KAI PO CHE!!!!! DISCUSSION THREAD - Page 12

It's safe to say that Hrithik Roshan's friendship tale Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Aamir Khan's Dil Chahta Hai has spoilt us rotten. These two coming-of-age blockbusters about three friends with deep pockets, posh accents, swanky cars and a penchant for fancy vacations had appeased our appetite for friends forever sagas. But when the trailers of Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che reached us, the big question was whether Bollywood still had an appetite for more male bonding? The trailer even included that cliched big-screen exercise of unadulterated joy among three boys as they hang out together and execute an impromptu jump into a water body (perhaps a trademark of director Abhishek Kapoor, who also used it in Rock On!!).

But my scepticism ended right there. The movie has a lot more than just thick friends, small misunderstandings and magical resolves at the end. Kai Po Che enters unfamiliar territory, where the heroes are scruffy and their misunderstandings real.

Set in troubled the Indian state of Gujarat in early 2000, the first-half introduces three friends trying to make it big in the world of highly competitive business by opening a cricket academy and sports store for hopefuls. There's Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput) the effortlessly confident and passionate one, Omi (Amit Sadh), the hot-headed one, and Govind Patel (Raj Kumar Yadav) the pragmatic one. The first hour establishes their deep friendship. They belong to the middle-class India where money is not easy to come by and fun times don't always mean hitting swanky nightclubs. The first half cruises along comfortably as we get used to their endearing camaraderie. Perfectly cast, we feel invested in all these young boys. Rajput, with his effortless acting is a mix of Hrithik Roshan's looks and Shah Rukh Khan's impish on-screen charms; Sadh, with his mercurial temperament, exudes a nervous energy that defines his character Omi and Yadav wins you over with his earnest logic.

The going was so good that as a viewer you felt as if the good ride will be marred soon by the proverbial love tangles. Fortunately, drama doesn't always come in the female form in Kai Po Che. Kapoor uses the backdrop of two epic events that rocked Gujurat in early 2000s to propel his film forward.

The 2001 earthquake that killed thousands and the bloody Hindu-Muslim communal clashes that divided Gujurat are used as an effective backdrop for an explosive second-half. There's lots going on — with their dreams, business and society crashing down around them — but director Kapoor manages to keep the chaos under control.

It was also refreshing to see that all the three actors, who had substantial roles, did not stoop down to one-upmanship. The result? The viewers were rooting for all the underdogs.

Another plus: no songs to dilute the event-filled narrative. The background remains in the background but complements the film. Kai Po Che, a victory cry in kite flying festivals, emerges triumphant.

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Ishaan is the quitter who didn't make it to the national cricket team, becomes a wastrel, and gets admonished by his father in public. Omi is the pujari's son, always on the right path and Govind does not only dream big, but works towards making it happen by tutoring kids and doing odd jobs to make an extra buck. They form a Sabarmati Sports Club, with the aid of Omi's politico uncle, who gives them the land and shop for the same.

Govind looks at selling sporting goods and Ishaan trains young kids for big league cricket. Ishaan discovers a young talent, Ali, who knocks off sixes on the pitch like he was born to do so. He takes him under his wing and trains him with great fervour and passion. This part of the film explores the club's training activities with great insight for the uninitiated into the world of cricket and its mid-offs and cover drives, along with the frailties of human nature and the complexities of everyday living, dreams and desires notwithstanding.

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It is refreshing to see the friendship of three young men on celluloid, without a woman stepping into the equation to cause an imbalance in the predictable film format. It is also devoid of dramatic dialogue, which makes them sound closer to real life conversations. But they have their own song and dance routines, with their lean frames jigging to the tracks, celebrating their new shop, life or an India cricket win. The boys were the 'item numbers" here, no special item girls needed! The film is not entirely devoid of women – there is a girl, Vidya (Amrita Puri), Ishaan's younger sister, who is tutored in Mathematics by Govind, and they have their own little love story playing out in the midst of it all.

The cinematography by Anay Goswamy caresses every corner and crevice of the location, as it does the expressions and angst of the actors, and the contours of their lithe frames. The sound design by Baylon Fonseca is fantastic and adds the requisite depth to the drama.

The story then envelops its main protagonists into the dark recesses of emotional despair where an invincible force of nature turns their simple existence and complex dreams into a pile of debris and dead bodies on 26 January, 2001. Insurmountable troubles abound, with the political climate taking a communal turn, resulting in riots and even more gore and death.

How Ishaan, Omi and Govind's friendship survives these troubled times is what the story explores from here on. The human spirit triumphs above all in the story, in a manner most endearing and constitutes the last quarter of the film. I loved that bit the most. It reiterates something I strongly believe in – that being a good human being is the toughest religion of all.

Raj Kumar's performance as the business minded, diligent Govind is the best in the film and my favourite. Well played! Amrita Puri as Vidya is adorable in her portrayal as a love struck student. From television to the big screen, both Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput, have made a fabulous transition with great performances. Through the duration of the film, you feel you are watching but a film, and are not as drawn into the lives of these characters in the story as the maker might have intended you to be.

Kai Po Che, a screen adaptation of the book, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, written by Chetan Bhagat, is a good film, but not a great film.

Rating: ***