Yuvvraaj is melodramatic and boring!

Yet Yuvvraaj is better than everything Ghai has done in the last decade

Yuvvraaj
Director: Subhash Ghai
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Zayed Khan and Mithun Chakraborthy
Rating: **

Subhash Ghai has hardly had a dream run lately. After Taal did just about okay business in 1999, Ghai has delivered three flops in a row with Yaadein, Kisna and this year's Black And White.

Clearly, the going hasn't been good for close to a decade. Surprising then that every time the man has a film ready, expectations are high and curiosity levels are up.

Yuvvraaj is no different. The film may be of interest to a film buff for a number of reasons: AR Rahman's music has made quite an impact even before the release; the film looks more lavish than Ghai's earlier works, which is saying something; and lastly, Ghai has got an interesting bunch of actors together, including the mercurial Salman, who was involved in the infamous slapping incident with the filmmaker. Does Yuvvraaj meets up to these expectations then? 

The story is interesting. Deven Yuvvraaj (Salman Khan) is a man with a troubled past. Struggling to make a career in music, Deven was thrown out by his billionaire father twelve years back for beating up his autistic older brother (Anil Kapoor). This has made Deven a bitter man and short-tempered (more like crazy; why would he beat up a retarded brother otherwise?!)

The only silver lining in Deven's plethora of worries is Anushka (Katrina Kaif), the lead cello player of the troupe Deven works as a chorus singer in. She is the only one who 'understands' Deven and is able and willing to deal with his temper and inner-demons. But Anushka's father (Boman Irani) is against the match as he's aware of Deven's erratic lifestyle and anger management problems.

When Deven learns of his father's demise, he decides to go back home to claim his part of the family property, so that he can ask for Anushka's hand in marriage. When he returns, Deven has to deal with distant relatives and two brothers (Kapoor and Zayed Khan) in order to get his share of the booty. Except that there's something coming in the way – Deven's father's will. And the executor is attorney Sikandar Mirza (Mithun Chakraborthy)  

The film has its plusses. AR Rahman has given a score he would be proud of. Ghai, on his part, has done full justice to it. Together, the two have been able to recreate the Taal magic, to a large extent. The casting couldn't have been better.

Salman, as the angry, sometimes psychotic, but large-hearted Deven, gets to perform a role many would say comes close to his real-life persona. In fact, initial scenes and references to Deven being 'misunderstood', unfit for marriage, yet a good man, reminds one of the reams of newsprint devoted to Salman's escapades and love affairs. Of course, watching him shed tears every now and then is a sight many would be better off not witnessing.

Anil Kapoor is clearly the best performer – something which is expected of him. As the autistic brother, Anil is able to tug at your heart with his mannerisms and way of talking, at the same time providing a few light moments every now and then. Zayed does not have much to do - again expectedly - and manages to pass muster in whatever he gets to do.

Katrina, in one word, is angelic. Ghai has always been known to present his heroines well and here he does it again with Katrina. As the sweet, good-natured, vulnerable yet strong girlfriend of Deven, Katrina manages to bring all those attributes to the fore.

The accent, of course, is there, but goes with the fact that the story's set abroad. Mithun Chakraborthy gets a role that befits him to the T. If he wasn't given so many English dialogues, which he has apparent difficulty in pronouncing (he keeps saying weel instead of will), the impact would have been greater.

Ghai has treated the film as a visual treat and manages to live up to his Showman tag, visually at least. From the décor of the interiors to the lush green, Ghai and his favourite DOP, Kabir Lal, have created magic.

If all the above mentioned things are enough for you to enjoy a film, then read no further and give Yuvvraaj a shot. But Yuvvraaj's misdoing is its poor script. The film is LONG. There are too many moments which fail to evoke emotion or induce laughter where intended and that's purely due to writing that is not engaging enough. The film is so melodramatic at times, that it puts you off.

Although Ghai has clearly moved a step ahead in his depiction of a story, visually, he's still stuck in typical stereotypes seen in numerous Ghai films of the past – the scheming family, lusty bhabhi and loud characters.

Also, Ghai has resorted to cinematic liberty a little too much. For example, Deven is shown to be a chorus singer, but in the last main performance of the troupe, he suddenly steps on to the stage and starts singing.

Yuvvraaj is a laborious watch. If anything, it's definitely one of Ghai's better works in the last decade, but that's not really saying much.

What a film like Yuvvraaj makes glaring, is the difference of approach among different filmmakers. While audiences lapped up the bold, never-tried-before 'gay' romcom last week, Yuvvraaj serves the tried-and-tested formula this week. In times of Dostana, Yuvvraaj's chances are bleak, frankly.

 

g_aniruddha@dnaindia.net