Yuvvraaj: Movie Review
22 Nov 2008, 0434 hrs IST, Gaurav Malani, INDIATIMES MOVIES
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Director: Subhash Ghai
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif
Rating: *
Drona and Love Story 2050 have competition in vying for the position of the
most disappointing films of 2008. Yuvvraaj is a potential contender. It's not
just a bad film but a boring film. And a boring film can be much more taxing
than a bad one.
It no more surprises that Ghai could make such a shoddy film, especially after
he has reinstated our despair through duds like Yaadien and Kisna. In fact he
washes away the diminutive hope that one might have had after Black and White.
Yuvvraaj starts as the story of Deven (Salman Khan in his anglicized accent), a
chorus singer in Prague. Love is literally in the air as he starts floating
around rainbows (without any flying colours) while dreaming of marrying an
eternally cello-playing Anushkha (Katrina Kaif). The age-old aamir-ladki
garib-ladka formula is thrown into picture with the girl's father objecting to
their marriage. There is a strong Munnbhai MBBS hangover to the plot with Boman
Irani posing as the father and moreover playing a doctor in the
laughter-therapy mode.
As characteristic to Bollywood heroes, Deven actually happens to be from an
affluent family who he left behind long back. His billionaire father is now
dead and Deven is only happy about the fact as he approaches his family to seek
his share of property. From hereon the story deviates to the 80s
jaydaad-ki-ladaai as you are introduced to endless characters who want their
share from the ancestral assets. You are familiarized with a Sooraj Barjatya
kind of unkind family, prominent amongst which is a blue-lens malicious mamaji
and a perpetually cleavage-popping bhabhiji.
The family also comprises of two brothers of Deven. Danny (Zayed Khan) is a
spoilt brat. Gyanesh (Anil Kapoor) is mentally challenged. And the father
chooses to assign his prime property to the latter. Consequently characterless
people take charge as they want less characters in the property share.
The script by antique writers Sachin Bhowmick and Kamlesh Pandey has a dated
feel and lacks any sort of innovation in storytelling or intelligence in
screenplay structure. Subhash Ghai's worn-out direction only makes the
proceedings worse and wearisome. The scenes are jumbled with continuity lapses
and the dialogues range from clichéd to preposterous. Only Salman Khan can pass
off with such ludicrous lines like, "Abhi toh sirf well-done kiya hai, abhi
dun-dun karna baaki hai" or "Tumne bharosa kiya, now trust me". Whatever that
is supposed to mean!
Subtlety is so nonexistent in Ghai's casual approach towards the treatment of
the film and despite the magnified melodrama, three is no
conspicuous chemistry between the three siblings esp. when the film is supposed
to be about brotherly-bonding. Rather the writers choose to mess up matters
while making Anil Kapoor needlessly fall for Katrina Kaif, though mercifully
the love-triangle is averted before it could create more chaos. A psychiatrist
explains that mentally deficient humans are always proficient at classical
singing. New research?
Ghai isn't even able to pull-off the Farah Khan style of cast-crew introduction
which he attempts in the end credits. And when you are squirming in your seats
with impatience, a song goes to say, "Tu Muskura".
The screen intermittently shows Hindi subtitles when the characters speak in
English. How I wish it could also give captions on what Subhash Ghai wanted to
express in the scenes, as most fall flat and fail to deliver. I am intrigued
what would he comment if the DVD of the film ever had the director's commentary
option.
The performances are as disguised as the mannequins and masks that dominate the
art-direction. Salman seems to justify his real-life anger, arrogance and
obsession (each of which he admits in the film) through the character of Deven
as he goes on a glass-shattering and violin-smashing mode. Anil Kapoor wears
his trousers the Raj Kapoor style and repeats his innocent act of films like
Eshwar, Beta and Kishen Kanhaiya. You never quite understand whether he is
singing or boxing. Literally! Mithun Chakravarthy seems to have shot his entire
footage in one day as he appears throughout in the same suit. Boman Irani
overacts, Katrina under-acts, Zayed can't act. And what was Aushima Sawhney
doing in the film?
Since Subhash Ghai refuses to retire, one can only request him to revise and
raise his directorial abilities by taking some modern moviemaking lessons in
his own film school Whistling Woods.
Yuvvraaj is as scary as having seen the Lord of Death, Yamraaj
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