Kai Po Che
Rarely you come across a movie that has three young and new talents and over the years all three of these establish themselves as brilliant actors. That’s director Abhishek Kapoor’s magic. And we could see the magic in every frame of the movie.
The movie is an adaption of writer – Chetan Bhagat’s one of the best sellers – The 3 mistakes of my life. The movie is all about friendship, a sensitive and superlative one. From the likes of male bonding & friendship movies like Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On, 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Kai Po Che is about a friendship where the male leads (Ishan played by Sushant, Omi played by Amit Sadh and Govind played by Rajkumar Rao) are so drastically different from each other, yet uplift each other in every aspect of life.
One good part about Chetan Bhagat’s writing is how simply he manages to show a middle class family and their struggles, though in a glamorous way. The film talks about how the protagonists have their passion (cricket) and also concerned parents who want them to so called ‘settle’ in life quickly. And they find their temporary joy when they turn their passion into a business (well, one achievement every middle class dreams about, but doesn’t dare to risk). The film also beautifully shows how a defiant Ishan sobers down a bit when he gets an opportunity to coach a neighborhood Muslim boy, Ali.
The storyline and the screenplay then gathers a impetus when natural and manmade tragedies (Earthquake and riots) strike the Gujarat state. The story shows how the tragedies crevices in the defense of friendship between the three boys and how maturely they deal with the same.
The film is all about the real us, the real people, not the stars. It is about real houses. An ordinary man that in general looming between the stress of achieving in life, dealing with friendships and trying to find a way between the capitalists in the country.
Now, let’s talk about performances –
For me, Rajkumar’s performance as Govind, the business minded guy is the best in the film. While both Amit Sadh and Sushant made a quite impactful shift from television to the big screen. Amrita Puri has made an impression which will again stay with you. These actors have deep dived into the characters to make them look so real.
While we talk about direction, Abhishek Kapoor who earlier took us on a fun yet emotional ride of buddy bonding through Rock-On has again managed to bring the bonding out here, but this time in a critically yet entertaining manner. There are no second thoughts that he deserved the ‘Filmfare Best Screenplay Award’ for this one.
When we talk about music, let me tell you this – no Gujrati function ever since 2013 have been commenced without a performance on ‘Hey Shubhaarambh’. Amit Trivedi proves why he has managed to get a name in the industry for himself. While Shubhaarambh was an overnight hit, ‘Suljha Denge Uljhe Rishto Ka Maanjha’ is still stuck with me for the lyrics that justify the plot of the story. Kudos to Swanand Kirkire for penning it down so well !!
A complete package of emotions is what this movie has to offer you. It has friendship, love, maturity. The cinematography could have been better. The movie could have had more songs considering the traditionally vibrant state it was representing.
But the story and content covers it up for everything.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.