Youngistaan

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

"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

Just finished watching this movie and found it a little different from the typical Bollywood fare. It has love & politics and relationships but no action sequences to determine which is better - love or politics. I imagine this would reverberate at least a little with the audience at the metro cities in India.

The movie is about the son of the PM who takes over as the PM upon the death of his father. And yes - one can see similarities between the actions of some real-life characters in the Indian political system (both past & present).

It seemed like the director had a lot of good ideas and wanted to try out all of them in the movie which leads to a pretty disjointed feeling as you go through the movie. Should the focus be on the political maneuvering skills, managing the "uniqueness" of his personal life or trying to charm "young India" with technology? The director has tried to address every possible scenario in the life of a PM which seemed a bit of an overkill. Considering the target audience, it would've been wiser to pick a main plot and build a few sub-plots around it but instead, this turned out to be a serious of parallel stories just moving along.

In addition, there are few good characters/actors who seemed wasted with just a few random scenes here & there - one of being Boman Irani Jr. I haven't seen him in any movie after Student of the Year and it was good to see him on screen again but sadly not enough meat in his role.

Jacky Bhagnani has done a fairly decent role as the young PM. But his lack of expressions makes the movie a little dull & dragging. Neha Sharma is there to act pretty and nothing more. Farooq Sheikh was of course the best of the lot. This was perhaps amongst his last few movies along with "Yeh Jawani.." Overall, watchable once for the slightly different theme it carries. I didn't watch it in a theater and so it wasn't a couple of waste of time. I watched it at home when I was doing other stuff and hence didn't really feel like I wasted my time!

This film tells the story of a young man who lives a life of indulgence in Tokyo. He suddenly becomes the prime minister of India, and he did evening he can to change the nation for the better, while navigating the treacherous world of politics.

I was waiting for the typical (or stereotypical) Bollywood scene where all the characters suddenly burst into a frenzy of music and dance. I was disappointed because the film stays a drama all along, and there was no Bollywood dance scene. The plot is alright, portraying the young prime minister to be an unlikely hero. Even though the film is a drama, the film maintains a light hearted atmosphere. It's enjoyable, but probably also forgettable.

'Youngistaan' may not be flawless or a razor-sharp political satire, but its A Well-Made, Honest Film. Its potential cannot be denied, despite its visible minuses!

'Youngistaan' Synopsis: Abhimanyu Kaul - a young, independent, Games Developer, living in Japan & the love of his life, Anwita Chauhan - a bubbly, passionate & full of life, summer intern. Their happy and content life faces the test of time, when blood ties & the pressure of being born into the first family of India tears a young Abhimanyu between his love for Anwita & a promise made to his dying father, the Prime Minister of India. Being a public figure, by reluctantly accepting to represent the governing party, much against his own wishes & at the cost of his private life, is a double-edged sword that Abhimanyu must walk on.

'Youngistaan' explores an underdog's story with honesty. It begins well, it progresses well, as the humor works, the political portions work & so do the performances. But, the second-hour begins to lose pace. Once our protagonist, turns into the most powerful man of the country, his journey grips you completely. But, the subplot, the romantic-angle, acts as a deterrent, more-so in the second-hour. Its stagnates the pace as well as the overall impact. Another thing, the length could've been trimmed, by at least 15-minutes.

Syed Ahmad Afzal's Screenplay does justice to an interesting premise, but could've been sharper. His Direction, on the other-hand, is controlled. Cinematography & Editing are good.

Performance-Wise: Jackky Bhagnani enacts the protagonist, with sincerity. He's controlled, mature & believable all through. This has to be his best work till date. Neha Sharma does an okay job. The Late/Great Farooq Sheikh is a joy to watch, as always. Boman Irani is wasted.

On the whole, 'Youngistaan' is a good watch.