User reviews

An exceptional movie. This one surpasses Rang De Basanti and A Wednesday by several aspects. In the beginning th movie gives you a feeling that its going to be another movie with the protagonist call but the portrayal of characters, the acting, background score, all seemed so well balanced, never felt boring even for a minute. As expected actors like Rajat Kapoor, Aupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav were splendid. The best part of the movie was the way the characters get connected to each other and influence each other's lives. Living up to the expectation of the Indian movie tradition, the movie also provides a "Happy Ending" yet without being forced into a Happy Ending scenario. A great work by the director and all the actors who have chipped in great contributions.

Good to see exceptional movies coming these days that have raised the standards of Indian movie industry, that is no more tied to Songs, forced romance and melodrama to keep the audience glued to their seats but movies that have conviction and substance.

This film explores the life of typical Indians. It shows how one bad day comes and how problems are tackled another day. It shows how we create problems by not taking over the responsibility of our character. N. Chandra has done a great job with character development and handling different characters so beautifully. I was never bored for a moment. Dialogues were great and sensitive issues were handled with great care. Although melodramatic factor seems obvious, but I think truth is stranger than fiction, and in real life, things could seem more melodramatic if we shoot these on cam.

Another story like this was taxi 9211, but this was far better. It touched various issues of human beings and were better handled with logical comments and justification in the end.

I gave it a 9, because I think the movie could have been a little shorter. There was some extra time spent on scene elaboration. However, it was a great movie. Maybe, it won't do much good on box office. But, for me it will be a cult classic.

I saw this movie long after it actually released, had to watch it on DVD. But, this movie has got the power to hold you till the end. All the characters are perfectly casted and well portrayed. All the credits to N.Chandra for making a superb effort. He is a brilliant director and a narrator. My warm regards to you Sir. Talk about Anupam khers character or Rajpal yadav's simple role of a person coming to Mumbai in search of some work, All characters were very real and the movie was far better in the approach than typical Hindi movies. The message of hope was conveyed brilliantly. I would suggest all to get the DVD from the nearest shop and make it a mandatory viewing.

This is the kind of movie that should be highlighted and talked about. The cast does an exceptional job in delivering the message of the director N. Chandra.

Movie builds up a plot, which in beginning makes you believe that it is just another movie. It builds a character for every person. It depicts life of a variety of people belonging to different social and religious groups and how their lives get interlinked. Movie delivers a very strong social message. You don't feel bored even for a second. Movie keeps you guessing whats next.

One of the best Hindi movie. Must watch and promote.

Released with the least possible promotional campaign,"Yeh Mera India" showed the glimpses of its powerful content in the promos itself. And as promised it thankfully delivers a quality product with many thoughtful sequences, questioning the social double standards of our society. In other words, it is the most important movie of 2009 since it talks about some burning issues and forces the viewer to think about his life and the actions he might have taken in the similar situations.

It belongs to the same genre of movies which talk about different inter-connected stories in a collective manner, as seen earlier in "Firaaq", "Mumbai Meri Jaan", "Metro", "Crash" (Eng) and more. The style may seem to be a bit repetitive, but it's the quality of the content which makes the movie appreciable and worth watching. It intelligently starts with a T.V. News highlighting the major incidents occurred during a particular day and then takes you back into a series of flashbacks giving the detailed accounts of each incident individually.

In the initial moments, it may seem to be a deliberate attempt by the director but as the stories develop, you start relating to them easily. The first half builds a clean ground for all the characters interlinked with each other. And as you are well familiar with the plots, it takes you into an explosive second half where every story is fast moving towards its own boiling point. In few words, the post interval proceedings turn the movie into a solid commendable effort by both its writer and the director.

The well written script, surrounding a complex web of relationships, touches almost every important social issue of the current times. It talks about communal hatred among the people, class differences in the society, rich exploiting industrialists, gangster's extortion mafia, Jihaadi Movement in the country, misguided younger generation, mean political leaders, TRP driven channels, Migration problems in the Metros, Muslims Denied Flats in Mumbai, Profit motives of the Hospitals, Medical Negligence by the Doctors and also the Spiritual Heritage of our country.

