Magneto's Movies
Reel Reviews
Movie: Kai Po Che
Release Date: 22nd February 2013
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput as Ishaan Bhatt/Ish, Raj Kumar Yadav as Govind Patel, Amit Sadh as Omkar Shastri/Omi, Amrita Puri as Vidya Bhatt, Digvijay Desmukh as Ali and Manav Kaul as Bitto Mama
Genre: Drama/Social/Sport
Score: 8.8/10
Pros: -Stellar performance from the main cast especially it's three leads
-Some thrilling scene by scene, faithful adaptations of 'Three Mistakes of My Life'
-Change in title also lifts perspective from Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) onto all three male leads, providing a well rounded movie
-A realistic approach and look at the early 2000's Gujarat earthquake and Godhra massacre and riots.
-Beautiful background score and soundtrack. Tapping into Gujarati folk tunes to produce soothing music.
-Dynamic camera work shows a majestic side of Gujarat especially the villages at the outskirts of a gritty but dazzling Ahmedabad.
Cons: -The final scene is unfaithful to the book and it does not resolve certain issues.
- The story at the middle seems slightly bogged down due to a few necessary political scenes.
Best Scene: The Earthquake scene as a desperate Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) races to check on his new store at the mall, his expressions show the despair as he witnesses his dreams of success crumble under the weight of mother nature.
Best Performance: All three leads; Sushant Singh Rajput as Ishaan, Raj Kumar Yadav as Govind and Amit Sadh as Omi
Best Dialogue: "I cannot be your friend for four reasons; 1) Because I am your teacher, 2) Because your my best friend's sister, 3) Because you're younger than me and 4)Because...you're a girl." Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) explaining to Vidya (Amrita Puri) why he cannot be friends with her. His mumbling and constant fidgeting shows the nervousness of a simple Gujarati boy around the girl he is beginning to love.
Story
Direction
Abhishek Kapoor is a dynamite in his third feature film, experience is an essential key and after a mediocre (Aryan) and exciting tries (Rock On!), Kapoor gets the right ingredients in crafting his best flick yet. He handles the story with ease and makes sure to do justice to the source yet give a natural change to it's plot, allowing a fresher perspective for the characters that I am sure prior book readers fell in love with.
He know how to handle the tighter cast and pushes to the extreme in turning their talents into natural charisma on screen. He uses each member to their strenghts whether the superstar like quality of Rajput, the body language of Raj Kumar (fame Gangs of Wasseypur 2) or the wide emotional range packed in Amit Sadh (fame Maximum).
The camera work is another stunning masterpiece, I am filled with pride for Hindi cinema as the past few years have witnessed some quality shot taking and cinematography. Ahmedabad is presented in full glory and beauty. The shots during the songs and scenes show a vibrant Ahmedabad and lighting and sound is used to flashy great effect in order to capture the realistic period but festive feel. Anay Goswamy who has been a rising star in this field of the industry should be praised and lauded for his brilliant effort.
Score: 8.7/10
Performances
The performances are the strength of the film, the change in certain aspects from the book gives the three leads demanding screen presence, and that is an excellent addition that the writers made. Apart from the three leads there are important supporting characters.
Young Ali played by Digvijay Desmukh is played to the tee of his book counterpart. He is portrayed with stark vulnerability, sincere humor and touching admiration. While Desmukh does not get one of the meatier Ali scenes from the book, he takes what's handed to him and works with it to the end. His main role is to give enough for Rajput (Ish) to emote passion and ambition in teaching Ali cricket, Desmukh pulls this off and uses the cricketing scenes to drive Ishaan's main character arc. It is not easy to play a character that provides for another actor but the young Desmukh does this with sheer amazement.
Amrita Puri (fame Aisha) as Ishaan's little sister Vidya is bubbly, charming and disarming. She like with Desmukh is meant to be an ample supporting character for the lead (in her case Raj Kumar). She brings out undertones of sexiness and intimidation in order to push forward the films sole romantic excursion and make Yadav use his sensational body language to fumble and bumble around. While she doesn't really expand much as a character, Puri shows some sly charisma and natural screen presence.
If it were not for his small screen time, Manav Kaul would have easily stolen the show. His Bitto Mama may not get the final climatic villanous act as with the book but he play his scenes with sinister glee. It is hard to not feel bad for Omi (Amit Sadh) fall into the lull of his Uncle's giving and loving attitude in order to turn his nephew into a politician, in fact Kaul gives the film an edge in boiling the darker nature of the script to the surface. An actor of refined talent hopefully Kaul gets his due before it's to late.
