Marathi-asmita (Marathi regional-pride identity politics, the gangster's motivation) politician Bhope Bhau, and her pregnancy puts a price on Guddu's head; Charlie meanwhile becomes entangled in a deadly get-rich-quick scheme involving cocaine[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295). As the twins collide with gangsters, rebel mercenaries, rogue politicians, and crooked cops, their stories converge until they realize they have only each other[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295). In the climax, the lovers escape as police arrive and a shooting spree destroys the cocaine; Charlie's bosses arrive seeking vengeance for the murder of Mikhail but are killed along with Bhope, Tashi, and their henchmen, and Charlie is shot and wounded[5](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/kaminey). The epilogue shows Sweety giving birth to Guddu's twins and Charlie opening a bookmaking counter at the racecourse[5](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/kaminey).
## Origin and development
**A Kenyan starting point.** The seed of the film came not from Bollywood but from Nairobi. In 2005, at a scriptwriting workshop conducted by the filmmaker [Mira Nair](https://www.edgepedia.org/mira-nair), the Kenyan writer Cajetan Boy presented a story about twin brothers living in a tough urban environment, following the brothers and the events around them over a short period of time[3](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/). Vishal Bhardwaj, who encountered the script at the workshop, liked the basic idea and discussed it with Nair as material that could work as a commercial Indian film[3](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/).
A few years passed before Bhardwaj decided to acquire the idea. According to accounts of the film's development, he paid Boy US$4,000 for it, then changed a large part of the original material, gave it a darker tone, and added Bollywood elements[3](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/). The screenplay was developed with Sabrina Dhawan, Abhishek Chaubey, and Supratik Sen, with Bhardwaj also credited as screenwriter and dialogue writer[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/fullcredits/). Bhardwaj later said the film was deliberately not the usual Hindi treatment of twins, which produces a Comedy of Errors atmosphere of confusion[11](https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/2009/aug/12/slide-show-1-vishal-on-kaminey.htm).
## Production and certification
The film was produced under the banners of [UTV Motion Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/utv-motion-pictures) and Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures Pvt. Ltd., with [Ronnie Screwvala](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-screwvala) as producer and Bhardwaj also composing the music[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey) • [4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145). Tassaduq Hussain was the director of photography, and Gulzar wrote the lyrics[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/fullcredits/).
In July 2009 the Indian censor board issued the film an "A" (adults only) certificate because of its violent scenes. Bhardwaj requested a "U" certificate instead, and the board sent the film to a revising committee, which also upheld the A certificate; the board indicated the rating could change if certain scenes were cut, but Bhardwaj was not willing[12](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/news/kaminey-axed-by-censor-board.html). Indian listings later carried the film as U/A[5](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/kaminey).
## Release and box office
Kaminey opened in India on 14 August 2009 on about 1,250 screens[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145). It took ₹43.9 million (₹4.39 crore) on its first day, ₹148.2 million (₹14.82 crore) over the opening weekend, and ₹246 million (₹24.60 crore) in its first week, finishing with a total India nett gross of ₹415.2 million (₹41.52 crore) against a reported budget of ₹400 million (₹40 crore)[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145). Box Office India records an India gross of ₹566,200,000 and a worldwide gross of ₹71,56,50,000, with overseas gross of $3,050,000[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145). International trackers give different totals: The Numbers reports a worldwide gross of $7,249,589, while [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) reports $9,610,033[13](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kaminey) • [14](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1274295/credits/). In the limited North American release tracked by The Numbers, the film opened on 82 theaters and earned $726,834 in its first weekend, about 56.5 percent of its $1,286,143 domestic total[13](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kaminey).
## Reception
**Critical response.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 100% Tomatometer from five critics and a 76% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 2,500 ratings[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey). Critics singled out the double role: [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s Lisa Tsering wrote that Bhardwaj extracted memorable performances, most notably from Kapoor, who played Guddu as smooth-faced and sensitive and Charlie with a darkly shadowed sense of menace[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey). Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times praised the plot's rhythm and inter-cutting, suggesting that only a director who is also a music composer could synchronize it so well on screen[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey). The Times of India gave 3.5 of 5 stars and compared the film's adventurism to [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s action thrillers, while the Bangalore Mirror review called it a film noir treatment firmly rooted in Mumbai[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/kaminey/movie-review/4889683.cms) • [16](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/reviews/kaminey-koi-kami-nahi/articleshow/22067406.cms). On IMDb the film holds a 7.4/10 rating from about 19,000 users[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295).
## Awards
At the 57th [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) (for films of 2009), Kaminey won the Silver Lotus Award for Best Audiography for location sound recordist Subhash Sahoo, and Sreekar Prasad received a Special Jury Award[7](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/57th%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf). Across award bodies the film accumulated 12 wins and 48 nominations[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/). At the 2010 [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards) it was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/). Priyanka Chopra won the Apsara Award for Best Actress and [Amole Gupte](https://www.edgepedia.org/amole-gupte) won the Apsara Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, and the song "Dhan Te Nan" was nominated there for Best Playback Singer (Male)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/). The film also won the Global Indian Music Award for Best Music Director (Bhardwaj) and the Screen Award for Best Actor (Popular) for Kapoor[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/).
## Legacy
The film has remained a reference point in discussion of Bhardwaj's career, which also includes Omkara, Maqbool, and Haider; in 2025, on the film's sixteenth anniversary, Priyanka Chopra described it as a turning point in her career[17](https://rajasthan.ndtv.in/entertainment/omkara-maqbool-and-kaminey-fame-director-vishal-bhardwaj-will-make-a-film-on-the-timeless-story-of-premanchad-5011257) • [18](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/kaminey/). Its title song "Dhan Te Nan", composed by Bhardwaj with lyrics by Gulzar and sung by [Sukhwinder Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/sukhwinder-singh) and [Vishal Dadlani](https://www.edgepedia.org/vishal-dadlani), became the film's signature and earned award nominations in its own right[4](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/).
## References
1. [Kaminey, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kaminey)
2. [कमीने कहानी, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/kaminey/story.html)
3. [Kaminey: How a Kenyan Writer's Idea Became a Vishal Bhardwaj Film, MTAT India](https://mtatindia.com/kaminey-kenyan-writers-idea-became-vishal-film/)
4. [Kaminey, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=145)
5. [Kaminey on Moviebuff.com](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/kaminey)
6. [Kaminey (2009) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/awards/)
7. [57th National Film Awards 2009 Catalogue, National Film Awards of India](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/57th%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf)
8. [Kaminey (2009), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295)
9. [Kaminey, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Kaminey?hl=en_US&id=VxOvaKNfnVg)
10. [Kaminey (2009) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274295/fullcredits/)
11. ['Kaminey is a reminder that we have a dark side', Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/2009/aug/12/slide-show-1-vishal-on-kaminey.htm)
12. ['कमीने' को मिला ए प्रमाणपत्र, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/news/kaminey-axed-by-censor-board.html)
13. [Kaminey (2009) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kaminey)
14. [Kaminey, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1274295/credits/)
15. [Kaminey Movie Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/kaminey/movie-review/4889683.cms)
16. [Kaminey: Koi Kami Nahi, Bangalore Mirror](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/reviews/kaminey-koi-kami-nahi/articleshow/22067406.cms)
17. [ओंकारा, मकबूल और कमीने फेम निर्देशक..., NDTV Rajasthan](https://rajasthan.ndtv.in/entertainment/omkara-maqbool-and-kaminey-fame-director-vishal-bhardwaj-will-make-a-film-on-the-timeless-story-of-premanchad-5011257)
18. [Kaminey, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/kaminey/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Action and thriller films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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