Film review: Kai Po Che! A kaleidoscope of dynamics between friendsPublished: Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013, 19:46 IST | Updated: Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013, 21:56 IST By Tushar Joshi | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA | |||||
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A few minutes into the second half of Kai Po Che, you see events unfold against the backdrop of the historic Test match between India and Australia in 2001, where ā riding on VVS Laxman's 281 and Harbhajan Singh's hat-trick ā India came back from a losing position to win miraculously. The montage, spread over five days of the Test, shows interactions between the film's characters, their moods and behaviour reflecting the ups and downs the national cricket team undergoes in the match.
When India wins on the fifth day, residents of a bustling area in Ahmedabad break into a rapturous celebration, and two friends ā upset with each other after a tiff ā run towards each other from different parts of the locality, forgetting personal differences and joining in the festivities together. It's a very real moment, executed with the help of a clever build-up that culminates in that scene.
It's a feature that is constant with director Abhishek Kapoor's third film ā he builds plot brick-by-brick through its running time, all the time aiming for an emotion-ridden finale. While the pay-off is surely rewarding, the lack of a strong story for a large part does bother. Chetan Bhagat's The 3 Mistakes of my Life, which forms the basis of this film, lacked narrative heft to begin with. Screenplay writers Pubali Chaudhuri and Suprateek Sen, along with Kapoor and Bhagat, do well to pad up the rather plain structure with warm, genuine moments. The ending is tweaked too, and it's for the better.
The first half focuses on little other than the camaraderie between the three protagonists ā Ishaan, Omi and Govind ā and other characters like Omi's politician mama (a Hindu hardliner), Ishaan's sister Vidya and a boy called Ali. Much of this is pure set-up. While the three actors bring freshness to the drama with their unpractised ease and earnestness, the male-bonding scenes seem straight out of Rang De Basanti, where shirtless boys running through fields and diving into a lake in slo-mo seemed a lot cooler.
What makes the film rather enjoyable, then, is the acting ā the cast is picked with commendable precision by Mukesh Chhabra ā and the effective use of some brilliant cinematography and music. Bhagat's fictional story is set against the backdrop of real events (the 2001 earthquake, the Test series and the 2002 Gujarat riots), which in itself is a novelty for Hindi film audiences. The last 40 minutes is where the meat lies, and unlike many Hindi films that fall apart in the third act, Kai Po Che pulls all the right strings when it matters and leaves you on a high.
It's refreshing to see young actors cast in lead roles purely for their ability to perform, and each of them ā Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav ā makes the character his own. Rajput, presented as the leader of the pack, displays boyish charm and is supremely confident in his debut film effort. Sadh gets the least play among the three actors, but shines when it counts. Manav Kaul (as the politician), Amrita Puri (who plays Vidya) and Digvijay Deshmukh (as Ali) are all brilliantly cast by Chhabra.
The film's standout's performance, though, comes from Raj Kumar Yadav, an actor who's managed to leave a mark in every role he's enacted so far, irrespective of screen time. In Kai Po Che, he gets his meatiest part yet, and bites into it with self-assuredness and rare understanding. From the cocky Delhi chap who shot a sex video on the sly in LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha to the hardworking Gujarati boy in Kai Po Che, Yadav has shown enough grit in a short career to be counted among the actors to watch out for in years to come.
Kapoor makes good use of the tools he has at his disposal ā actors, visuals, sound, etc ā to narrate a mediocre story engagingly, like a good filmmaker should. Props must be given to cinematographer Anay Goswami, who brings the film alive with his sepia-tinged frames, and music director Amit Trivedi for a memorable score. Hitesh Sonik's background score is special.
Kai Po Che seems to have been made with much passion and dedication, and its intentions override its shortcomings. Casting, cinematography and music ā and not the boys ā are the film's three heroes.
By Aniruddha Guha on February 21 2013 4.08pm
New Delhi: There's a moment in Abhishek Kapoor's 'Kai Po Che' when it's two leading men Ishaan and Omi, delirious with joy at India winning a Test match they had given up for dead, rush towards each other and stop for a fraction of a second to gauge if a hug would be appropriate after their massive quarrel.