Finally we come to the leads, all three provide a dose of their abilities in equal measure. It's easy to see why famed Television actor Sushant Singh Rajput is the focus of the film through most points, he has a natural screen presence and oozes charisma. He towers over his friends as the leader of the pack, the cricket scenes are helped immensely by the ambition he shows with his expressions and body movement. Apparently he took strenuous cricket coaching classes and it truly shows. As the script rushes towards Ali's cricketing future, he makes sure to take in the roller-coaster difficulties and emotional jabs from his friends with stern dialogue delivery and determination. On this day a star is truly born, as the debutant relishes the opportunity in the limelight and never falters through his scenes.
Amit Sadh who made his stellar debut in the underwhelming Maximum is an interesting part of this film. His use of facial expressions and copying of Sushant's style with difficulty presents the character Omi's undying loyalty and admiration of his friend. Omi unlike in the book goes through a steep character change and Sadh expresses this with perfection, during scenes it's his eyes you are glued to as you witness his comedic love and loyalty for friends, his underlying nervousness in asking his uncle for money, fear when he is in the presence of Kaul (Bitto Mama), undertoned smarts around Govind and Vidya and seething rage and despair at the loss of his parents, all expressed through his eyes. Sadh might not be as refined as Raj Kumar or definite as Sushant but he proves his mettle among the leads as fluently versatile and dynamic.
It is however Raj Kumar Yadav who truly shines, he shows that an actor does not require either a name or face to really give a finesse performance. While his role is shortened from his book counterpart, Yadav takes the part with shining happiness. Among the leads he has the more simple persona, at times pushing him down but eventually keeping him unique to the others. His Gujarati boy look is typical with the oiled down hair and slight paunch, comedic gold spews from his scenes when being harrased by his friends. The best however are his romantic excursions with Amrita Puri's Vidya, he is her stern tuition teacher and at points fumbling and nervous around her especially once she begins to intimadate into a romantic relationship. It is funny when he lists of the reasons against why he cannot be friends with her, especially the worried look at betraying his best friends (Ishaan's) trust while falling for his sister. It shows that Yadav has learnt alot under the likes of Anurag Kashyap (director; GOW 2) and Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur 2 and Chittagong). There is however a negative in that he does not get to fully resolve his issues with Ishaan yet easily ends up with his sister at the end of the film. In equal parts I would still say the three are terrific whether Sushant Singh Rajput's disarming charm, Amit Sadh's expressive emoting or Raj Kumar Yadav's terrific acting.
Genre: Drama/Social/Sport
Score: 8.8/10
Pros: -Stellar performance from the main cast especially it's three leads
-Some thrilling scene by scene, faithful adaptations of 'Three Mistakes of My Life'
-Change in title also lifts perspective from Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) onto all three male leads, providing a well rounded movie
-A realistic approach and look at the early 2000's Gujarat earthquake and Godhra massacre and riots.
-Beautiful background score and soundtrack. Tapping into Gujarati folk tunes to produce soothing music.
-Dynamic camera work shows a majestic side of Gujarat especially the villages at the outskirts of a gritty but dazzling Ahmedabad.
Cons: -The final scene is unfaithful to the book and it does not resolve certain issues.
- The story at the middle seems slightly bogged down due to a few necessary political scenes.
Best Scene: The Earthquake scene as a desperate Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) races to check on his new store at the mall, his expressions show the despair as he witnesses his dreams of success crumble under the weight of mother nature.
Best Performance: All three leads; Sushant Singh Rajput as Ishaan, Raj Kumar Yadav as Govind and Amit Sadh as Omi
Best Dialogue: "I cannot be your friend for four reasons; 1) Because I am your teacher, 2) Because your my best friend's sister, 3) Because you're younger than me and 4)Because...you're a girl." Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) explaining to Vidya (Amrita Puri) why he cannot be friends with her. His mumbling and constant fidgeting shows the nervousness of a simple Gujarati boy around the girl he is beginning to love.
Story
An adaptation of famous Indian author Chetan Bhagat's English language novel 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life'. Kai Po Che is a tale of 3 young men trying to make it big in Gujarat as the new millenium hits. Set in the backdrop of the early 2000's Gujarat earthquake and Godhra massacres, these boys seek to make it big using the cricket is religion mantra. Omi, Govind and Ish have been inseparable since birth and the pressure of two incidents with their stance in Cricket, Love and Politics will effect their life, it's up to them to see each other through so as they can proclaim victory by shouting the old Gujarati victory cry 'Kai Po Che'.
The story is one of the few Indian movies I have seen that is closest and most faithful to it's source (see more at Source). Abhishek Kapoor unlike his previous ventures (Aryan and Rock On!) veers away from full writing duties (Kapoor previously scripted Aryan and Rock On! which at points felt slightly uneven in writing), this in turn allows a much more dimensional script especially considering that one of the co-writers is Chetan Bhagat (the author from whose book the film is adapted).
