Kai Po Che – A must watch
After “One Night @ the Call Center” (Hello),
Five Point Someone (3 Idiots) Chetan Bhagat’s “Three Mistakes of my Life” gets
picked for the big screen adaptation called Kai Po Che and how!!! To simply
translate, the meaning of the title means Triumph in Gujarati (when one kite
flier cuts another kite). While the
title metamorphic ally adds so much to the movie, what takes it to another
level is deft handling of the story by tweaking the screenplay to suit the big
screen.
Set in Gujarat during peace times, Kai
Po Che story is about friendship between three dissimilar young men who want to
achieve their place under the sun in their own ways. Three friends represent
three faces that we can relate to – the politician (Omkar Shastri played by
Amit Sadh), the capitalist (Govind Patel played by Rajkumar Yadav) and
emotional (Ishaan Bhatt played by Sushant Singh Rajput).
The movie narrates the story of three
friends in Ahmadabad; the plot sees a young boy Govind’s dream of starting a
business. To accommodate his friends Ishaan and Omi's [Amit Sadh] passion for
cricket, they open a cricket goods and training shop. However, each has a
different motive: Ishaan desires to nurture Ali, a gifted batsman Govind's goal
is to make money; Omi just wants to be where his friends are. The events that
transpire against the backdrop of that occurred in the city during that time
changes the lives of each of the friends in different ways. The movie puts together – friendship standing
test of time, honesty, pursuit of excellence, coming of age film without a
moment of dishonesty. It
encompasses not just the story of three friends, but also real incidents that
send a shiver down your spine.
Omi lives by his loyalties, Govind by
his maths, profits and probability, Ishaan by his anger, selfishness and heart.
But as the film ends, they all have echoes of each other and end up shaping
each other to just do exactly opposite of what they are. The fourth lead – a girl
played by Amrita Puri ( as Vidya) who plays the sister of one of the male leads
who secretly romances the hero’s best friend, looks refreshing in her act and
adds another feather to her acting prowess post Aisha.
Kai Po Che takes the novel about
friendship among dissimilar people in Gujarat in 2000 and converts it into an
engaging and enrapturing entity which is beyond just a story well told.
Screenplay written by Abhishek Kapoor, Chetan Bhagat, Pubali Chaudhuri and
Supratik Sen introduce socio-political perspective which is very rare for
Indian celluloid.
Abhishek Kapoor has trappings of a
first rate story teller which was evident in his previous endevour – Rock On.
Taking giant strides as a film maker by trying something as engaging as Kai Po
Che, Abhishek gets out of his comfort zone and gives a daringly different movie
and proving that Rock On was no flash in the pan.
As was the case with Rock On, the
music of Kai Po Che done by Amit Trivedi along with the background scores by
Hitesh Sonik gels well with the mood of the movie. The songs written by Swanand
Kirkire mirror the mood of the movie and are uncomplicated. The cinematography by
Anay Goswamy is fantastic, capturing the mood of the city especially during
turbulent times to perfection.
Among the cast, the movie belongs to
the three male leads, giving an honest performance. Rajkumar Yadav, Sushant
Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh are terrific actors, suiting the roles that they
play and justifying the director’s faith in them. All three along with Amrita
Puri who stands tall in an all boys show are top notch. The camaraderie between
the leads is infectious and electrifying.
Crisply woven in 2 hours run time Kai
Po Che cannot be slotted into any specific genre. The greatest achievement of
the movie is the fusion of history and cinema. It takes a master story teller
to remind us that movies finally are the mirrors which have a bearing on life. Kai Po Che will leave you choked and feeling good. And
breathless.
I am going with 4 out of 5 for Kai Po
Che, go watch it. It’s February and one of the year’s best movie has arrived.
