KK Binojee’s Crime Factory proves that content is king

Crime Factory Now Streaming Review

Rating *** 1/2 Stars

Banner : Sara Film Factory

Produced by : Munaf Baluch & Sanjog Singh.

Writer Director : KK Binojee.

Cast : Akkash Basnet, Sushil Pandey, Vikram Singh Sodha, Ashish Warang, Meenakshi Pandey, Maya Gehlot, Nimesh Soni, Nakul Tomar, Sushma Bhagwat, Ali Ahmed, Chand Khan and others

The very first dialogue of Crime Factory “ Paisa kahan hai..”mouthed by the gangster Jahangir Khan, played brilliantly by Sushil Pandey and the deep and relaxed voice over of Vijay Raaz running all through the film, repeatedly underlining the same question “Paisa kahan hai…” sets the tone of the newly released film Crime Factory. It prepares the viewer to mentally get engaged to the plot line weaved around money.

Going by the look and feel generated through their posters, trailers and promos, the makers were successful in conveying that the film is violent, grey and intense. Within the first few minutes into the film itself the audience is transported into a violent and grey slum called Crime Factory and introduced to the main characters of the story Sallu, Bikroo, Ajjal, Pappu and Bulbul. Boys who were abandoned and left to fend for themselves, with nowhere to go and no one to go to. They take to petty crimes to survive under the local gangster Narsing Yadav. Their life story is beautifully narrated by Vijay Raaz who speaks to the audience from the point of view of the slum. He is the slum; Crime Factory. In it’s body it sure is a violent film, but in it’s soul it is an emotional drama interlaced with thrilling and exciting elements that form the crux of the screenplay.

Writer Director KK Binojee, who has worked with Ram Gopal Varma takes the path of storytelling through powerful and hard hitting dialogues and a tight screenplay. The shot compositions, the background music, the color, the performances and the edit show how sure he is of what he wants to extract from his cast and crew.

Crime Factory is an independent film which is raw, rustic and realistic but does not fall into the category of arty films. It is filmy and entertaining with elements of thrills, laughs, romance, suspense and tears that make it a complete package. Having won 8 awards and 7 official nominations at various film festivals, one may be tempted to think that it is an art film, which is dark, deep and falls into the genre of docudramas. On the contrary the film keeps one hooked to the story and empathetic with the characters with it’s fast paced narrative.

Brilliant performances by the actors, most of who are from the theatre, give depth and finesse to the characters they play. Hindi cinema has seen some great actors taking centre stage in films and web series off late, and Crime Factory sure does provide a fantastic platform to introduce some more of them from the same clan of brilliant actors from the theatre. One thing that enhances the film’s viewing experience is the sound design of the film which shows that KK Binojee has given utmost importance to the aspect and importance of audio in filmmaking. The realistic locations, the ambience, the identifiable real life characters, the music, the tone, the superb writing and direction makes Crime Factory a don’t miss entertainer. The film ends, just as it starts with “Paisa kahan hai…??” and isn’t that the question that looms large in each one of our minds?