To release on Feb 2, Kamthan a stress busting film on 'thief' who burgles a cop's home

By Rajiv Shah  
The makers of Gujarati film “Hellaro” are back with a bang. Four years on, they are all set to release their second feature film, “Kamthan”, on February 2, 2024. “Kamthan” is based on popular Gujarati writer Ashwini Bhatt’s last of dozen-odd Gujarati novels, also called “Kamthan”. It revolves around the mess created by a thief, belonging to a denotified tribe -- a community traditionally identified in the so-called civilised world as consisting of criminals.
This thief breaks into the house of a police inspector, Rathodsaheb, dropping in through the hole he creates in the rooftop. Baffled as to in whose house he has broken into, he decides to run away, stealing the cop’s uniform, pistol, medals, certificates and Rs 3,000 in cash. A hilarious tale, the story revolves around the types of manoeuvres Rathodsaheb undertakes in order to catch the thief, allegedly belonging to a criminal tribe.
Though an inspector, he can’t even register a legitimate complaint in the matter. Meanwhile, the story continues around how everyone, including the tea seller, the fruit vendor, the paan-galla owner, the police sub-inspector, and those at Dr Desai’s clinic, react to a terribly awkward situation that has arisen for the police inspector.
Released in 2019, “Hellaro” remains one of the most well-acclaimed Gujarati movies, woven around patriarchy, casteism and superstition in a remote water-scarce village of Kutch. Winning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the 66th National Film Awards, it was officially selected as the opening film at the Indian Panorama, at 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), and nominated for the best debut feature film of a director at the film festival.

The film revolves around mess created by a thief, who happens to be a tribesman belonging to the so-called criminal community

Announcing the release of “Kamthan” at a function organised at the Ahmedabad Management Association by Harfanmaula Films, which also made “Hellaro”, three senior Gujarati writers – Urvish Kothari, Kajal Oza Vaidya and Daivat Trivedi – pointed towards how in some ways the life of novelist Ashwini Bhatt was so much common with what’s portrayed in his last novel. All three related several personal anecdotes of how terribly informal and unassuming the novelist, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 76, was towards everyone (including himself) whom met.

Ashwini Bhatt’s way of life was such that whether it was a top official or a tribal from the Narmada valley, they were all welcome at his house in Ahmedabad. The first floor of his house was open to all, including formal and informal meetings by diverse groups and associations, ranging from NGOs to litterateurs and theatre lovers, even Maoists. 

So informal was he that, one day, on being unwell, he decided to sit on the footpath outside his house. When asked why this, he replied, smiling, “Nobody's at home... If I die inside,  none would notice me. Here on the street, at least I could be an unclaimed body!”
Known to be close to Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar, Ashwini Bhatt had the extraordinary ability to interact with his admirers and opponents alike. He would observe life in the minutest of details. He had stupendous ability to stand out in the most adverse situations. Owner of just one share of “Gujarat Samachar”, the highest circulated Gujarati daily, Ashwini Bhatt once stunned the paper’s shareholders’ meeting (and the owners), asking some of the most awkward questions, every time starting with the words “our company”!

Announcing the release of the film on social media, Harfanmaula's Instragram account calls "Kamthan" a "stress-busting cop-comedy Gujarati film", asking cinema goers to "get ready to witness the laughter unfold with this story based on Lt. Shri Ashwinee Bhatt’s novel, with Hitu Kanodia, Sanjay Goradia, Arvind Vaidya & Darshan Jariwala, directed by Dhrunad, and produced by Aayush Patel, Abhishek, Mit Jani, Prateek Gupta & Pinal Patel."