The change in title from 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life' is wholly justified, as it allows the writers all rounded script to focus on all three leads rather than the book's sole lead Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav). This turns the film from just the 3 mistakes of his (Govind's) life to the mistakes of the three friends lives. Characters are well fleshed as mentioned, each one of the leads get's a certain arc to explore and changes to go through.
The writers get a perfect feel from the friendship movies, they subvert the usual trope of friendship adventure films relying on college settings, romantic triangles and trendy style for one that is steeped in an Indian culture yet modern style.
Key scenes are written with tense atmosphere and quick harrowing dialogues bubbling with emotion. Some to watch for would be the Earthquake race; Govind races off during the Ahmedabad earthquake to make sure his newly rented cricket store is safe only to come across the despair among the rubble causing a myriad of emotions ranging from deep regret to streaming tears. Also the final scene; as we witness riots under the guise of religion and politics take a strain on the friendship between the leads.
Dialogues are not as quotable but a few stick with you, most importantly as mentioned above is Ishant (Sushant Singh Rajput) remarking that despite us and them, only a human will come to the aid of a human. There are also certain words and phrases in Gujarati so as to provide the realistic feel of the picture. Used sparingly and appropriately as to not fixate on the setting but just the backgrounds of the characters, here and there.
Chetan Bhagat, Author of The Three Mistakes of My Life and script writer for Kai Po Che!
Score: 8.4/10
Direction
Abhishek Kapoor is a dynamite in his third feature film, experience is an essential key and after a mediocre (Aryan) and exciting tries (Rock On!), Kapoor gets the right ingredients in crafting his best flick yet. He handles the story with ease and makes sure to do justice to the source yet give a natural change to it's plot, allowing a fresher perspective for the characters that I am sure prior book readers fell in love with.
He know how to handle the tighter cast and pushes to the extreme in turning their talents into natural charisma on screen. He uses each member to their strenghts whether the superstar like quality of Rajput, the body language of Raj Kumar (fame Gangs of Wasseypur 2) or the wide emotional range packed in Amit Sadh (fame Maximum).
The camera work is another stunning masterpiece, I am filled with pride for Hindi cinema as the past few years have witnessed some quality shot taking and cinematography. Ahmedabad is presented in full glory and beauty. The shots during the songs and scenes show a vibrant Ahmedabad and lighting and sound is used to flashy great effect in order to capture the realistic period but festive feel. Anay Goswamy who has been a rising star in this field of the industry should be praised and lauded for his brilliant effort.
Score: 8.7/10
Performances
The performances are the strength of the film, the change in certain aspects from the book gives the three leads demanding screen presence, and that is an excellent addition that the writers made. Apart from the three leads there are important supporting characters.
Young Ali played by Digvijay Desmukh is played to the tee of his book counterpart. He is portrayed with stark vulnerability, sincere humor and touching admiration. While Desmukh does not get one of the meatier Ali scenes from the book, he takes what's handed to him and works with it to the end. His main role is to give enough for Rajput (Ish) to emote passion and ambition in teaching Ali cricket, Desmukh pulls this off and uses the cricketing scenes to drive Ishaan's main character arc. It is not easy to play a character that provides for another actor but the young Desmukh does this with sheer amazement.
Amrita Puri (fame Aisha) as Ishaan's little sister Vidya is bubbly, charming and disarming. She like with Desmukh is meant to be an ample supporting character for the lead (in her case Raj Kumar). She brings out undertones of sexiness and intimidation in order to push forward the films sole romantic excursion and make Yadav use his sensational body language to fumble and bumble around. While she doesn't really expand much as a character, Puri shows some sly charisma and natural screen presence.
If it were not for his small screen time, Manav Kaul would have easily stolen the show. His Bitto Mama may not get the final climatic villanous act as with the book but he play his scenes with sinister glee. It is hard to not feel bad for Omi (Amit Sadh) fall into the lull of his Uncle's giving and loving attitude in order to turn his nephew into a politician, in fact Kaul gives the film an edge in boiling the darker nature of the script to the surface. An actor of refined talent hopefully Kaul gets his due before it's to late.
Finally we come to the leads, all three provide a dose of their abilities in equal measure. It's easy to see why famed Television actor Sushant Singh Rajput is the focus of the film through most points, he has a natural screen presence and oozes charisma. He towers over his friends as the leader of the pack, the cricket scenes are helped immensely by the ambition he shows with his expressions and body movement. Apparently he took strenuous cricket coaching classes and it truly shows. As the script rushes towards Ali's cricketing future, he makes sure to take in the roller-coaster difficulties and emotional jabs from his friends with stern dialogue delivery and determination. On this day a star is truly born, as the debutant relishes the opportunity in the limelight and never falters through his scenes.
