Kai po che!

This movie exceeded my expectations.Kai Po Che! does not redefines Indian cinema and brings nothing new to the table but still it ranks among the best films made in recent times just because it gets the essentials right.The acting by all lead stars and the supporting cast is excellent,editing is good ,direction is commendable and so is the story(much much better than the novel). Speaking of acting Sushant Singh deserves all the praise but one has to agree his role was the most likable of the three.Amit and Raj's role was challenging as well which they have played with due diligence.Even the support cast of Omi's "mama" and Vidya were brilliant and did justice to their role.But the real beauty of this movie lies in its simplicity.I never felt a scene overdone in the movie.The fight scenes (among the friend and riots)specially don't look pacified as in most of the Hindi movies for censor certificates.There is enough use of abuse in the movie but it never looks overdone and out of context.At the end of the day Kai Po Che! makes you feel nostalgic ,gives you heartwarming moments and heart breaking moments as well but then you realize that good cinema does not necessarily needs to be ground breaking,you can make a good movie just by following simple rule of good story,good acting and good direction.

Who said Indian's cannot adapt a novel to movie. This is one of the best adaptation in Indian cinema. This story is one of the best Indian novel. This is the second Chetan Bhagat's novel adapted for the silver screen after "Five points someone" (made a block buster in World cinemas list as "3-Idiots" directed by Rajkumar Hirani). Many people don't know what happened in Gujarat including me. Gothra train incident, election incident etc. Chetan Bhagat wrote this story in 2008. He is also one of the Screenplay writer for this movie. Directed by "ROCK ON" Abhishek Kapoor. Screenplay is really good. They have connected each and every incidents very well: Friendship, Love, Passion, and Revenge. Good casting also: Omi, Ish, Govi, Vidhya and Ali. I like the Ishaan character played by Sushant Singh Rajput. The real passion about cricket. Finally: Must watch Movie. .. 9.5/10.

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.

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)

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 !!