It may seem impossible to incorporate all the above mentioned plots in one movie alone, but director N. Chandra remarkably performs this tough task and that too with a great conviction and class. He is back in form again roaring like a lion with his own specialized genre of movies based on intense social problems. Chandra brilliantly handles each individual story with an equal importance and makes you feel the pain felt by all his character simultaneously. The hard hitting and impactful execution by the director leaves a solid impact on the viewer as he walks out of the theater.

Not going into details of each storyline, I would like to mention the most beautiful and important sub-plot of the movie involving a doctor, a judge and a victim harmed by the Medical Negligence of his doctor. The story teaches us the art of forgiving in a very pleasing manner. It explains the real meaning of the word empathy and its importance in our gifted short lives. I don't remember any other movie talking about this subject in a more expressive way than "Yeh Mera India". So, among all the other sub-plots, I rate this particular part of the movie as the most impressive and well directed one having the power to stay in your minds for long.

Talking about the performances, you can feel the heart and soul put in by all the actors performing in the movie. Thinking about each story individually you remember every single actor giving one of the best acts of his career including the veterans Anupam Kher, Rajat Kapoor and Seema Biswas. N. Chandra has splendidly extracted worth praising performances from his entire star-cast including the ones playing their minuscule roles. Though there are certain characters that tend to go over the top at times, but still it creates a good overall impact collectivley. The song less movie also gets well supported by its soothing Background Score, fine Cinematography and crisp to the point editing.

Another worth mentioning ace is the use of "Urdu Shayri Couplets" incorporated with a background voice over, after every important incident in the movie. The deep meaning of the few lines spoken at an appropriate time, increase the overall impact of a sequence to many folds. (However the selection of the couplets could be a lot more inspiring.) So, if you love the thought of living together as brothers, if you can feel the importance of the remaining years of your life and if you believe in sharing what you have in your possession, then "Yeh Mera India" will surely make you feel much better. The movie is not only about India alone, but it is about every country existing on the globe facing problems. It talks more about the concept of Universal Brotherhood and the urgency to understand its need in the current times. On merit basis, as it was "Mumbai Meri Jaan" in 2008, there is "Yeh Mera India" in 2009. Just go for it now!

the movie give a very good lesson to everyone and you can see this movie once in a week and i surely say you will hate any person in your life.After seeing this movie your way of living life change.when i see this movie i change and feel that why all the human being are not like this. i want to say here one thing that this type of movie should be tax free and shown in cinema with no profit so that we can change the thinking of human being those are just living their life in this world with a wrong thinking in mind that all lower society people are not good and one another message about women is very nicely shown .this show situation with a nice and best solution.

Few films have made me laugh as much as N Chandra's Yeh Mera India, and funny thing is, it's not even a comedy. A message movie that addresses everything that's wrong with our country -- from communal hatred and corruption in the system to the class divide and sexual harassment -- Yeh Mera India bites off way more than it can chew. Using a bunch of characters whose lives intertwine at some point, the film sheds light on the social evils that threaten to rock our great nation. Problem is, the acting's embarrassingly weak and the scenarios all exaggerated. Take that scene in which an oily call-centre owner (played by Rajit Kapur) celebrates an employee's birthday by ordering cake and gifts, then proceeds to molest her in full view of his cheering staff. Or the one in which a young fellow frustrated about his car just being stolen, vents his anger by vandalising a wall with thought-provoking graffiti. Even if there are some credible ideas floating around, director N Chandra struggles to put them forward in an accessible manner, resorting instead to convey them in a bombastic, over-the-top, and ultimately unconvincing style. What's more the solutions offered by the film to deal with the social evils it talks about are too simplistic and idealistic even. Talented actors like Seema Biswas, Anupam Kher and Rajpal Yadav are wasted in poorly developed parts, and by the end of the film you feel like you've bludgeoned on the head by a bunch of crazies. N Chandra's Yeh Mera India wants to make some important points, but sadly it doesn't have the skills. Watch it only if you have nothing else to do.

