’’Yuva’’ is a lot like the just concluded Indian Circus called Elections.It throws up quite a few surprises in the winners and losers category. I will discuss the same at the end of this review. You can go right there or read the formalities.
Movie: Yuva
Main Starcast: Abhishek Bacchan, Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukherjee, Esha Deol, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri, Anant Nag.
Direction: Mani Ratnam
Music: A R Rahman
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The Story:
Lallan (Abhishek Bacchan) and his wife Shashi (Rani Mukherjee) share a blow-hot-blow-cold relation. Much against her desire to reform him, Lallan continues to work for the local political bosses, terrorising people and making money in the bargain. At one point, when things start working out for Rani, the storm rises again...
Michael Mukherjee (AJay Devgan) is the angry young idealist student fed up with the rottenness of the current political situation. Radhika (Esha Deol), is his love interest. He decides to contest elections, fighting heavy odds and to the dismay of the local politican (Om Puri). That brings him close to the jaws of death...
Arjun (Vivekl Oberoi), the happy-go-lucky guy, with America on his mind has everything going for him until he meets Kareena Kapoor (forgot her screen name). Things get more complicated thereafter....
In a singular act of fate, the three protagonists get intertwined in a chain of events that is to change their lives.
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The Surprise Winners:
1. Abhishek Bacchan: You got to believe this because I am one of his strongest baiters. After a decent performance in Refugee, Bacchan Jr has consistently competed with trashwarya rai in acting abilities. With this movie, he breaks the jinx.
A person from a lesser lineage would have been out of the scene by now. With a father who can pull strings and a taskmaster like Mani Ratnam to guide him with an author-backed role, this movie was the ’’make or break’’ factor in AB’s career. And he turns the tide in his favor. As Lallan the rowdy, Abhishek Bacchan breaks away from the ’’how-can-you-not-love-me’’ looks to the ’’come-hate-me’’ category. This time, AB succeeds in making me hate him - the charecter, not the person.
2. Kareena Kapoor: Ok, I have not watched ’’chameli’’. But this is the first time I actually liked her act. She doesn’t disband her pouting and preening. That is her second nature. But, mercifully, she tones down her volume and acting methods. Hope it is just not the Mani Ratnam factor.
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The Surprise Losers:
1. Om Puri: You can blame it on his cliched charecter. You can blame it on the number of times he has essayed similar roles. Yet, it is difficult to forgive him because good actors always add dimensions to cardboard caricatures.
2. Screenplay (Mani Ratnam): I have always liked Mani Ratnam best when he takes up simple charecters in simple circumstances. Here, with so many charecters to handle and I guess pressures of time too, he falters. Haasil had a much better understanding of student politics.
Some situations like the Vivek Oberoi - Kareena meeting in the disco, Vivek’s sudden change of decision were highly contrived. Also, an obsession with the Lallan charecter sidelines the others to mere caricatures. Shades of the original Mani however, do creep in, here and there.
3. Vivek Oberoi: Now, here is one actor who needs to do something to get rid of singularly unexciting roles offered to him by big banners. Here, he is good in parts. His charecter is the most ill-concieved, ill-developed. In the last few scenes, he is reduced to one of those side-kicks behind Ajay Devgan.
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The No Surprise awards:
1.Ajay Devgan: Looks believable as a person with a cause but definitely not as a hyper-intelligent STUDENT! That he just about manages to pull it off speaks more for his capability than the ability of the person who did the casting.
2. Rani Mukherjee: As the suffering wife of a rowdy who still loves him for whatever reason, she breezes through a tough role. First time, I have seen her enact such bold sequences.
3. Music, Cinematograpy....: A R Rahman’s music is quite good but the lyrics are shoddy and half baked (courtesy: Mehboob). Cinematography is above par. Editing is shoddy at places, especially towards the end.
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I have a few questions for Mani Ratnam now:
Why did Rani Mukherjee, a girl from a decent family, get married to Lallan in the first place?
Are students who have no agenda but ’’just want to change the system’’ attitude a prescription for politics?
Why did you not stick to the no-song principle till the very end? None of the songs really add value to the movie.
In which city, do vehicles breeze past men fighting like animals on the main road? Do you really want me to believe that the average Kolkottan has no time to stop?
Why did you need a great actor like Anant Nag in a charecter that even alok nath could have portrayed?
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My opinion: Commercial constraints and a faltering screenplay hamper Yuva. The build up of the main story after the introduction of the protagonists is vague and lacks substance. The violence is overdone in the end. Someone said in their review that this movie pushes the envelope. Sorry, but it does no such thing.
That done, Yuva does not bore one to death. It keeps you engrossed for three hours. But so do many.other Hindi movies. Then why is this movie disappointing?
In a single line ’’It is all about Mani, honey!’’