Kai Po Che

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March 3, 2013 by Mithil

Movies aren’t supposed to be better than the books they are adapted from. That’s the kind of mentality I carry around whenever I see any adapted signature on a poster of movie.  When I first heard that ‘3 mistakes of my life’ is being made I feared since the yardstick to which the movie has to live was pretty low. Long time back when I read the book, I frowned upon it and reminisce calling it overdramatic and shady. Quite intellectually and without steering away from the main story, the movie does just the opposite, keeps it as simple as possible.

Life isn’t as king size as the three friends; Govind, Ishaan and Omi wants it to be. They yearn for good life and want to live it down to the seconds. Govind to describe is a purposeful, taciturn, prudent minded kind of guy. Ishaan a reject at state level cricket selection, is just the opposite, the freewheeler among them. Omi is like any other you must have noticed in college, easy to be manipulated and rudderless pursuing any kind of aim. They make an interesting appetizers for absolute entertainment ahead.

Together they setup a sports academy teaching aspiring cricketers. They do this with the help of Omi’s uncle who is a upcoming politician. Soon they come across a rare talent , Ali and Ishaan plans huge things for him. He sees himself in him, trust him and solitarily tries to provide the fine diamond finish to his prodigy. On the other hand Govind foresees the future and wants to expand their business. He is also being seduced by Ishaan’s sister Vidhya. Omi is happy following his friends and is little reluctant at his uncles proposition to enter politics but doesn’t refuse. Then follows the two events that sets the milestone in their life, changing equation, dismantling relations and ending on the wrong side of the bridge.

When people say this movie didn’t justify the riots that happened in 2002, I feel like jettisoning myself to another planet probably with enough to live for next 50 years. Listen people, movies aren’t meant to justify an event, they play out the stories with characters and enough fodder for your brains to gather new perspectives. IN this movie you don’t need to because the leads do a fantastic job of portraying characters that are imaginable and relatable. The story with it’s brilliant characterization has moments of contradiction and hilarity. The movie keeps you on the edge every time this three guys comes on screen. The Guajarati language maybe a bit distracting in the middle but doesn’t much influence the overall experience.

There is a time when you see instant sparks flying out when these guys interact albeit in casual manner. But in one scene Govind lashes out at Ishaan and there at that moment you realise how the chemistry works. There is also the scene in the movie when Govind takes Vidhya to show her their recently brought shop in a mall, as he stands 7-8 feet away and explains her, there is this feeling you get when you see such masterful scene being directed. Also when Omi moves through angry people doing what they do in riots, there is sense of innocence that comes through his character which is widely the truth most of the time in real life. All in all Abhishek Kapoor needs a pat on his maybe from some awesome film god. He takes amateur film talent and does the same as Ishaan does with Ali, make it worth watching.

Sushant Singh Rajput and  Amit Sadh playing the the two characters are intelligently cast. They give the movie sweetness, laughs, raw passion and simplicity. They maybe indispensable but the guy who climbs the ladder with that stroke of brilliance is Raj Kumar Yadav. I loves him in LSD and Shaitan. He isn’t overdramatic or hero lookalike, but he has that talent of knowing the crest and troughs of acting. In some moments he is subdued and relaxed while in others he talks as if he is spewing fire. Some of the most memorable scenes are when he is around. Amrita Puri as the only lead actresses is funny and adds that bit of desi glam quotient to a mostly male centred movie. Others characters had little to do but they made sure they gave it the fullest.

One of my friend chose a meaningless movie with his family over Kai Po Che, I still make fun and torment him with my below par sarcastic humour. Don’t be him, they don’t come this easy.