Yuva

A prior warning to reading this review would be reading the 'Main Hoon Na' review below. If you don't agree with that and if Shahrukh Khan is your God, please don't read this one. For Yuva is a complete contrast to MHN - in a good sort of way, of course.

Yuva is a concept movie. It revolves around a single concept and all its characters weave their lives around it. What I really like about the movie is the choice of the concept. It gives a certain objective and meaning to what education is and what patriotism truly can be. It ascertains the power beneath the skin of an ordinary individual in ordinary circumstances with a hope to rise above all and clean the dirt by himself. Absolutely priceless. Youth in politics and the brain drain issue - stuff you'd probably discuss at Symposiums or crib all the time, but never do anything about. This one's an eye-opener. Makes you see life with a whole different perspective.

The direction and camerawork is exceptional. In the song 'Anjaana' - the way the water frolics around Kareena, its like the water is a character in itself. The climax sequence of the bridge fight - I have never before seen such an action sequence in any movie. Probably even more heart-racing than the Matrix trilogy.
The surprise package is of course, Abhishek Bachchan. An award winning performance for a deep-down-rotten negative role. I could imagine other people doing the role of 'Lallan' - but none as better as him. He was a natural. Like its coming from within him. Violent love, violent life and violent ideas - Lallan was the prize turkey.
Ajay Devgan never fools around with his work. His performance is as brilliant as that of the other movies. He easily comes out as a rebel - whether on the political or the romantic front. Esha doesn't have much of a role, but she gives a nice feel to the movie. Innocent, petite and vulnerable - Esha's character hangs there somewhere. She could've not been there, but no one would mind her either.
Kareena tries to overact at few places but you can see the Mani kept bringing her back on her track. The only thing I didn't like about her character was that the concept of getting married to someone else - wasn't believable. All the while I've been thinking she's kidding, until the time it actually did surface! Perhaps something in Kareena's acting there, or a lack of a believable dialogue. Rani looks best in her bare minimum makeup (like the days of Saathiya), biting and enticing Abhishek. What her character does, no one else can in the movie. It proves that love can make a difference, yet fails miserably at times. And it comes out beautifully in her eyes. You can see her emotions like she's feeling it.

The movie could do without songs. Infact it did start off as a song-less movie, but Mani couldn't perhaps resist to the temptation and added the Rehman tracks. I never liked those tracks much until I saw the movie. Now I can't get them out of my head. My personal favorite being 'Fanaa' and 'Badal' - very techno tracks. But you really need to listen with your eyes closed and your mind open to love them. That holds true for any Rehman track, I guess.

Yuva is a movie for the youth. The youth to learn and believe in themselves. To find a meaning to this country, to their education. To be proud and make loved ones proud of them. To seek for a solution and not an abuse. To stand up against the wrong and make it right. A lot of turmoil gone into making sense of this movie and its apparent that only a few seem to have liked it. Most of them still consider Shahrukh crap better. But with a message like this and performances and direction to match - Yuva remains to be a much-enjoyed and much-thought-provoking movie for me...