| Mani
Ratnam is a name that has always been associated with deep meaningful
cinema. Roja and Bombay were near masterpieces.
Dil
Se, his first Hindi venture, however was disappointing and sank
at the turnstiles.
His
second mainstream Hindi venture Yuva is an interesting tale
of how fate intervenes in our lives and can change them forever.
It
tells the story of three contrastingly different individuals whose
lives are inter-linked through inevitable circumstances in Calcutta.
Lallan
(Bachchan) is a hot blooded, street smart vagabond to whom violence
is a way of life - even if it is at the cost of his marriage to
Sashi (Rani Mukherjee).
Michael
(Devgan) is an idealistic PhD student campaigning to get into politics
and a potential threat to a corrupt MP (Puri).
Arjun,
(Vivek Oberoi) on the other hand is a selfish, free spirited guy
who takes each day as it comes. He plans to move to the US with
the hope of making it big.
Subsequently,
Lallan is hired to assassinate Michael at the MP's request. During
the assassination attempt, Michael is shot and severely wounded.
By
a strange twist of fate, Arjun is in the vicinity with Meera (Kareena
Kapoor) on Howrah Bridge.
He
saves Michael's life and it is at this point that a chain reaction
of sequences and events are triggered off consequently changing
all of their lives in the process.
First
things first. Yuva, will definitely not appeal to those,
that are used to the usual escapism churned out week after week.
What's
more, the episodic sequences that follows showing how each of the
characters lives are delved into, will not go down well with people
that are used to an in your face narrative.
In
addition, not everyone will be able to relate to the political background
setting in Calcutta.
Another
flaw with the movie is its climax - it leaves a feeling of unsatisfaction
because it isn't clear what happens to each of the characters.
There
are a few sequences which drag on and leave the viewer restless
and this is ultimately the movie's undoing.
On a more positive note, the camerawork and cinematography are fantastic.
The scenes which stand out is the accident on the bridge and how
each character is introduced.
The
technique has definitely not been witnessed before - at least in
Bollywood.
A.R.
Rahman's music is good but nowhere near as good as Dil Se,
Roja or Bombay. Of them Anjaana and Fanaa
are catchy and are elevated even further due to their awesome cinematography.
But
Yuva's main strength lies in its performances with a few standing
well above the others.
Ajay
Devgan is completely miscast as a student especially since he is
now approaching forty. His performance is good but quite clearly
his heart isn't in it - he is capable of much more.
Vivek
Oberoi too is good but his character is more of an extension of
Saathiya.
The
performance that takes the cake though is Abhishek Bachchan's as
Lallan. He finally comes out of his father's shadow and delivers
a knock out performance that's bound to earn him a few nominations
at least.
Of
the actresses Rani has the best part and she makes the most of it.
She gives Sashi the right amount of vulnerability and innocence
and her scenes with Abhishek are amongst the best in the movie.
Kareena
is enchanting. She looks simple and underplays well (for a change)
making the most of a half-baked role.
Esha
looks good but doesn't get much scope to perform and get lost in
the crowd.
Yuva
had the makings of a classic had it not been for some glaring loopholes
in the screenplay and the need to bow down to the requirements of
commercial mainstream cinema.
On
the whole, it is unlikely to be the blockbuster that it was touted
to be because of its unusual theme.
And
considering the star cast, and a maker of Ratnam's repute, the film
is likely to disappoint many.
But
for people looking for something refreshingly different, this film
is a must watch if not for anything else.
There
is also Abhishek's fantastic performance and some well executed
sequences to contend with. Give it a chance... see this film. It
won't dissappoint!
Jay
Mamtora
Guest Reviewer
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