Why Kai Po Che Ticks!

Originally written on: 5th March 2013

When Abhishek Kapoor decided to adapt 3 mistakes of my Life on celluloid, the news was of no particular importance to me… until.. I saw the Trailer of Kai Po Che!

A lot of ‘non-reading only film-watching’ friends of mine were flabbergasted at my sudden interest in a trailer that looked nothing different from Rang De Basanti or Dil Chahta Hai. Yet, all movie enthusiasts reading this must have noticed the brilliant cinematography capturing Gujarat in a nutshell, the natural tone of sepia holding the screen, the music blending effortlessly and transitioning brilliantly as the imagery changed in the 2 mins trailer.

The film opened to rave reviews two weeks back so this piece of writing is not a traditional review, just me marveling at various nuances of cinematic brilliance in the movie. I can only salute Abhishek Kapoor for acknowledging the potential in a mediocre book (I am being kind) and visualizing its outcome on the screen. He is brilliantly aided by Chetan Bhagat, who should consider screen writing as a career option. Together they have revamped the book and made it… Kai Po Che (or Kapiyo Che as some language experts suggest)!

Kai Po Che works on many levels so let us take it step by step. 
The first and the foremost being the Characters. Despite his predictable plot-lines what Chetan Bhagat does to perfection is capture the essence of real people and make them his characters. Together with Abhishek Kapoor, he gives us three very very real characters with their own identities but then true to reality, as the film progresses, these identities are switched or discarded as often happens between friends. 

You have Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput), good for nothing, cricket fanatic, selectively passionate, yet child like with a heart of gold.

Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav), calculative, ambitious, kanjoos (or baniya as fondly called by his friends), yet vulnerable in love.

Omi (Amit Sadh),  loyal, hero-worships Ishaan, compassionate, easily influenced, yet possessing hidden leadership skills.

These three characters with extremely conflicting personas are the surprise package of Kai Po Che. They are brought alive on screen  by 3 very talented actors who become Ishaan, Govind and Omi and make this life their own.

The second aspect of the film that you ll undeniably fall in love with is the score and songs by Amit Trivedi. The man’s genious never fails to baffle me. You have the energy ridden Manja that celebrates victory, the peppy excitement filled Shubhaarambh signifying dreams and the soulful, breezy Meethi Boliyaan as a tribute to friendship.

Not far behind is the third aspect, Cinematography! Anay Goswami’s camera makes Gujarat a treat to watch. It never breaks its core theme whether it captures the hard, rocky terrain of Gujarat, the waves of Dev, the roughness of the cricket ground or sneaks into the middle class Ahemdabad. The man makes Gujarat look beautiful!

The fourth and the most important aspect is the story-telling. There are many movies that use real incidents to shape their story. Mausam (an epic failure) used every Indo-Pak/Terror plots against its story line. Kai Po Che uses two, the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat and the Godhra train incident resulting in Ahemdabad riots. Two instances of extreme importance yet in a master stroke, the director never manages to let these incidents overshadow the impact they have on the lives of the protagonists. Here, the movie had every chance to stray towards a political angle but it remains true to its characters asserting the fact that this movie is not about Gujarat it is about Ish, Govi and Omi.

Keeping it Real is the fifth and the final element that makes Kai Po Che tick. Mansions make way for real houses, designer clothes make way for tight t-shirts and three-fourths, items songs are replaced with a mass dandia night, a small fishing village takes over foreign locales and the heros are no longer pretentious… they are people like you and I. At no point does the film rely on make-believe. Everything from the setting up of the shop to interactions with parents and the camaraderie between characters is real.

Another element to be considered is Cricket and Kai Po Che has tons of it, adding value to its entertainment quotient.

Kai Po Che is not a film without flaws. The screenplay gets tedious at times and some moments will have you reach for your popcorn. Yet, it is a film reflecting the bittersweet aspects of our life and will definitely leave you with a lump in the throat.