Kai Po Che! - all reviews here(Taran Adarsh-page6) - Page 21

kai po che performing very well!!!! kuddos to the makers!!!

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The Sushant Singh, Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav starrer Kai Po Che! showed steady collections at the Domestic Box Office throughout the weekdays. The movie collected 2.70 crores on its 1st Wednesday at the Box Office.

Kai Po Che's 6 Days domestic total now stands at 26.85 crores at the Box Office.

Here's how Kai Po Che! fared till date at the Box Office:

Friday (Day 1): 4.50 Crores

Saturday (Day 2): 6.25 Crores

Sunday (Day 3): 7.25 Crores

Monday (Day 4): 3.20 Crores

Tuesday (Day 5): 2.95 Crores

Wednesday (Day 6): 2.70 Crores

Total (Domestic Collections): 26.85 Crores

Mukul tweets @mksmukulsharma

I watched the movie last Friday and had SO much to say about it but oh what irony that I couldn't get around to it before now...oh well better late than never.

First things first...I haven't read the book...but I have enough of an idea about what a mediocre writer CB is...and keeping my bias as a Sushant fan aside, I can safely say this is one of the better movies I've seen in recent years.

I read a line in some review which probably sums this movie up best...it's a deceptively simple film...and this thought was reinforced throughout as I watched the movie. The story is not earth-shatteringly unique...infact it's a pretty simple one of three friends and the challenges they face at a juncture in their lives when they are trying to make something of themselves...their dreams, their ambitions as affected by circumstances around them.

It is the TREATMENT of this seemingly simple story that raises it dare I say above many trio male bonding movies we've seen in the last ten years and maybe ever.

Most of these male bonding movies in a trend started by Farhan Akhtar consist of three confused guys coming of age as they go on a road trip...ZNMD was DCH part two in that sense...and by the end of it the characters have reached some kind of self-awakening...

What sets KPC apart is it's probably MOST natural portrayal of friendship b/w three middle class guys in movies in a long time...there is no one rich friend giving them rides in a Mercedes as they cruise along a highway...here the enterprising trio literally build their own world of dreams...best personified in the Meethi Boliyaan song as Govi carves an imaginary statue and Ishaan obliges by playing the statue all mischievously even as Omi is off on the side banging away at an imaginary piano.

What really impressed me about this movie is that they didn't try to RAM a message down your throat yet so POWERFULLY they talk about everything from co-existence of multiple cultures, religions in one city/neighborhood to the school systems, the sports systems in the country.

*Possible Spoilers below*

Scenes like the fact that Ishaan is CURSING in irritation at a 12 year old Ali when he sees a kid for the first time who can hit his ball for a six...it all adds to the sense of earthy realism in the movie.


There is so much to talk about in this movie, I'm probably going to ramble...lol...the three characters...each given ample/tremendous scope in the movie in their own way and such bang on casting!!👏...it is a HUGE part of what sells the soul of this movie to the audience...how very BELIEVABLE these three characters and their friendship is...from the opening scene on the bench where Govi grumbles to Ishaan ki he could have kept his temper for once while Omi the ever loyal chela to Ishaan defends his Ish as always.


And they all GROW in some sense or the other...Govi from this scared cat baniyaa counting pennies to gathering the guts to romance Ishaan's sister, Ishaan from this impulsive, rebellious, hot-tempered, frustrated ex-cricket star to a mentor to Ali, and Omi from literally a LAMB following Ishaan around to finally unwittingly killing him.

There are so many moments in the movie that stay with you...a few I'd like to mention:

1) The riot scene in Ali's house...one of the most if not possibly THE most original portrayal of riots shown in Indian movies...rather than focussing on the melodrama of a large mob and cars being blown up, they chose to keep the focus on the friends till the end...I frankly LOVED the touch of throwing in the Govi-Vidya revelation onto Ishaan in that very moment as things are SO tense...it's a life and death situation happening and in the middle of THAT Ish finds out and loses it...but the moment Omi walks in with blood-shot eyes, the focus shifts again...and the WAY htat chase through the corridors was shot...the TENSION of it...SUPERBLY shot👏👏

2) Omi's last scene on the train with his dad...a brief but really PROFOUND moment to me...it showed that you don't need long-winded scenes to show the story/connection b/w two characters...this much can be enough.

3) The way Omi and Ishaan make up after their big fight...the hug after India wins the match😆😆

4) Ishaan's scene with his sister on the terrace...I think this was Sushant's best piece of acting in the whole movie👏👏...the way Ishaan's guilt is shown as Vidya comes to talk to him...infact I'm amazed at the nuances Sushant managed to convey...Ishaan technically is not a character with a lot of meat to it compared to the other two characters in the movie...but Sushant still manages to bring so much to it...in quiet moments where you can FEEL why Ali matters SO much to him...his own failures constantly biting him and him living his dream through Ali...I think it was all so well conveyed...such that you understand why till the end Ali is ALL that mattered to Ishaan so badly.

