Yuva - Movie Review

Published: December 21, 2009

By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

Starring Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol

 

Superbly written and acted, this gritty film tells the interconnected stories of three Bengali men: Lallan, a thug; Michael, a political activist; and Arjun, a love-struck college grad. While the film primarily focuses on the moments of truth these men come to face, their richly developed love interests are likewise forced to make wrenching choices about the direction of their lives.

 

The most moving of the three stories is that of Lallan and his wife Sashi, who are played by one of India’s most captivating on-screen couples, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. Both deliver powerhouse performances for which they won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress Awards. (Bachchan’s performance marks the turning point in his previously floundering career and it arguably remains his best ever.) Lallan’s tale begins with his release from jail and his return to the home of his dismayed in-laws to retrieve Sashi. He’s an angry brute, consumed with self-hatred, but she stubbornly believes she can change him for the better. She’s wrong, of course—he refuses to make an honest living and he hits her when she rebukes him for it. There’s a reason she’s so desperately hopeful: she’s pregnant and wants a decent father for her child. When he learns she’s expecting, he’s sorry for abusing her and he pretends to reform. We get a glimpse of what she sees in him: a playful lover, childlike in his emotional neediness, with plenty of potential to succeed legitimately. But he’s incapable of believing in himself because he feels so unworthy of love. He goes to work as a heavy for a corrupt politician, Prosonjit (Om Puri), and he’s ordered to kill Michael (Ajay Devgan), his boss’s opponent.

 

Devgan has a cool, resolute quality that comes through in all his characters and particularly suits this one. Michael is involved with Radhika (Esha Deol), a French teacher, who loves his idealism and focus, even if he doesn’t have the time or inclination to properly romance her. Deol is usually a mediocre actress, but she does a fine job here. Their romance saves this story, the weakest of the three, as the depiction of the organizing efforts and clashes with Prosonjit’s men gets a bit tedious.

 

Arjun (Vivek Oberoi) is a fun-loving guy, who plans to move to the U.S. even though his father expects him to become a civil servant. Arjun meets Mira (Kareena Kapoor) in a night club and they’re a perfect match—she is no more serious about life than he is. She’s engaged to a man her parents have chosen for her, but she allows Arjun to pursue her anyway, and he wants her all the more because she’s unobtainable. His interest in her throws a wrench into his plans—and so does his witnessing of Michael’s shooting. The actors’ understated portrayals touchingly capture the loss of innocence.

 

Yuva is rated Must See.

Community - News - Reviews - Commentary - About