Movies based on books are usually a disappointment, sometimes even a disaster. Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che is one of those rare ones that far surpassed the book it was based on – Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller ‘3 Mistakes Of My Life’.
I did not like the movie as much when I first saw it. But it grew on me later and it was undoubtedly one of the better films of the tear. Here's why:
• Abhishek Kapoor followed the critical and commercial success ‘Rock On’ based on friendship with yet another tale of friends. Same theme at large yet a different magical world
• Despite working with biggies like Farhan Akhtar and Arjun Rampal he chose to work with no established names and went ahead with two debutants and a ‘super talented yet unexploited potential’ actor
• That each of these actors delivered a stand-out performance, complementing each other so well yet leaving one’s own mark
• It is a multi-dimensional tale with many layers (coming-of-age story of three friends – their dreams and aspirations, their pursuit of excellence, their confusions and misunderstandings and their friendship standing the test of time; commentary on the politics of religion and the religion in politics; three real life events – the infamous Godhra riots of 2002, the historic cricket test match between India and Australia at The Eden Gardens and the Gujarat Earthquake – blended so well with the fictional narrative) and yet the film does not lose its track, there are no lose threads
• Each of the three friends represented one side of India – the capitalist Govind Patel (Raj Kumar Yadav), the political Omkar Shastri (Amit Sadh) and the emotional Ishaan Bhatt (Sushant Singh Rajput). All of these aspects were dealt with great clarity and panache
• Realistic depiction of a country’s obsession with cricket
• Amit Trivedi scored a brilliant and mesmerizing earthy soundtrack which comprised only three tracks but left a huge impact. Each song was different from the other and eventually we were left craving for more
• There were many show stealing breathtaking scenes but this just one fabulous scene absolutely stole our hearts away. The entire picturisation of the Meethi Boliyan song, this exchange of dialogues between Rajput and Yadav just before the trio’s jump in the river from stop the fort:
Ishaan: Ise kehte hai life Govind. Tere noton ki khushboo se lankh guna behtar
Govind: Yahan tak aane ke liye bhi mere note hi lagte hain
Ishaan: Tere sikkon ki khankhan se mere hawa ki keemat kam ho rahi hai
• Garba to then the touch-and-feel make out to Sunita Rao’s Pari Hoon Main
• The beautiful cinematography by Anay Goswami which lights up each frame so wonderfully. Ahmedabad is captured like never before
All of this and much more comprised the elements of a film that left a mark on us; a fresh film that charmed us; a film that gave us Sushant Singh Rajput, an actor who has already carved a niche for himself and will sure go a long, long way if he stays grounded.
Rating: 8/10
