So is “Yuvvraaj” that bad? Well, if it were not for A R Rahman’s music, I would
say yes.
Rahman breathes life into an otherwise tedious film, paving the way for a
dazzling array of orchestra sequences inspired by Indian and Western classical
music.
It’s perhaps the maestro’s best work since “Taal” in 1999, which was also a
Subhash Ghai musical.
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November 22nd, 2008
Yuvvraaj: A brilliant score let down by a lacklustre script
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Posted by: Tony Tharakan
Tags: India Masala, A R Rahman, Anil Kapoor, Bollywood, Katrina Kaif, musical,
salman khan, Subhash Ghai, Yuvvraaj
Setting out to create a Bollywood blockbuster? Just make sure you have all the
right ingredients — big budget, famous actors, foreign locales, fabulous music.
Wait, something’s missing — yes, the script.
Unfortunately for Subhash Ghai, the era of formula films has long gone and even
the most ambitious project can’t afford to take it easy in the writing
department.
And that’s where “Yuvvraaj”, the 18th film by a director known as Bollywood’s
‘Showman’, fails despite liberal doses of Ghai’s trademark opulence and
grandeur.
Essentially the story of three brothers, “Yuvvraaj” revolves around the
free-for-all that ensues when a London-based billionaire dies, leaving behind
his fortune to autistic son Gyanesh Yuvvraaj (Anil Kapoor).
It’s a bitter blow for estranged sibling Deven (Salman Khan), who has been
struggling to make ends meet as a chorus singer in a Prague orchestra. He also
needs the moolah to impress sweetheart Anushka’s (Katrina Kaif) wealthy father
who is not too happy about their relationship.
And so Deven trudges back to the Yuvvraaj family’s London mansion, from where
he had been kicked out twelve years earlier. He finds it infested with his dead
mother’s relatives, all eyeing a share in the family property.
Youngest brother Danish (Zayed Khan) is a reckless youngster, spending more
time in casinos and clubs, coming to his senses only when his debts mount.
So while simpleton Gyanesh whiles away time throwing footballs in the living
room, Deven and Danish become partners-in-crime, thinking of ways to wrest his
riches. But will blood ties prove stronger than the lure of money?
By a happy coincidence, Gyanesh turns out to be a musical genius and is just
the kind of singer cellist Anushka wants for her orchestra’s concert in Austria.
As “Yuvvraaj” moved inexorably towards its predictable climax, I couldn’t help
but marvel at the exquisite vistas and grandiose concert halls of Prague and
Austria — certainly more interesting than anything the film’s insipid dialogues
could offer.
Not that the acting is impressive.
Both Salman and Zayed overact. Katrina Kaif pouts, dances and blithely plays
the cello. As for Anil Kapoor, he does have his moments as the autistic savant
but is still no match for Dustin Hoffman in the 1988 Hollywood film “Rain Man”.
And the supporting characters end up as mere caricatures.
So is “Yuvvraaj” that bad? Well, if it were not for A R Rahman’s music, I would
say yes.
Rahman breathes life into an otherwise tedious film, paving the way for a
dazzling array of orchestra sequences inspired by Indian and Western classical
music.
It’s perhaps the maestro’s best work since “Taal” in 1999, which was also a
Subhash Ghai musical.
But “Yuvvraaj” falls way short of the symphony created for it and even the
masked revellers and flamenco dancers that mysteriously appear in many a dance
sequence can’t really salvage the film.
