Youngistaan

Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, Farooque Sheikh

Director: Syed Ahmad Afzal

Producer: Vashu Bhagnani

Plot: “Youngistaan”, essentially a love story set in the backdrop of Indian politics, is the story of Abhimanyu Kaul – a young, independent, Games Developer, living in Japan with the love of his life, Anwita Chauhan – a bubbly, passionate and full of life, summer intern.

Their happy and content life faces the test of time, when blood ties and the pressure of being born into the first family of India tears a young Abhimanyu between his love for Anwita and a promise made to his dying father, the Prime Minister of India.

Being a public figure, by reluctantly accepting to represent the governing party, much against his own wishes and at the cost of his private life, is a double-edged sword that Abhimanyu must walk on. Much like the crests and troughs of any political survey, the film follows the highs and lows of Abhimanyu’s life – From a young boy, living an ordinary life in Japan, to the designate Prime Minister of the biggest democracy in the world. The film travels with Abhimanyu, as he becomes the Prime Minister of India and struggles to balance his personal relationship with Anwita on one hand and the political resistance against him from within his party, on the other.

Thought of as an amateur and incapable of handling the issues at large by one and all, (except the ever faithful Akbar Patel, Secretary to the P.M), the film closes as a victorious Abhimanyu changes the course of events and turns the tide his way, through his hard work, honestly, and above all, a political legacy – a sharp, leading mind that not everyone inherits!

Rating: 2/5 Stars (Two stars)

Star cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, Farooque Sheikh

Director: Syed Ahmad Afzal

What’s Good: The film even in its limp moments is sorted and engaging.

What’s Bad: The misdeeds of the first half and the caricaturish roles of most characters.

Loo break: Few

Watch or Not?: After surviving two disastrous movies this week, Youngistaan was a much settling respite. With a solid script on paper though trivial direction and sloppy execution, the film manages to remain engaging. For the potential the movie had and the passable entertainment it provides, the film is worth the value of the ticket price. If you have time, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to watch it.

User Rating:

Life as all hunky dory for the young gamer Abhimanyu Kaul who was living a cushy life in Tokyo with his live in girlfriend. Life takes a diametric turn for the young chap when his father succumbs to cancer.

Senior Dashrath Kaul isn’t an ordinary man but the Prime Minister of India. Due to his sudden demise, his party proposes to make Abhimanyu the interim PM of the country. The transition is too drastic and entraps young Abhimanyu in the intricacies of it.

Will Abhimanyu manage to prove his mettle as a politician and succeed his father or will he fail in evoking a change in the ‘youngistaan’ of the nation is what the film narrates.

Youngistaan Review: Script Analysis

The story is borrowed from the life of the political scion in question and don’t be surprised if you stumble upon multiple instances of similarities. What I cannot bring myself to make peace with, is the idea that political heir is determined by lineage. The idea isn’t democratic and hence doesn’t hold its appeal for me too long. But the writers have managed to do a decent job in holding together the script.

But the drama of the film is scattered. A good chunk of the first half is wasted on how Anwita cannot come to terms with the drastic changes in her life. The premise indeed is interesting but the writing dims itself over the screen time. The film’s script goes loose at places making the theme strong but the advances loose.

It is obviously not sensible that the prime minister’s personal decisions hold greater validity for the media. I love the sequences where Abhimanyu takes on the personal bickering within his party and shrewdly tackles them. But the outcry over the PM’s live in relationship and the out of wedlock child was needlessly infused in the film.

The treachery of the political system was conveniently missed. It was all done too easily. The surreal story isn’t bad though unbelievable. The story unfortunately remains only at the superficial level and hence seems half hearted at best. I wish the storytelling could have evened out the faults here, but sadly it doesn’t work out to perfection.

Youngistaan Review: Star Performances

Jackky Bhagnani is apt in his role. Though very earnest, the actor doesn’t stretch beyond the contours of what is demanded of him.

Neha sharma is charming in the first bit of the film. But her character gets repetitive and irritating with time. She becomes more and more irritating with the passing of screen time.

Farooque Sheikh is very endearing and seeing him for the last time will fill you with sorrow. Such simplicity in portrayal of emotions made him so intensely lovable. You’ll invariably be reminded of Ji Mantriji given the political canvas.

Youngistaan Review: Direction, Editing and Screenplay

Well, the pro-Congress film does come with a noble intention and is quite firmly made. Atleast given the crass I have witnessed recently at theaters, this one is a passable entertainer. Colored in ideas that defies the premise of democracy, the film engages partially and is hence doable. I don’t personally think it is fair to be kind to the idea of allowing political heir being synonymous with genetic heir. It’s an idea out of primitive world where lineage ran the day. The director doesn’t believe in using much intelligence or wit in handling his film and he has kept it modest, one dimensional and convenient. Everything happens too easily in the film and well the postulates of the constitution obviously doesn’t hold much value for the filmmaker. But if you really don’t want to harass yourself and want to just watch a film for the heck of it, this isn’t half as bad.

Youngistaan Review: The Last Word

Youngistaan is the polished and contemporary version of Anil Kapoor’s Nayak. What’s missing is the gusto and the zest of it and mostly the enigma of its lead star. But since there is nothing better to watch at the movies this week, you might as well give this one a try. It’s watchable unless you use your brains and doesn’t bore you too much if you have the apetite for films of political essence. I am going with 2/5.

Youngistaan Trailer

Youngistaan releases on 28th March, 2014.

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