There are many moments of pure male bonding - refreshingly subtle - in 'Kai Po Che ' that pull their weight in gold. There is the lovely Amrita Puri of course who romances one of the three, but her track doesn't take the attention away from the film's main selling point - the beautifully complex and boringly normal relationship between the three men.
Kapoor called them 'brothers for life'. They are that and more, often lovingly shielding each other from blows that life rain on them, without once letting the audience feel the absence of a major female star and leaving many wet eyes in the end. The last time I saw this kind of brotherhood in mainstream Bollywood was in Dil Chahta Hai, a slick coming-of-age story where the three friends complete each others sentence.
kai po che
Replace the designer couch, the leather upholstery, the foreign brands and the urban smooth talk with middle-class homes in cramped bylanes of Gujarat, and Kai Po Che's Omi, Ishaan and Govind retain the heart of Sid, Aakash and Sameer. The street smart wastrel, the introvert and the nerdy goof tied by a bond that goes much deeper than blood.
It's only when Govind starts dating Ishaan's sister that you realize you haven't really missed having a heroine around. Actually no woman can substitute for the camaraderie that these three share. They hug, repeatedly, and cry unashamedly. They lock up their shop and rush to stand behind a friend who's lost his parents during the fire in the Sabarmati Express.
While watching the film I realized how smart it was of Kapoor to not alter the narration in the source material - Chetan Bhagat's 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life' - and give in to the temptation of introducing female leads to cater to a mainstream audience. How distracting that would have been.
Whether they take a running dive into water or help fulfill each others dream, you know you are seeing friendship at it's purest form in Kai Po Che. I'm glad the makers also decided to sandpaper the book's over-the-top climax, which would have scratched an emotional itch maybe, but would not have the poignancy of the film's ending.
A parting remark to the industry professionals - take your good writers seriously and award them amply - it takes a lot of work to turn around an average story to something beautifully fluid and impart dignity and poignancy to it.
Abhishek Kapoor's clarity of vision makes Kai Po Che -- the adaptation of a mediocre novel -- so irresistible, writes Sukanya Verma.
'Main Ambani ban jaata hoon. Omi ko CM bana denge. Chal, pehle rickshaw pakadte hain.'
Though spoken in jest, these words reveal a shrewd oxymoron of ambition and reality that characterises the zeal and anxiety of the youth. And to me, this stunning clarity and ease in director Abhishek Kapoor's voice is what makes this adaptation of a mediocre novel so irresistible.
I wouldn't call Kai Po Che an exact retelling of Chetan Bhagat [ Images ]'s The 3 Mistakes of My Life. Kapoor clearly recognises the strengths (and limitations) of this story as a motion picture and labours to compound an emotionality worth rooting for even if it means significant departure from the source. It's a beautiful risk. And it totally works.
Along with Pubali Chaudhari, Supratik Sen and Bhagat, he alters the book's populous contents to create a solid focal point and tell a cohesive tale of remarkable friendship set in Gujarat's largest city, Ahmedabad [ Images ], marked by three real-life events -- a propitious cricket match between India [ Images ] and Australia [ Images ], a natural calamity and communal riots.
How these experiences test their relationships and mould their conscience is documented through the vibrant highs and consuming lows of Kai Po Che.
Unaffected and free-flowing, the bond between Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav), Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Omi (Amit Sadh) has such a 'lived-in' quality to it, there's no problem buying the film's 'brothers for life' tag line in a heartbeat. They talk very fast when communicating with each other, but this breathless incoherence (indicating informality and comfort) adds to their appeal.
Govind is the enterprising, cautious but reticent leader of the group. Omi, unlike the bright orange he sports, is subdued, susceptible and yet to come into his own. Though hotheaded and impulsive, Ishaan wins everyone over with his infectious smile and dynamism.