Amit Sadh who made his stellar debut in the underwhelming Maximum is an interesting part of this film. His use of facial expressions and copying of Sushant's style with difficulty presents the character Omi's undying loyalty and admiration of his friend. Omi unlike in the book goes through a steep character change and Sadh expresses this with perfection, during scenes it's his eyes you are glued to as you witness his comedic love and loyalty for friends, his underlying nervousness in asking his uncle for money, fear when he is in the presence of Kaul (Bitto Mama), undertoned smarts around Govind and Vidya and seething rage and despair at the loss of his parents, all expressed through his eyes. Sadh might not be as refined as Raj Kumar or definite as Sushant but he proves his mettle among the leads as fluently versatile and dynamic.
It is however Raj Kumar Yadav who truly shines, he shows that an actor does not require either a name or face to really give a finesse performance. While his role is shortened from his book counterpart, Yadav takes the part with shining happiness. Among the leads he has the more simple persona, at times pushing him down but eventually keeping him unique to the others. His Gujarati boy look is typical with the oiled down hair and slight paunch, comedic gold spews from his scenes when being harrased by his friends. The best however are his romantic excursions with Amrita Puri's Vidya, he is her stern tuition teacher and at points fumbling and nervous around her especially once she begins to intimadate into a romantic relationship. It is funny when he lists of the reasons against why he cannot be friends with her, especially the worried look at betraying his best friends (Ishaan's) trust while falling for his sister. It shows that Yadav has learnt alot under the likes of Anurag Kashyap (director; GOW 2) and Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur 2 and Chittagong). There is however a negative in that he does not get to fully resolve his issues with Ishaan yet easily ends up with his sister at the end of the film. In equal parts I would still say the three are terrific whether Sushant Singh Rajput's disarming charm, Amit Sadh's expressive emoting or Raj Kumar Yadav's terrific acting.
The three leads showing off their inner Bollywood super-star. From left to right; Raj Kumar Yadav as Govind, Sushant Singh Rajput as Ishaan and Amit Sadh as Omi
Score: 8.9/10
Score
The true star of the show however is the harmonized composition by Amit Trivedi. While the soundtrack has only three songs, each is unique in beats and flavor. There is no place where the songs are unwarranted or typically Bollywood masala additions, each one brings a soulful meaning from'Shubhaarambh' giving in to the beginnings of the threes successful business to 'Meethi Boliyaan' presenting the soulful and true friendship they share on the backdrop of a day out in the serene wilderness of Gujarat and 'Manja' a festive and youthful celebration of India's cricket culture and reconciliation of Ishaan and Omi's friendship.
Background beats and tunes are also a fitting back up. The use of Gujarati folk tunes and instruments gives off the realistic feel including the use of the local language, this can be all credited to Hitesh Sonik who gives that aesthetic. He is also able to stir a bevy of tense emotions with the haunting and mellow sounds through the highlight scenes of destruction caused by both nature and man.
Score: 9.0/10
Source
While this is truly one of the best Bollywood book and etc. to film adaptations, it does take liberties with it's source material at various points. First is one of the best decisions made by the writers, they change the title and in doing so divide the focus among the three main characters rather than giving perspective and development space only to Govind. You feel bad for Yadav at points as he is shorthanded but it also goes to show his acting talents in the scope he is given. It is easy to see why the division favors Sushant, as the character of Ishaan has more scope and was also much more attractable to youth readers (which the book and film are aimed at).
The starting already subverts the climax, one of the worst pieces of the film. Solely this may be in part to prevent any political backlash (a sad truth) from Hindu and Muslim communities as if done by the book, it may stir outrage and sad memories. A smart move that essentially allows Sadh's Omi breathing space from the comic character he was in the book but takes away his much admired heroic and loyalty characteristics away from him.
A change I will not mention, in the climax also prevents any resolution of a few points and kind of puts an unseen negative aspect on Govind and Vidya's relationship but creates a much more realistically endearing ending from the books own deus ex finale. It may not completely give the books wider scope especially for it's supporting characters (Vidya's rebellious nature, Ali's patriotism or Bitto Mama's unrelenting bigotry) but as it is a movie it does enough to please the avid reader and give them something surprising to watch as well as entertaining the casual viewer.
The source is not being scored from now on.
As mentioned and to be mentioned in My Rise Of the HIndies post, it seems meaningful independent Hindi cinema is catching up in popularity transcending the Bollywood industry and Kai Po Che! is a part of this movement. Kai Po Che! may not be a perfect adaptation but it is a master-piece of a film, and is one of the few Hindi films that blurs the line between serious art-house cinema and mass Bollywood entertainers. Take a bow Abhishek Kapoor, and the three new stars as we shout for your victory; Kai Po Che!
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