Even as exams are just a month away, I cannot help
but feel intrigued by any exciting release that comes this month. Come March
and eventually we will get a taste of most of the leading Oscar contenders but
I am also content to look for Bollywood movies that can give me a great time
while being something different from the stuff we usually have every Friday.
So, after flicking through the music channels, I just come here to talk about
the two awaited releases this month.
Kai Po Che Will Be A Refreshing Youth Movie. |
One is a slick, refreshing youth movie with a
wonderfully creative name ‘Kai Po Che’ which is Gujarati for ‘I Have
Cut’, a victory cry synonymous with the Makarsankranti Festival, the occasion
when the skies are flooded with the fluttering kites of innumerable colors.
Officially an adaptation of Chetan
Bhagat’s ‘3 Mistakes of My Life’,
the movie, helmed by Abhishek Kapoor,
exudes freshness right from its casting choices to its sepia-tinted promos. The
three leads in ‘Kai Po Che’-well-known
TV actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh and character actor Raj Kumar Yadav- are, in every sense, a
welcome break from the usual 40-plus heroes who are cast as youngsters in most
youth movies. Instead of giving us big names, the film seems to be giving us
real promise.
And ‘Kai Po
Che’ even seems like a different kind of youth movie. The youth-oriented
movies usually made in our film industry are either too flashy, glitzy
(‘Student of the Year’,’ Main Hoon Na’ and the like) populated by designer
brands and gleaming red Ferraris or downright realistic and earthy, devoid of
the usual color and vigor of youth and growing up (‘Udaan’, ‘Dil, Dosti Etc’.).
In between lie films that blend a feel-good warmth with a credible approach-
films like ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Wake Up Sid’, ‘Rock On!’ and others are warm,
witty and sensitive portrayals of coming-of-age and friendship, instantly
accessible and good-looking as well. ‘Kai
Po Che’, which, as believed, will stick closely to Bhagat’s narrative, is
mainly about ordinary youngsters affected by political turmoil, or more
precisely the communal tensions witnessed in Gujarat, among their aspirations
and personal demons.
It obviously sounds promising but this is something
that some of our most well-known filmmakers have doled out to us. Gulzar’s debut
‘Mere Apne’, as well as his final directorial outing ‘Hu Tu Tu’ are both about
normal youngsters embroiled in events beyond their control; in the former,
unemployment of the 70s leads to gang warfare among the youngsters and in the
latter, two youngsters from influential families try to seek justice for the
victims of political manipulation of their parents.
If it gets it right, ‘Kai Po Che’ may eventually belong in the same genre. The fresh
casting choices are already an advantage, making the film instantly easy to
connect for the young viewers. On the other hand, at a time when India is
halfway between uncertainty and utopia, the film’s underlying theme of communal
politics and how it affects daily lives could not have come at a better time.
And it promises to be a well-told tale as well- Abhishek Kapoor, whose last
film, the impressive ‘Rock On!’ will obviously do a good job with this unusual
story as well.
The second release, this month, may be regrettably
run-of-the-mill. Named ‘Zila Ghaziabad’,
Anand Kumar’s film is reportedly based on the 1990’s gang wars that had erupted in the eponymous district of
Uttar Pradesh.
Zila Ghaziabad feels like a predictable cops and gangster film |
The premise is then meaty but from what the promos
seem to be telling us, ‘Zila Ghaziabad’
feels quite dated in its approach. On any given day, people like Sanjay Gupta,
Anurag Kashyap and even Ram Gopal Varma (when in form) can make a fantastically
delicious meal out such meat- without really gunning for too much conviction.
In the past, movies like ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’, ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ and ‘Rakht
Charitra’ have done just that- recreating legendary tales of gangsters and
ganglands without really going into the specifics. Slick packaging, good
casting choices and a confident film-making approach all help to make the drama
interesting and exciting on the screen.
‘Zila
Ghaziabad’, on the other hand, feels like a mish-mash of elements- there is
a faintly distinct Sanjay Gupta-like flavor running through the promos but when
we see Sanjay Dutt as a sleepy-eyed cop making a fool of himself with his ‘Service
Revolver’, we know we are in mediocre territory. Ever since the roaring success
of ‘Dabangg’ and its sequel, we have been handed down films about cops, which
are actually more about an over-the-top and ribald expression of masculinity
and tomfoolery- think about ‘Singham’, ‘Rowdy Rathore’ and now this.
And other things feel problematic too. The action
scenes will be too loud and violent- so violent and silly that you will
actually smirk. The casting, save for maybe Vivek Oberoi, who, after a long
time, actually fits the role of a gangster, also feels uninspired- Arshad
Warsi, for instance, hardly looks menacing as a gangster. And of course, we can
guess that the film will have its own share of relentless dance numbers, an
item number (of course) and those horrendously jarring close-up shots will
grate our nerves. Ugh!
So, my vote would go to ‘Kai Po Che’; of the two, it obviously feels like something
refreshing to welcome the summer days ahead. Already, I am hooked to the song ‘Shubhaarambh’. Has anyone ever heard
such a sublime yet haunting Garba song in ages, one which parallels the coming
of Navratri with new hope for the youth?
Way to go, Amit Trivedi.
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