His overpowering desire to coach extraordinarily gifted local kid Ali (Digvijay Deshmukh) into a full-fledged batsman, Omi's political affiliations with his maternal uncle (a compelling Manav Kaul) and Govind's clandestine affair with Ishaan's impish kid sister, Vidya (a super cute Amrita Puri) advance steadily to converge into Kai Po Che's culminating point.
Because of the varying motives of these individuals, the screen is continuously buzzing with disparate moods. But Kapoor, like vehicle suspension, provides a stability and homogeny to these activities so as to identify with, not overwhelmed by this interconnect.
Govind, Omi and Ishaan are no Jai-Veeru in magnitude but the sincerity of their can-lay-my-life-for-you ardor is noteworthy. They jiggle to Chaalbaaz's Aaj Sunday hai toh daaru peene ka din hai, fool around shirtless at the picturesque Diu fort like those Rang De Basanti [ Images ] lads, enjoy the carefree breeze by climbing on top of a moving bus and --embrace and abuse both, without hesitation.
Quoting from Bollywood, impromptu excursions and taking each other for granted without guilt is the prerogative of buddy-dom and this wholehearted demonstration is radiantly captured in cinematographer Anay Goswamy's sun-soaked compositions. The combination of Swanand Kirkire's breathtaking lyricism and Amit Trivedi's exquisite melodies reiterates the troika's exuberance and idealism.
As typical to this genre, any celebration of brotherhood must be put on trial whether it's Dil Chahta Hai's [ Images ] Akash and Sid, Rock On!!'s Aditya and Joe, Middleearth's Frodo and Sam or, heck, even Shrek and Donkey. Kapoor doesn't have a novel situation in hand but his approach to it is.
The vibe of Kai Po Che is decidedly more down-to-earth and so he treats the truce with endearing spontaneity that is familiar to most hysterical cricket enthusiasts (that makes a LOT of us). Such a glorious moment! A heartfelt smile is the only immediate compliment I could offer.
Unlike most films that go overboard reminding us which region they are set in, Kapoor, thankfully, steers clear from thedhokla/fafda clichs (okay, so there's a passing mention of thepla/khakhra).
His characters, Govind in particular, speak with a slight, acceptable accent while the gorgeous Dandiya [ Images ] sequence plays on the opinion that a huge percentage of young couples get sexually active in the garb of festivities.
But the real task is not to offend sensibilities while filming a sensitive subject, like the Gujarat earthquake or riots and the terrible damage of life and property it resulted in. Kapoor depicts it powerfully (background score by Hitesh Sonik delivers here its best) but realises intelligently that any more drama would borderline on exploitation.
There's no attempt to make any political statements and most of the religion-driven hostility is implied not outright. Thought the pre-climax of this crisply-edited (Deepa Bhatia) drama does underscore the futility of blind blood thirst and aggression.
Turning a far-fetched plot into a probable one is laudable but Kai Po Che (It's a Gujarati phrase exclaimed by the one who succeeds in cutting off the competitor's kite) wouldn't achieve half of this without its dead-on casting (Bravo, Mukesh Chhabra).
The few films old Raj Kumar Yadav gets the tone of a soft-spoken go-getter, who's nervous around girls and diplomatic around clients just right. It's not a showy part. Playing reasonable seldom is. But Yadav's restraint does a marvelous job of balancing the trio's chemistry.
Amit Sadh shows his mettle through his metamorphosis from a secondary opinion to a furious figure. Often, the camera settles on his glimmering eyes to reveal a sensitive, complicated guy filled with a deep sense of guilt.
Finally, there's Sushant Singh Rajput as a 20-something father-figure to a boy he probably sees as a reflection of himself and wants to provide all the resources and support he never had. None of this subtext is ever mentioned. Like a seasoned actor, Rajput conveys it on his own. The young man has incredible energy but instead of blasting it out from all quarters, he patiently times it. The upshot is as graceful as Ali's sixers.
Rediff Rating: 
^^Nikki going for first day first show kya?
ihated climax in book so glad they changed it
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