The day of August 17 arrives with yet another terrible news for fans of Indian cinema. Nishikant Kamat, popular director and actor, has passed away. He was 50. As per reports, the director was suffering from liver cirrhosis and had been admitted to AIG hospital in Hyderabad in the previous week. There was some confusion with regards to his demise, as his death news first came it in the morning. But it was clarified to be a hoax with the hospital putting a statement saying Nishikant was still alive but critical. Nishikant Kamat Dies At 50: Anurag Kashyap, Randeep Hooda, R Madhavan And Others Offer Condolences (View Tweets).

Sadly a couple of hours later, the hospital put out another statement confirming the filmmaker is no longer with us. Ajay Devgn, Hansal Mehta, Riteish Deshmukh, R Madhavan and other Bollywood celebs are condoling his demise on social media.

A former theatre personality, Nishikant Kamat broke into spotlight with his debut directorial, Dombivali Fast, in 2005 in Marathi cinema. Before that, he acted in two films - Hava Aney Dey (Hindi) and Saatchya Aat Gharat (Marathi). Dombivali Fast was both a critical and commercial success, and went into to inspire remakes including one in Tamil that he himself directed,

The recognition that Dombivali Fast gave to Nishikant Kamat paved way for him to make his first film in Hindi, Mumbai Meri Jaan. Based on the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, the movie was appreciated by the critics. Kamat's further movies were more commercial in nature like Force, Madaari, Rocky Handsome, Lai Bhaari (Marathi), and Drishyam. Drishyam was his biggest hit. Kamat also acted in films like 404, Rocky Handsome, Daddy, Julie 2 and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero.

As we pray for the soul of the director to rest in peace, let's look at all the films he had directed till now, and where you can watch them online. Rest in peace, sire!

Dombivali Fast/Evano Oruvan

Posters of Dombivali Fast/Evano Oruvan

Kamat's directorial debut is inspired by Joel Schumacher's underrated thriller, Falling Down, which starred Michael Douglas. Starring Sandeep Kulkarni, it is about a middle-class common man who goes beyond the breaking point of his tolerance and frustration one day, He begins to violently lash out against the system that made it happen, and goes on a rampage across the city turning into a vigilante of sorts. Dombivali Fast lent itself to a Tamil remake, Evano Oruvan, that was also directed by Kamat and starred R Madhavan in the lead. Evano Oruvan was also both a critical and commercial success.

While Dombivali Fast is streaming on Zee5, Evano Oruvan is available on Jio Cinema and MX Player.

Mumbai Meri Jaan

Soha Ali Khan in Mumbai Meri Jaan

Mumbai Meri Jaan takes a piercing outlook of the lives of people in Mumbai after the horrific terrorist attacks in local trains in 2006, while also addressing media culture, class divide and nationalism. Kamat shows the repercussions of the tragedy through its six main characters, most of them unconnected to each other, and how the bombings affected each of them personally. Mumbai Meri Jaan has fine performances from Paresh Rawal, R Madhavan, Vijay Maurya, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan and the late Irrfan Khan. The climax of the film is quite moving, especially for someone who has lived through that tragedy in the city.

Mumbai Meri Jaan is streaming on Netflix.

Force

John Abraham and Vidyut Jammwal in Force

A remake of the Tamil hit, Kaakha Kaakha, Force starred John Abraham and Genelia D'Souza in the lead. Force is also considered the breakout film for Vidyut Jammwal, who won a lot of appreciation for his role of the main antagonist. Kamat does justice to the original by faithfully adapting the film with the needed Bollywood touches, with some very memorable music. The movie later lent itself to a remake that came out in 2016, but it was directed by Abhinay Deo this time.

Force is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Drishyam

Ishita Dutta, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran in Drishyam

The remake of the Malayalam blockbuster by the same name, Drishyam is considered as one of the best thrillers made in Bollywood in the last decade. Ajay Devgn plays the role of a common man who uses uncommon tactics to save his family from being embroiled in an unexpected murder. Tabu plays the investigating officer who also happens to be the mother of the victim. Drishyam was a huge hit, and is one of the highest rated Hindi films on IMDB.

Drishyam is streaming on Netflix.

Lai Bhaari

Riteish Deshmukh in Lai Bhaari

A pukka commercial entertainer, Lai Bhaari makes an action star out of Riteish Deshmukh, who is seen in a double role. Filled with punch dialogues and rousing action scenes, Lai Bhaari was a huge hit, with appreciation pouring in for Riteish and Sharad Kelkar. The movie also featured cameos from Salman Khan and Genelia D'Souza.

Lai Bhaari is streaming on Zee5.

Rocky Handsome

A remake of the Korean action thriller, The Man From Nowhere, Rocky Handsome came out in 2016. It is about a former RAW agent who takes on a drugs mafia after they abduct a little girl with whom he was friendly with. John Abraham played the main lead, while Kamat himself took on the role of the main antagonist. While Rocky Handsome was not a hit during its release, it has gained recognition for its gritty action scenes over the years.

Rocky Handsome is streaming on Netflix.

Madaari

Irrfan Khan in Madaari

A remake of the Kevin Costner drama, A Perfect World, the movie stars the late Irrfan Khan in the film. Madaari has Khan as a mysterious man who kidnaps the young son of a Home Minister. The movie unravels his intentions for doing so, while exploring the bonding shared between the abductor and his abductee. While Madaari may not be among Kamat's finest works, it has some very powerful dialogues and an amazing performance from its lead actor.

Madaari is streaming on Zee5.

Honourable Mention - 404: Error Not Found

Imaad Shah and Nishikant Kamat in 404: Error Not Found

While we have talked about Kamat's directorials, I would also like to use this space for his films where he came in front of the camera. And the best, and perhaps the most underrated example would be his role of a professor in the psychological horror thriller, 404: Error Not Found. Kamat's character sees him helping a student who seems to seeing hallucinations of the ghost of the previous occupant of his hostel room. It leads to a very surprising, twisty climax that I can't write much, but would be better for you to see. Couldn't find any official streaming service, but a copy is available on YouTube.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2020 07:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).