My 'Kai Po Che' review

KAI PO CHE

At last after a year long wait and week long frenzy on the local theatre management I finally got to see ‘Kai Po Che’. Reason for fury? My most waited film got screened in Rourkela’s only theatre (Konark Talkies) a week late of the actual release. After attending my last day in Class XI, I drove down to the theatre and watched this movie in my school uniform. And here I sit now writing my review on this movie.

The movie starts with a scene of present day with Omi getting out of jail. This outlook actually confused me for I had already started relating the movie with the book. The rich business fellow Raj Kumar Yadav a.k.a Govind drives Amit Sadh (Omi) out. On a halt at a CCD, Omi watches an Indian Cricket Match being telecasted and the 22 yard scene brings back the memories of the day when everything started, when Govi decided to start a business. Going back 10 years in history, Sushant Singh Rajput debuts in Bollywood in shorts and an old customized #10 Indian jersey with his name, Ishaan, printed on the back and Govi is spotted convincing Ish’s dad for a cheque worth Rs.40,500. After successful signing of cheque, Ish’s dad continues to curse his son’s inefficiency towards any household work.
Soon we see the bad side of Ish when Omi and Ish are seen smashing a loafer and his who troubled Ish’s sister, Vidya, characterized by Amrita Puri. Seeing this bullying, Ish’s dad snatches out the cheque from Govi’s pocket and shreds it away.

This gives a great kick in their rear and they had to request Bittoo Mama a.k.a Manav Kaul to get them the loan for a shop. Mama being more favorable towards the trio gives them the shop for free. And the business flourishes in the name of ‘Sabarmati Cricket Coaching’ along with Govi’s maths classes while Mama obliges Omi to join their political party for the upcoming elections. Ish who is an ex-district level cricketer mainly focuses on the cricket coaching simultaneously centering his attention more on a muslim boy Ali, role played by Digvijay Deshmukh. Ali comes to his attention when Ish’s fellow students ask for tips regarding a new boy who smashes every bowler out of the park. Ish tests his skills and even he is hit for a hat-trick of sixes and loses his bet against Ali for a bottle of marbles. Since then Ish swears to train this young talent, convincing his dad to the maximum extent and even having to convince this little stud for Ali being more attracted towards marble games than his gifted talent.

Ish requests Govi to coach his sister, Vidya, in maths to which initially Govind remains reluctant but eventually starts the studies. Vidya who is more of a jubilant girl invites him for a date and things start to heat up between them.
Omi gets torn between politics and friends. Govind wishes to get a new shop at the upcoming Navrangpur mall. All three agree to get the window shop at the mall and are forced to take a loan of 5 lacks from Bitoo Mama.
Omi gets more indulged in politics, Ish in Ali and Govi between his shop accounts and Vidya. The disastrous 26th January earthquake in Gujrat turns the new mall into ruins and Govi suffers an emotional break down to which Vidya comes in for support. On the other side, Bitoo Mama’s political party sets up a relief camp for the Hindus with Omi taking the lead while Ish raises his voice for the Muslim poll escorting them to the camp which denies their refugee at an instant creating a rift between Ish and Omi. Ish steals the shop’s money to fund Ali’s house repairs which creates a valley between Ish and Govi.
During a festival, Govi sneaks out with Vidya and indulges in a physical relation with her. And few days later he is scared out of his mind when Vidya suspects herself to be pregnant. The duo goes out to a clinic for a test.
Vidya guides her stupid brother and he apologizes to Govi but the same is denied by Omi. The rift between Ish and Omi is sorted after the historic Indian win against the OZs in Kolkata. After everything is sorted out, Ish leads his team into a local cricket league where Ali outplays everyone else. On the other side the election is won by the secular party and Bitoo Mama fails to create a mark among the Ahemdabad public. So they plan to send Hindu families to Sabarmati. During the return trip of the train, at Godhra Station, the whole train is burnt along with the passengers. In the born fire most of the families die including Omi’s parents. This gives rise to riots in Ahemdabad. The Hindu party starts burning the streets and finally reaches the Muslim Poll. Previously Ish had arrived there to take away Ali but was unsuccessful. So he invites Govi as a moral support. The riot destroys the whole poll and Ali’s father is seen being chased by Bitoo Mama into their house. A wrestle takes place between them where Bitoo Mama is killed and Ali’s dad escapes to Ish and Govi. Omi witnesses his Mama’s corpse and a feeling of revenge evokes in him and he starts behind the criminal with a gun. Ish guides Ali and his father to a hideout. Suddenly when Govi’s phone is in Ish’s hand, the relation between Govi and Vidya is revealed by a text message which says that her periods have started and she is not pregnant. Ish starts punching him furiously when Omi arrives with blood shot eyes. Ali’s hide out is revealed when Vidya calls on Ish’s phone which was with Ali. Omi runs towards them with Ish and Govi trying to stop him. In the wrestle, Omi shoots Ish and his body comes rolling down the stairs. Govi reaches the corpse while Omi keeps to his spot dead still.
Story forwards to present date where Ali debuts to the Indian National Cricket team and on the very first ball of the innings, he cover drives the ball to long on for a boundary just as instructed by Ish 10 years ago. Govi and Vidya are married and their son, character played by Chetan Bhagat’s son (Ishaan), is named after Ishaan, their friend, her brother.

The screenplay of the story gives a gentle slope just till the 10 minutes before interval after which the story shows some real action that bring out real emotions. All the three songs are finished in the first half of the first half of the film. The climax and the end of the movie bring out tears and tension. Once the film starts its hard to relate it with the book’s story progression but as the movie continues all those words in the book come back to you. I would rather say the story is ‘2 mistakes of my life’ for only two mistakes are shot, one being the bad investment on the new shop and the other being relation with Vidya. The 1 second delay by Govind, as depicted in the book is absent. But yes, if we consider the bullet shot by Omi into Ishaan’s chest; then the story is complete in the 3 mistakes. The screenplay could have been better but Chetan can’t be blamed for that. After all he is sorely the most beloved author and not yet meant for movies. Still I’ll give him an 8 on 10 for his screenplay adaptation. I had real high expectations from this movie as this book is the very first novel that I ever read in this genre. After the screening I can proudly say that the movie lived up to my expectations and beyond. Still the part before intermission is cold. Sushant is brilliant in his debut and his 10 on 10 figures can give competitions to big stars. He has still kept his facial emotions from his TV soaps and that’s what has made his role interesting. Amit Sadh was a great success as Omi and Bitoo Mama was 5 on 10 as a darker image of him was expected from the character from and beyond the climax as per the storyline. Amrita Puri could have been free with her acting. The casting of Govi was a disaster according to me. Govi being the center in the book should have fetched a better fellow. In the movie Govi was a nerd, he was expected to be a little less of what he was.
In the end, the movie struck a chord in me and I came out of the theatre in school uniform, sans tie and ID, with tears filled eyes.