Yuvvraaj

Let's begin with the title "Yuvvraaj" - yet another example the numerological fetishism Bollywood has succumbed to. Whether numerology can actually convert bad apples into a hit is reserved for a debate on an another day. "Yuvvraaj" is an apt example of "Elegant prose cannot hide inelegant logic". Every frame glitters like gold and no two ways about that. Sadly the entire proceedings are as enticing as a corpse. The characters are do ruddy with life that they practically need birth certificates.

° Anil Kapoor (the lucky mascot for Mr. Ghai) reprises his "Eeshwar" (read that day-light robbery).

° Whenever Katrina ended up the sole-heroine opposite Salman the results were disastrous. "Yuvvraaj" is not an exception either, jinxed perhaps?

° Zayed Khan needs acting lessons badly. Aushima Sawhney thinks looks alone would suffice. Its never too late for both of you to secure admission into "Whistling Woods".

° Mithun & Boman Irani show up to collect their cheques.

° The Mamaji/ Mamiji characters for today's generation is past sell-by- date.

° Music: Mr. Ghai manages to connive Rahman in an attempt to pull off yet another "Taal". And with "Jai Ho" ringing cash registers at the international level proves the lady luck has run away from Mr. Ghai as fast as legs could carry.

° Lyrics: The gap of Anand Bakshi is attempted to be fulfilled by roping in Gulzar for lyrics and he seems not too happy about it.

"Yaadien", "Kisna", "Black & White" and now "Yuvvraaj"- shrouds the abysmal depth the creativity of showman has stooped to. A reality check on the work of Mr. Ghai so far::

Θ Krodhi - Uncanny resemblance to "Jwaalamukhi".

Θ Meri Jung - Remake of South-Indian movie.

Θ Karz - "The rip- off Peter Proud"

Θ Karma - Plagiarised "Sholay".

Θ Khalnayak - "Hero" recycled.

Θ Ram Lakhan - "Deewar" wine in a new bottle.

Θ Kisna - I can a "Lagaan" too!

Relinquish your self-proclaimed "Showman" title with grace before it is posthumously stripped!!

As a big fan of Subhash Ghai, I remember almost 20 years back, buying ticket for the first show of "Ram Lakhan" at double the price and then sitting in a packed houseful show with people whistling, dancing and clapping on every scene and song. And now comes a day when I easily get a ticket for the first show of "Yuvraaj" from the window itself and become a part of few people watching the movie in the theater. There is no excitement in any viewer, no whistles or claps and no dancing around the screen.

Surely times have changed a lot, and surprisingly "Subhash Ghai Sir" has also changed his style of film-making. But the sad part is that the change of style is not coming up good enough for the viewers. As witnessed in his last few movies, "Yuvraaj" too has its merits but falls short of the expectations from the famous "Showman" of Bollywood. The discouraging opening response must be due to the unimpressive and confusing promos which were not able to explain what the movie was. Even Salman and Anil looked puzzled in their acts in the on air promos.

Coming to the movie itself, it starts off with Salman, Katrina and Boman Irani (as Katrina's father) with their love story angle. 50 minutes into the movie and the same goes on & on with no sign of Anil and Zayed. This makes the viewer restless as it is too lengthy and should have been trimmed heavily. Then with the news of Salman's rich father dying the story moves on and the other two brothers of Salman are introduced, Anil Kapoor & Zayed Khan. After every one is there on the screen the story goes into the "Jaydaad" & inheritors drama with a twist in the form of autistic Anil Kapoor.

The locations are fresh, sets are huge, songs are shot lavishly, but nothing hits the right note. Everyone looks playing his part knowingly that something is wrong and not working. There are very few scenes to watch out for and it all seems to be too lengthy and repetitive. The most lacking part is the story and screenplay of the movie which does not give ample scope to any star in particular.

The film mainly moves around Salman & Katrina with Anil Kapoor taking the limelight post interval. Salman Khan & Katrina look good as a couple but it is not one of their best movies. However, I liked Salman in the last scene when he cries in front of Boman to save the life of his brother Anil. He never looks like acting in the scene and proves that he has got the talent too along with the fab body. The scene where Katrina is playing and teasing topless Salman shows their off screen bonding clearly. Katrina has a fresh look but her hair style could have been better. Anil Kapoor as usual is almost perfect but at places repeats his "Eeshwar" act. Actually Anil gets betrayed by the script and hence his character fails to strike the emotional chord with the viewer. Zayed Khan still relies more on his looks than his acting. Boman Irani is a bit loud but calms down in his last scene with Salman. Mithun Da in a guest appearance enjoys his few scenes with elegance.

Like in his earlier movies, "Yuvraaj" also has a rich family with a Mama ji, cunning uncles, brothers, loyal servants and a vamp bhabhi. Here the bhabhi is too hot to handle and has the looks to kill. Climax is the least convincing part with a twist told so many times before where the performer is poisoned before his main grand show. Even the song is not enjoyable enough for the grand finale. Till you reach the climax you lose interest in the happenings and wish the movie was only around Salman and Katrina.

