Film: Yuvvraaj
Banner: Mukta Arts Ltd
Director: Subhash Ghai
Producer: Subhash Ghai
Cast: Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Mithun Chakraborthy,
Boman Irani
Rating: 2/5
After having films like Karz, Ram Lakhan, Pardes and Khalnayak to his credit,
Subhash Ghai's latest offering Yuvvraaj seems like a sermon that is, honestly,
a bit too long drawn. Family values versus cold hard cash is the premise of the
entire film. Simply put, the film tries to weigh one against the other till a
choice is reached by those involved.
Separated at an early age, brothers Deven (Salman Khan), Gyanesh (Anil Kapoor)
and Danny (Zayed Khan) are reunited to settle a property dispute following the
demise of their father. But the settlement is not that simple as most of it is
left to elder son Gyanesh, who is mentally challenged. Hatching a plan to
change all of it is what Danny and Deven do. While Danny is great at burning
his money in futility, Deven needs it to get Anushka (Katrina Kaif) and to
convince her money-minded father (Boman Irani). With one thing leading to
another, the brothers are faced with choosing between right and wrong.
There was Taal from the Ghai stable some time back, which was a truck load
about love and family. Following that was Yaadein which displayed scenes of
love, money, deceit and family. Couple them together and you have the same
values in Yuvvraaj, remaining as musical as ever. Not to say the movies are any
similar, but the values in the three are the same, as is the manner of
exploring them. Yuvvraaj primarily falters in the manner it is told. Beyond a
point the film begins to seem preachy and less of an experience.
Clearly the film has two parts, the pre interval and post. Prior to the
interval the film is slow, sans any interesting moments and in no sense leads
to the second half or the build up to the rest of the story. The plot is so
predictable that any interest...
shown in watching the second half is immediately snatched away and you pretty
much know how the whole thing is going to end. The moments where you could have
gone "ooh and aah" with surprise are stolen and replaced with a heavy clunk on
your head. The dialogues are good, especially for a plot that is so
predictable. Steering away from the conventional, over-the-top dramatic lines
certainly makes this film less tepid.
Technically, the film is proficient, just as every Ghai film is. But then,
unlike every Ghai film, each bit does not fit like a glove in Yuvvraaj. The
camerawork is great, so is the editing, choreography and music; however nothing
fits with the other with ease. The experience of emotions, color, splendor and
the drama seems far too restrained to enjoy. The manner in which the songs are
choreographed and shot is such that at times it feels like a broadway musical,
and there are those other times when you believe it is sheer indulgence that
does the movie no good.
Predictability of the movie lies not only in the plot but also its characters.
The mannerisms of each character evidently categorise who they are and explains
their ensuing actions. So little imagination is required by the audience . For
example, when you see the old man praise and sweet talk with gleaming eyes, you
know he is the bad man. And Yuvvraaj is filled with such characters.
The film does have a few moments here and there that are delightful. Salman
delivers a satisfactory performance for most parts, but then out of the blue
delivers a stellar act when he breaks down in front of Irani. Those few minutes
are worth watching over and over again. Kapoor, on the other hand, shuttles
between going over the top and nailing his act as the mentally challenged
brother. Zayed delivers a strictly OK performance. Kaif looks ravishing during
most parts of the film, almost reminding us of the legendary Meena Kumari. In
respect to performance, she delivers well and the chemistry between Khan and
Kaif is worth lauding. Mithun Chakraborthy is reduced to playing a small...
role that does no justice to his talent. Irani, as always, is thoroughly
convincing and does a great job.
All said and done Yuvvraaj is a fair watch, especially if you don't mind the
preaching. It has a fair amount of magical moments and a good amount of damp
ones.