The experience of watching "Yeh Mera India" is pretty much akin to reading the morning newspaper over a cup of tea. The format is divided like the sections of the newspaper dealing with issues that affect our lives in some way or another. It also depicts the various sections/ strata of the society we are living in. Yes, it should be aptly titled as "N. Chandra Times". The narrative format is similar to "Life in a Metro", with every character linked.

Without giving away too much about the storyline, simply said Day-1 is an insight into the life in metro, Mumbai and Day-2 is redemption, retrospection and hope. There is everything for everyone and perhaps even more.

In terms of performance, everybody is absolutely spot on. There are some heavy-weights and stalwarts in there managing a great ensemble.

N. Chandra the director - he is the same who made Ankush, Tezaab and Narasimha and for reason unknown had middle-age crisis resulting in the "lesser-talked-the-better" movies in between. With "Yeh Mera India" he roars and conquers what he had lost. A word of advice, RGV's the forte is underworld, Madhur Bhandarkar - its documentary-style narrative. You should do what you are good at and make this type of movies as your genre.

Yeh mera India is probably the most underdog film that I have known, to have been released in India. I watch the movie via one of the DVD's given by my friend and I found the movie exceptionally good.

Direction and Screenplay: All credits in story, screenplay and direction go to S. Chandra. He is responsible for such sensible casting and pleasing narration. Parallel stories with such dramatization always come as pleasant experience.

Cinematography: There's not much to say about cinematography. Its drama that has been filmed in bollywood, so some colors go along. It comes as nice experience.

Tone: It falls under A1 category within the range of this type of movies, by the range I mean the movie with various parallel stories.

Music: Music is average

Acting: The life of any drama movie is the acting of actors involved in it. One does mostly get good acting awards for the drama movie in which they have acted. I liked the acting in following order Rajpal Yadav, Sayaji Shinde - Anupam Kher - Atul Kulkarni, Seema Biswas - Veerendra Saxena.

A handsome effort to showcase the real essence of India above politics, communal ism, plastic world and recently famous regional issues. A must see for a person who loves sensible movies.May be the movie does not have good box office collection or popularity but the it is awesome to see the dramatization. Offcourse bulk of characters are from theaters so comparatively the acting standards are very high. Another attraction of the movie is the punchlines and dialogues delivered by praveen dabas it made the fellow artists speechless... Hats of the N Chandra and i still believe that there are some people who still believe in delivering sensible work rather than commercial nonsense.

Cheers readers!!

To put it nicely, I have really disliked most of N.Chandra's films and the only thing that attracted me to 'Y.M.I. Yeh Mera India' is the cast. Even the title gave the impression that this was going to be another sensationalist overtly patriotic flick. Yet, with names like Seema Biswas, Parizaad Zorabian, Rajpal Yadav, Rajit Kapur, Sarika, Parvin Dabas etc. how bad could it be? So, 'Y.M.I. Yeh Mera India' is actually so bad that it's funny. The narrative structure attempts to follow that of Paul Haggis's 'Crash'. Even though this film is not a rip-off, it did remind me of Haggis's movie. Thus, there are multiple stories that are all interlinked. It attempts to tackle the theme of prejudice and does a miserable job at it. The forced happy ending is hilarious and not for the 'happy' reason. Every one of these stories are so excessively exaggerated that they feel like a parody. Most of the 'characters' are caricatures. The horrendous voice-over obliged me to press the mute button. Given the poor level of writing, I can imagine how the actors might have struggled with acting or whatever. The tagline states 'Behind Every Bad News... There Is Good News...'. Well, this is just bad news.

