Youngistaan

Youngistaan Movie Review : The idea of Youngistaan might have germinated from the 'dance of democracy' brouhaha that our nation is currently witnessing with the vibrant political scenario. And with the Parliamentary elections looming large, the release of this film finds a suitably perfect time. But well- intentioned ideas do not necessarily translate into successful product.

Debutant director Syed Ahmad Afzalmight have set his eyes on this ambitious yet sensitive subject like politics but somehow doesn't succeed in bringing out the interesting mix of drama, action, power and cynicism. The story which kicks off in Tokyo with an impressive background score(Salim Sulaiman) where Abhinav Kaul(Jackkie Vagnani)is working hard as a gamer and partying hard with his live-in girlfriend,Anvita(Neha Sharma) and pal( Kayoze Irani),takes a sudden U- turn to India's capital with the death of his father, Dasrath Kaul(Boman Irani, cameo) who happens to the country's PM. Overnight, his life is changed when he is entrusted with the responsibility of the country's most coveted seat of the acting PM.

"With great power comes greater responsibility " – Abhi soon faces hostility from members within his party, delves deeper to unravel a scam.His bewilderment in the dirty game is no lesser than her girlfriend's continuing dismay who doesn't get any private time with him.At this juncture , his only confidante is the endearing PA to his late father ,Akbar uncle(Late Farooq Sheikh Saab) who silently encourages him at every step. Afzal seems to model his protagonist on the Congress VP, Rahul Gandhi where his stubbled looks, wardrobes and demeanor find a striking similarity but the plot focuses more on his personal life and the upheavals caused due to the media, with some purely avoidable inserts of comic elements. The narrative doesn't gather the necessary momentum and with a sloppy execution ,it touches the core issues only at the periphery. Some of the potential ideas which the film introduces like the youth reforms, e-voting are not pushed further and eventually they fall flat.

Resultantly ,it doesn't offer much scope for Jackkie Vagnani who tries to pull-off with a committed performance but gets absorbed in the uninspiring scheme of affairs.Neha Sharma is sporty but falters in the emotional parts. It's a wise assortment of talented supporting casts like Mita Vasisth, Prakash Belawadi(of Madras Café fame) and Farooq Sheikh but none of their characters are sketched in an illustrious way.

Overall, Youngistaan starts off well, makes tall claims and much like our nation's leaders,fails to deliver.

"Youngistaan," stands for a country driven by a young prime-minister who is really a novice in politics. In a way, the film hints into Rahul Gandhi who recently fought for a political election in India. Subject wise the film is pretty good and shows a glimpse of Indian politics and gives you a chance to delve into different shades of politics. But the focus isn't very deep and wraps the issues superficially making the film pretty forgettable. Besides, the film lacks the rawness or other commercial angles that would pull crowds. Though the hero makes a good performance, the things could have been different if Ranbir Kapoor had played the role. Anyway, for me, the film was OK till it lasted but not remarkable.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4

I have looked at several movies based on Indian politics (Raajneeti being the best) This is by far the most boring. It was an interesting premise: about a young man who is thrust into Indian politics and becomes the leader of one of the world's largest democracies. However, I believe that shoddy direction resulted in an uninspiring movie. The acting left a lot to be desired.Jacky's attempt to pull of the role of a serious politician fell flat, and I am yet to figure out what Neha's role in this movie was. Farooq Shaik's role wasn't bad, but it was brief.The music was totally lacklustre, the only "good" song being Suno Na. All other songs came across as noise. Final Rating 3/10

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid

Rating: 3.4/5 stars

A wonderful ideology, well-executed within the best of its limitations. "Youngistaan" addresses some pressing and extremely relevant topics, and while the film doesn't always succeed in presenting a lucid theory towards these problems plaguing the nation, it does manage to stir emotions and inspire viewers to a degree by serving a pertinent canvas of political issues.

Director, Syed Ahmed Afzal, weaves a decent narrative around an inspirational plot, and even though his handling of this complex subject is a tad underwhelming at times, at the end of the day he does manage to get the tone and feel of the film right. Superior scripting and crisper plot transitions could have helped the film convey its message more assuredly, nevertheless, given a chance "Youngistaan" does grow on you over the course of its approximately 2-hour duration.

Punching way above its weight, "Youngistaan" is pleasantly entertaining and thought-provoking. More importantly, it gives Farooq Shaikh a memorable swansong in a well-written role.

Politics has been a hot topic for movies in India. The newbie director just had to make a little more effort to create a movie which could relate better to the scenario and not make things just fly in the air. The plot couldn't get justice from Jacky Bhagnani who like his character 'Abhimanyu' has got an easy access to film industry because of his dad. The story and screenplay are good. The writers have given the youngster the name Abhimanyu in the very right context. His father is called Dashrath, I wonder if they wanted to convey something on 'Ram rajya'. Farooq Sheikh no doubt fulfills the missing charisma. It turned out to be his last film sadly. Neha Sharma is cute and her chemistry with Jacky is superb. Jacky has to work hard on his acting skills. He didn't have the body language of that 'stern' leader. No politician in this country would be that 'frank' to lose his votes. The music is good. Sangamarmar is the best song. The film ends with Abhimanyu kaul winning elections on his own but how he executes the plans is not explained. Winning elections is no big thing in India, but after winning how things get implemented is the thing what films should cover in my opinion. A below average effort which certainly could have been better with a better director and dialogues