5) Govind snapping and shouting at Ishaan when he finds out he gave away the money to Ali's family...Raj Kumar is one SUPERBB actor👏...and honestly the fight scenes b/w the friends were SO natural...not feeling contrived or setup...and the way the rifts forming b/w the friends was shown also felt so credible to me...Omi feeling jealous in a sense of Ali and Ishaan's growing friendship with him...Omi feeling neglected as a result and that ultimately feeding into his prejudices as he's brainwashed by his mama...everything was interconnected so well...never for a moment did I feel W*F.

6) The climax...definitely one of the most underplayed climaxes ever...especially for a sports movie which literally ALWAYS ends on a big six or 4 from the lead character...Kudos to Abhishek Kapoor and his team for choosing a different path...

7) Ishaan's bonding with Ali...forgot to mention this earlier but it was so cutely shown...the goti master bits, Ishaan's obsessive passion for making sure this kid can play on-side...for making him the best he can be...Sushant made this quality ENDEARING despite it not being a practical one...but you are able to UNDERSTAND Ishaan's passion for the sport, for this prodigy even if he sometimes sacrifices his own for that purpose.


Overall I'd give this movie a 4/5...and I'll go out on a limb and say this will be among the top 5 movies of the year (quality wise...I don't know about box office figures)...Abhishek Kapoor has really REALLY impressed me as a storyteller👏👏...this guy's one to watch out for as he makes his own mark among many other talented filmmakers in Bollywood.

*Edit: Oh HOW did I forget to mention the MUSIC...Amit Trivedi is a GENIUS...reinforced once again with this movie...I have Manjha and Shubhaarambh especially on REPEAT since many days...and the background music is superb too...especially in the second half.

Thanks for the review Anu! 😃 I'm going to watch it this weekend...can't wait... I was impressed by the promos...

Originally posted by: SunNaa

Thanks for the review Anu! 😃 I'm going to watch it this weekend...can't wait... I was impressed by the promos...

I heard a lot of good things about the movie's background score! the songs are lovely! btw the background score is not done by Amit Trivedi...it's by Hitesh Sonik...who also happens to be Sunidhi Chauhan's husband 😛

LOL you're welcome, Manali...I know the bg score is by Hitesh Sonik...whenever did I ever say in my post that the bg score was by Amit Trivedi?😛...aap itna doubt karti hain humaari research skills pe?😛

I thoroughly loved the movie...as did my family...hope you like it too.

Originally posted by: SunNaa

haha...sorrryyy..😛.I shouldn't have doubted Anu ji ki research skills 😆

Yeah I am so looking forward to it...we anyway watch mostly all movies in theaters at least jo thodi thik thak lagti hai from the promos...😆I am excited to watch this one...

btw who do you think gave the best performance among the three leads?

LOL no problem :P

Technically speaking, Raj Kumar is the best actor of the three...but I think it's a general consensus in the reviews also that it is VERY difficult to hail a clear winner cuz each character/actor feels like they've given their heart and soul to it and BECOME their characters...they ALL work so beautifully together to make the movie what it is...if even one of them was a weak link or didn't give an up to par performance, the movie would fall flat...Amit gets a lot of scope in the second half and honestly speaking his character has the biggest graph in the movie in terms of change...but they each bring something to the table...as I mentioned in my review also, there is a quiet strength in Sushant's performance that brings nuance to Ishaan...and the carefree charm as well...

I think the real hero of the movie is the storytelling and the bonding b/w the three characters...some of the things they've conveyed so subtly, you just marvel at it...it's not a typical shor-sharaabe waali melodramatic movie...one of the more natural ones I've seen in a while...the way the spirit of FRIENDSHIP has been portrayed...it's refreshing unlike the many other ones usually made on the subject...the music has been used beautifullyyy.

I loved 3 Idiots but as I left the theater after watching KPC, I did marvel at the fact that KPC delivered it's own message without using the usual props of a Raju Hirani movie vis a vis the jaadoo ki jhappis and somewhat OTT storyline elements even though I enjoy those too.

very nicely put Anu...like always 😊

Originally posted by: SunNaa

very nicely put Anu...like always 😊

Love the movies where storytelling/story is the real hero..I'm glad Bollywood is making such movies these days...2012 saw some very good films in terms of script and story telling...and now 2013 is also off to a good start...

hehe I am a huge Raj Kumar Hirani fan honestly...I love his movies...all 3 of his movies are in my list of all time favs... yeah maybe he uses some OTT stuff but they are beautiful...I marvel at how he is able to blend everything so perfectly...romance. comedy, social message and plus entertainment! all packed and delivered so beautifully...anyway looking forward to Kai Po Che,,,I liked Abhishek Kapoor's last film Rock On ...it was good but yeah didn't find it great...so let's see how this one is!

Thanks, Manali :-)

Arey yaar I'm a huge Raju Hirani fan too...loved the Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots as well...among my all time favs too...I'm just saying KPC had a refreshingly different take on storytelling and having a message without the usual masala trappings compared to most Bollywood movies...I mean consider the fact that there wasn't a single song these guys lipsynced in the movie in the middle of a crowd of dancers...heck even the garba sequence was more realistic than most typical movies with item song type scenarios...yeah 2012 no doubt was a great year for Hindi movies...hope 2013 has some good stuff as well :-)

Oh and even I wasn't that impressed by Rock On...I think what connected vis a vis KPC more with me was the earthiness and middle-class setting...different from Rock On and other male bonding movies of that type.