"Y. M. I. - Yeh Mera India" (2008) is a thought-provoking anthology film that delves into the complexities of modern Indian society. Directed by N. Chandra, the movie unfolds over the course of a single day in Mumbai, interweaving multiple narratives that reflect the diverse socio-economic, cultural, and religious fabric of the city. It presents a tapestry of human experiences, highlighting how lives, seemingly separate, are interconnected by shared struggles and emotions. There is little touch of mysticism as well.

The film explores the lives of a wide array of characters, ranging from affluent elites to marginalized individuals, each facing their own challenges. These characters include a real estate tycoon, a migrant laborer, a struggling actor, a disillusioned graduate, a devout Hindu, and a devout Muslim who read Gita for his bed-ridden school teacher. Through their stories, the film sheds light on prevalent social issues such as communal tensions, class divide, gender discrimination, corruption, and the aspirations of ordinary people striving for dignity and respect.

The central theme of the movie is the duality of India's identity-how progress and tradition coexist, often clashing and yet complementing each other. Mumbai, often called the city of dreams, serves as the perfect backdrop for this exploration. It is a city where skyscrapers shadow slums, and hope thrives alongside despair.

One of the film's strengths lies in its raw, unfiltered portrayal of the human condition. Each story is a microcosm of the larger Indian experience, offering insight into the moral dilemmas and societal contradictions that define urban life. The narrative is not afraid to confront uncomfortable truths, yet it also highlights moments of kindness, resilience, and humanity that transcend differences.

The characters' paths cross in unexpected ways, revealing the underlying message that humanity binds us despite our varied circumstances. While the film addresses heavy themes, it does so with nuance, avoiding overt preachiness. Instead, it encourages viewers to reflect on their own biases and actions in the context of a larger societal framework.

The performances in "Y. M. I. - Yeh Mera India" are powerful and heartfelt, with an ensemble cast bringing authenticity to their roles. Actors like Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Seema Biswas, and others contribute to the film's emotional depth. The dialogues are realistic, capturing the essence of Mumbai's vibrancy and chaos while exploring the characters' internal struggles.

The direction by N. Chandra is commendable for its ambition in weaving together multiple narratives without losing coherence. The cinematography captures the contrasting shades of Mumbai-its bustling streets, affluent neighborhoods, and struggling communities-effectively complementing the storytelling.

"Y. M. I. - Yeh Mera India" is more than just a film; it is a mirror held up to society. It compels the audience to question their prejudices and to see beyond stereotypes. The movie celebrates the spirit of India while acknowledging the challenges it faces as a nation striving for unity amidst diversity.

"Y. M. I. Is a compelling and insightful film that portrays the human drama of life in contemporary India. It is a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness of our lives and the importance of empathy in bridging divides. Without resorting to melodrama, it offers a heartfelt and realistic depiction of the joys, sorrows, and aspirations that make up the Indian experience.

Awesome plot. The simplicity and complexity of the manner in which stories of all the 10+ characters interact with each other. It is a must watch. Acting - expectantly good considering all the experienced actors. Story and Direction - N. Chandra has done a super job. It is unfortunate that the movie did not do well at box office. Just goes on to show that we fail to recognize good movies and 'super-starer' movies can make millions without any core content.

It deals with many issues of the Indian society. It may be unlikely that real life stories may be so intricately interlinked. But then if you look at the larger picture, all our actions affect each other. In that sense, the movie makes sense.

I would say that this is a must watch if you like thought provoking movies or excellently written intricate stories. Leaves a lot of positives.

I just happened to come across this movie while browsing on Netflix, but what a brilliant movie! This movie really evokes emotions, rekindles your human side and makes you question your unconscious biases. It's a piece of art. No trashy songs or any such unnecessary distractions, a tightly woven plot, complex, gray characters, beautifully connected together. I am quite disappointed with myself for not paying attention to this movie earlier. I guess our film critics also really need to educate themselves and give more credit to deserving movies like this. The only weak link was the girl who played the call center employee, bad acting! But everyone else was superb, and small things like that can be ignored for a movie with such an excellent screenplay and beautiful intent!