Kai po che!

This movie exceeded my expectations.Kai Po Che! does not redefines Indian cinema and brings nothing new to the table but still it ranks among the best films made in recent times just because it gets the essentials right.The acting by all lead stars and the supporting cast is excellent,editing is good ,direction is commendable and so is the story(much much better than the novel). Speaking of acting Sushant Singh deserves all the praise but one has to agree his role was the most likable of the three.Amit and Raj's role was challenging as well which they have played with due diligence.Even the support cast of Omi's "mama" and Vidya were brilliant and did justice to their role.But the real beauty of this movie lies in its simplicity.I never felt a scene overdone in the movie.The fight scenes (among the friend and riots)specially don't look pacified as in most of the Hindi movies for censor certificates.There is enough use of abuse in the movie but it never looks overdone and out of context.At the end of the day Kai Po Che! makes you feel nostalgic ,gives you heartwarming moments and heart breaking moments as well but then you realize that good cinema does not necessarily needs to be ground breaking,you can make a good movie just by following simple rule of good story,good acting and good direction.

This week has basically two releases for 'Bollywood' and I opted for 'Kai Po Che'. The reason behind my choice is crystal clear that's one and only for 'Abhishek Kapoor' – the man who delivered the best musical film of 'Bollywood'. So now an inevitable question rises that – Did Abhishek really succeed again with his adaption of a book which I felt was filled with many potholes and flaws like 'Ali swashbuckling the deliveries of the Aussies'. Did Abhishek again sensitively handle the newly derived success formula of 'Bollywood'- male bonding ??

STORY - As most of us know that it is an adaption of 'Chetan Bhagat's' novel – 'The Three Mistakes Of my Life', sorry I have to correct myself 'It is an successful adaption'. Yes my friends this flick is really enjoyable. The director has handled with care every genre that passes along this movie and gives it a nice 'Bollywood' touch. The central theme that is bro-mance is one of the best. It reminds me of '3-idiots' but it would be quite daring to say that it outranks '3-idiots' in that field. From the cryptic trailers everyone would have got a silhouette of the movie but don't go with your intuition. Because the movie demands a watch. Unlike other directors this one has not spread himself too thin in an attempt to please the audience. For instance the seduction by Vidya to Govind isn't stretched to an obscene amount. The setting of the story in 'Gujarat' is one of the big highlights of this movie as you will love the cinematography. This movie plays and reflects the stereotypes of this so-called 'Modern India'. The movie's character are from middle class so it does play a staple dish .

PERFORMANCES -'Raj Kumar Yadav' excels and 'Amit Sadh' too but the man of the movie award goes to 'Sushant Singh Rajput'. It's no doubt that the three of them were good but at the end of the day someone is best.'Vidya' played by ' Amrita Puri' is cute with a tinge of joviality and naughtiness . She is a perfect sister and a lover. Little 'Ali' does look strong and playful. Others are good. I can't through the whole list in one word I will label the cast 'very good'. The transition made by the three lead characters seems like a facile victory. I won't dig enough cause I don't want to spoil it for you.

MUSIC- 'Gujarat' means 'Garba' and thus means 'beautiful'. The songs are good . Unlike the previous venture 'Rock On' this one is a bit traditional and you will love it. If I will go for the best song I will vote for 'Shubharambh'. God! You will love it. Music is too good.

OTHER ASPECTS -The cinematography is really fitting. You will surely succumb to the depth of 'Gujaratiness'.Editing is good and I'm not that kind of aficionado in film-making so I did like the other aspects too like camera work , editing and blah,blah,blah.

FINAL VERDICT -Go for it. You won't make a mistake.

Who said Indian's cannot adapt a novel to movie. This is one of the best adaptation in Indian cinema. This story is one of the best Indian novel. This is the second Chetan Bhagat's novel adapted for the silver screen after "Five points someone" (made a block buster in World cinemas list as "3-Idiots" directed by Rajkumar Hirani). Many people don't know what happened in Gujarat including me. Gothra train incident, election incident etc. Chetan Bhagat wrote this story in 2008. He is also one of the Screenplay writer for this movie. Directed by "ROCK ON" Abhishek Kapoor. Screenplay is really good. They have connected each and every incidents very well: Friendship, Love, Passion, and Revenge. Good casting also: Omi, Ish, Govi, Vidhya and Ali. I like the Ishaan character played by Sushant Singh Rajput. The real passion about cricket. Finally: Must watch Movie. .. 9.5/10.

Before watching "Kai Po Che!":

Me: Hey! Let's watch Kai Po Che.. A movie about Friendship, Forgiveness, Passion and..