Apart from the fresh cinematography, the other major highlight of the film is the music of A. R. Rahman. Though this time the magic of "Taal" is missing and the music needs time to grow on the listener. Two songs score over all the others with "Tu Hi Meri Dost Hai" being the best. The songs may not be that entertaining for the Indian audience as they are designed giving more stress on Western Arrangements. Honestly I also cannot rate this as one of Rahman's best as i was expecting much more from the combination of Rahman & Ghai.

In few words, I again found the "Golden Touch of Subhash Ghai" missing in this. But if you are a Salman-Katrina fan then you will surely enjoy their lovable screen presence together.

I don't know what has happened to Subhash Ghai. You cant believe that he is the same guy who made movies like Karz, Khalnayak, Ram Lakhan and Taal. The thing that was good about the movie was Salman Khan's acting. This is the first movie after Tere Naam where he was not Salman Khan and he was the character that he was playing. However he started as his overacting self but mellowed down as the movie progressed. One thing..... Zayed Khan can't act. There are so many technical flaws in the movie. Anil Kapoor is suffering from Autism and still he manages to understand emotions and speak such deep dialogs like he did in the movie. I guess Subhash Ghai needs to look up the meaning of autism first.

Salman Khan is a chorus singer who is not rich... yet he owns a convertible, a sports bike and a big house.

I mean OK it is a movie..... directors are allowed some slack but not this.

The villains Anjan Srivastava and his daughter in law irritating at all times and they could have been scripted better.

In all a bad movie and I feel I wasted my money.

Veteran director Subhash Ghai is hoping to resurrect some of the credibility he lost with his previous flops Yaadein & Kisna with this glossy drama. I never really intended to see it when I heard about it because Katrina Kaif is in it and all of her films suck (except Race). But the promos was so good and I loved the music especially the Dost song composed by the best music composer & lyrics writer combo A R Rehman and Gulzar. So I seen it anyway and its about Yuvvraaj (Prince) who gets thrown out of his family. He wants to get married to this really rich girl but her father wants her to marry someone else. So he signs a contract with him that in 40 days, he will become twice as rich as him. He eventually gets closer to one of his brothers and realises that he is happy to help him without wanting anything.

The story & screenplay is o.k. but it's quite long for a 2.5 hour movie because their wasn't enough to make it that long. None of the actors acted well except Anil Kapoor and Katrina Kaif was simply the worst, she is completely crap. Neither she knows acting, language (her voice is always dubbed for her), dance and always fails to impress. I do not like her one bit and if she was replaced by someone else then that would've helped a lot. The film had big sets that were so good and visually impressive that they keep you in your seat throughout. Overall if you have nothing to do on a rainy day or something then watch it but Yuvvraaj is nothing to look forward to.

(1st paragraph may contain spoiler) I wish Subhash Ghai could have tightened the storyline a bit. Zayed Khan and the rest of the supporting cast were unnecessary for the movie. The focus could have just been on Anil Kapoor as a musical genius and Salman Khan as the brother who does not like him and Katrina Kaif who encourages his talent and Boman Irani not wanting Salman to marry his daughter. The inheritance part made no sense at all. (end of spoiler)

Usually Mr.Subhash Ghai brings out a whole new personality in the actors that act for his movies. Only Anil Kapoor fits the bill. Mr. Subhash Ghai wanted to be about music and brotherly love. The music aspect was the strongest part in the movie where as the brotherly love fell short.

Actors/ Cast Members:

Katrina Kaif: Her acting is very sticky and looks uncomfortable. She seems more comfortable in commercial films like Singh is Kinng and Welcome so this sudden change is awkward. Moreover, she could not even speak in Hindi properly for this film and ended up switching to English. Since the setting for Subash Ghai movies require proper Hindi speakers, Katrina Kaif was just too modern for the role.

Salman Khan is alright. He plays his typical character who usually has anger management problem so there is nothing fresh in his acting. There was no room for him to grow in his character.

Anil Kapoor was the best. His role was totally different and very entertaining. He proved that Mr.Ghai could bring a new personality to his actors.

Zayed Khan: He also plays the same typical arrogant character so there is nothing special about him. He barely had anything to do except dance. I really think Zayed should explore different roles like Vaada or Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne.

Boman Irani is another lifesaver. His comic acting provides relief to the movie.

Supporting Cast have no role at all. They were just placed to extend screen time.

A.R.Rahmanji: The songs beautiful and well made. There is a mix of Western instruments blended with Indian lyrics which is Rahmanji's forte. There are catchy tunes is each song and overall the music does justice to the movie. The voices fit very well to each of the character. The costumes and choreography were wonderful.

Storyline: The concept started off as a great idea. Unfortunately, the execution was terrible. The plot was watery and there was no substance. Moreover, the main characters except for Boman Irani and Anil Kapoor were not given a chance to show justice to their characters. There is no dept in any of the characters, making it a boring 3 hour movie with just music to look forward to.

Cinematography: It was nice and different and a change of scenery.

Suggestions: I think Mr. Subhash Ghai should redo his script cutting unnecessary parts and compressing it. It would have been more successful & well received.