Kai po che!

Set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots of a decade ago, Kai Po Che tells the story of three best friends - Ishaan Bhatt (Sushant Singh Rajput), Omkar Shastri (Amit Sadh) and Govind Patel (Rajkumar Yadav), who are trying to chase their dreams in the advent of the new millennium. This was a time when India's nuclear power was ostensibly shining - a perfect place for the three Ahmedabad boys to start a business that could be their ticket to fame and riches.

In a country like that of ours, where cricket is a religion, they hit upon a brilliant plan to start a training academy that could produce India's next sporting superstars. But, destiny plays cruel joke in the lives of three boys whose equations with each other are thrown into severe turmoil by calamitous event of the Godhra riots. This is when Ishaan, Omi and Govind struggle to keep their friendship intact, but on the other hand, their dreams are shattered as it pushes their grand plan of building a sports academy off the rails.

Positives : Kai Po Che is a refreshing tale of friendship, dreams and passion that might leave you with a mild dose of reality. The movie unravels the madness that the common citizen of the country has about cricket, cinema and politics, and the effects that it is making on the process of growth and the ethos of the country. There's no over-the-top, filmy, dramatic dialogues, instead, those in the film sound very realistic and genuine.

Verdict : Kai Po Che is an ode to true friendship. The movie works wonder on every sphere, say it brilliant acting, realistic plot or heart-touching dialogues. Hence, this one is sure to make a prominent place to the year's Best film award nominations. So, go and grab your tickets at the earliest and relish the beauty of the flick.

Ratings : 9/10 !!

Kai Po Che- Magnificent direction and excellent performance by each one of the cast member, you will find it hard to get a loophole there. The film is based on 'The Three Mistakes of My Life', more than the story it is the execution that sets this film apart. On account of direction this movie has set some high standards, it's a through and through professional job; priorities, preferences, perspectives and lives of people are so beautifully gelled that it is a treat to the senses. Music has been used to touch this movie just enough to keep it untouched, yet it has provided the desired effect- may be a notch less you can say This is mostly a single paced film, that in no way means that it is on a lower level; actually whole film has been set up on a higher platform. It is not an outright feel-good thing like DCH or RDB, and it is intense even in it's lightest of moments. The climax is short, fitting and crisp - a message has been delivered without going in disputed territories So, don't go in with any presumptions and watch it for some exceptional stuff but at the same time there is no guarantee for everyone's satisfaction

This Kite is very high in the sky. An ordinary story with extraordinary acting, screenplay & direction. This flick has once again proved that start cast should be the last ingredient. It is an adaptation of 3 Mistakes Of My Life, with much fresh content. All the characters are well placed and every single part is believable. Sushant Rajput delivers one of the best debut performance of Bollywood. Yadav plays his role with expression with minimum dialogues. Govind & Amrita is just perfect in their roles. Abhishek Kapoor is brilliant as he knows his job very well. Cinematography is awesome using very fine detail. Screenplay has a novelist touch(Bhagat's touch). Last words: Bollywood is going in right direction. Go and appreciate this perfect job.

Kai Po Che is on screen adaption of Chetan Bhagat's '3 mistakes of my life'....and i have to admit that despite having read the novel, this movie leaves the same impact as if reading the book....or perhaps even more than that...

The direction has been amazingly superb along with the screenplay.....the background score is simply outstanding and influences the entire movie...but its the actors who steal the show completely...Almost all the parts in the book have been covered except the Australian one and wasn't needed either..The simplicity of the script is what makes it superfluous...The combination of real life incidents with the lives of the main characters is portrayed perfectly...The most astounding feature of this story is how different aspects of society - cricket, politics and religion intervene to some conclusions...

The cast is new, but director Abhishek Kapoor manages to pull out something really extraordinary from them...Debutant Sushant Singh Rajput is the show-stealer with an award-winning performance , nicely supported by others...Raj Kumar Yadav plays his role to perfection...

This movie is classic tale of friendship,cricket,politics and its impact on the lives of 3 friends...The movie is flawless in its every part barring the climax which is far too sudden. The climax is totally different from the novel and better than the novel as well...Thumbs up for KAI PO CHE and its brilliant cast and direction...

Before watching "Kai Po Che!":

Me: Hey! Let's watch Kai Po Che.. A movie about Friendship, Forgiveness, Passion and..

Bro: wait.. yet another movie on 'friendship'! Another 3 idiots! Another Zindagi na milegi dobara... Come on! Don't you get tired of watching movies about same old stuff.. Can't we watch 'Die Hard'..? Yippee ki yay!

Me: No.. 'Die Hard' got bad reviews.. And seriously? Choosing 'Die Hard' over 'Kai Po Che' is the dumbest thing that must have ever come to your mind. Nopiee ki nay!

Bro: OK then.. let's go.. But we will watch Die hard after we are done with Kai Po Che.. OK?

Me: OK. Cool.

The film:

The film title Kai Po Che is originally a Gujarati phrase that means "I have cut the kite" which refers to a kite competition where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitors kite and yells "Kai Po Che!"

Adapted from "The 3 Mistakes of my Life"(Chetan Bhagat) and Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On!!) this is a character driven film about friendship, forgiveness, passion, love.. all in the backdrop of some real events. The story mainly revolves around three friends, Ishaan played by Sushant Singh Rajput, Govind played by Raj Kumar Yadav and Omi played by Amit Sadh, who set out to open a sports training academy.

The Good:

A film about friendship is not a new thing in Bollywood. We have already witnessed "3 Idiots", "Rock On", "ZNMD", "Dil Chahta Hai". "Kai Po Che" looks similar at first but peel off the layers and it's much more.

Adapted from a book titled "3 mistakes of my Life" this film is a tightly scripted and crisply edited drama that never bogs down or dumbs down for its audience and instead resorts to subtlety.

Playing with themes like dreams and aspirations, friendship standing test of time, a commentary of our education system is not an easy task and the director does an incredible job of weaving everything together.

Cinematographer Anay Goswamy has made look Gujrat so beautiful that I feel like taking a vacation and running off to that place for the Kite festival. Also, music given by "Amit Trivedi" is refreshing especially the song "Manjha".

But it's the characters that drive this film and the three leads are a revelation here. Rajkumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput not only have a good screen presence but they can actually ACT! (Sorry about me shouting and all.. but can't control my emotions right now) The actors have such great chemistry that it reminded me of my college days. These guys are not actors in this film. They ARE Govind Patel, Omkar Shastri and Ishaan Bhatt. And this is where this film hits it out of the park.

A capitalist money minded friend. A political friend. An emotional/day dreamer friend. These are people whom we have met somewhere at some point in our lives. These are people whom we can relate to and care about.

The Bad: Not applicable.

Final verdict: Cricket, Love, Friendship, Passion, Politics.. It's all what India is about and it's something that any sane minded Indian wouldn't and shouldn't miss.

After watching "Kai Po Che!":

Bro: Damn you… (sniff)

Me: What! You didn't like it? (sniff)

Bro: My eyes are watery. It's so embarrassing! F***ing friendship movies… (sniff)

Me: Oh come on now! Since when did you start crying for a film (sniff)

Bro: Oh and why is there a bubble under your nose?

Me: I.. I got cold. (sniff..) OK.. So next Die Hard.. I'll go buy the tickets and then..

Bro: F*** Die Hard. Let's watch this again. (sniff)