Bro: wait.. yet another movie on 'friendship'! Another 3 idiots! Another Zindagi na milegi dobara... Come on! Don't you get tired of watching movies about same old stuff.. Can't we watch 'Die Hard'..? Yippee ki yay!

Me: No.. 'Die Hard' got bad reviews.. And seriously? Choosing 'Die Hard' over 'Kai Po Che' is the dumbest thing that must have ever come to your mind. Nopiee ki nay!

Bro: OK then.. let's go.. But we will watch Die hard after we are done with Kai Po Che.. OK?

Me: OK. Cool.

The film:

The film title Kai Po Che is originally a Gujarati phrase that means "I have cut the kite" which refers to a kite competition where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitors kite and yells "Kai Po Che!"

Adapted from "The 3 Mistakes of my Life"(Chetan Bhagat) and Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On!!) this is a character driven film about friendship, forgiveness, passion, love.. all in the backdrop of some real events. The story mainly revolves around three friends, Ishaan played by Sushant Singh Rajput, Govind played by Raj Kumar Yadav and Omi played by Amit Sadh, who set out to open a sports training academy.

The Good:

A film about friendship is not a new thing in Bollywood. We have already witnessed "3 Idiots", "Rock On", "ZNMD", "Dil Chahta Hai". "Kai Po Che" looks similar at first but peel off the layers and it's much more.

Adapted from a book titled "3 mistakes of my Life" this film is a tightly scripted and crisply edited drama that never bogs down or dumbs down for its audience and instead resorts to subtlety.

Playing with themes like dreams and aspirations, friendship standing test of time, a commentary of our education system is not an easy task and the director does an incredible job of weaving everything together.

Cinematographer Anay Goswamy has made look Gujrat so beautiful that I feel like taking a vacation and running off to that place for the Kite festival. Also, music given by "Amit Trivedi" is refreshing especially the song "Manjha".

But it's the characters that drive this film and the three leads are a revelation here. Rajkumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput not only have a good screen presence but they can actually ACT! (Sorry about me shouting and all.. but can't control my emotions right now) The actors have such great chemistry that it reminded me of my college days. These guys are not actors in this film. They ARE Govind Patel, Omkar Shastri and Ishaan Bhatt. And this is where this film hits it out of the park.

A capitalist money minded friend. A political friend. An emotional/day dreamer friend. These are people whom we have met somewhere at some point in our lives. These are people whom we can relate to and care about.

The Bad: Not applicable.

Final verdict: Cricket, Love, Friendship, Passion, Politics.. It's all what India is about and it's something that any sane minded Indian wouldn't and shouldn't miss.

After watching "Kai Po Che!":

Bro: Damn you… (sniff)

Me: What! You didn't like it? (sniff)

Bro: My eyes are watery. It's so embarrassing! F***ing friendship movies… (sniff)

Me: Oh come on now! Since when did you start crying for a film (sniff)

Bro: Oh and why is there a bubble under your nose?

Me: I.. I got cold. (sniff..) OK.. So next Die Hard.. I'll go buy the tickets and then..

Bro: F*** Die Hard. Let's watch this again. (sniff)

Set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots of a decade ago, Kai Po Che tells the story of three best friends - Ishaan Bhatt (Sushant Singh Rajput), Omkar Shastri (Amit Sadh) and Govind Patel (Rajkumar Yadav), who are trying to chase their dreams in the advent of the new millennium. This was a time when India's nuclear power was ostensibly shining - a perfect place for the three Ahmedabad boys to start a business that could be their ticket to fame and riches.

In a country like that of ours, where cricket is a religion, they hit upon a brilliant plan to start a training academy that could produce India's next sporting superstars. But, destiny plays cruel joke in the lives of three boys whose equations with each other are thrown into severe turmoil by calamitous event of the Godhra riots. This is when Ishaan, Omi and Govind struggle to keep their friendship intact, but on the other hand, their dreams are shattered as it pushes their grand plan of building a sports academy off the rails.

Positives : Kai Po Che is a refreshing tale of friendship, dreams and passion that might leave you with a mild dose of reality. The movie unravels the madness that the common citizen of the country has about cricket, cinema and politics, and the effects that it is making on the process of growth and the ethos of the country. There's no over-the-top, filmy, dramatic dialogues, instead, those in the film sound very realistic and genuine.

Verdict : Kai Po Che is an ode to true friendship. The movie works wonder on every sphere, say it brilliant acting, realistic plot or heart-touching dialogues. Hence, this one is sure to make a prominent place to the year's Best film award nominations. So, go and grab your tickets at the earliest and relish the beauty of the flick.

Ratings : 9/10 !!