| Reply 1 : Cast: Raj Tandon, Anya Anand, Raghubir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Manjusha Godse
Direction: Gitanjali Sinha
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Story: A young boy's IITian dream is shattered when he fails to get an outstanding score. Disillusioned, he visits his grandpa, who gives him hope and courage to look upwards at the skies again.
Movie Review: Here's another 'idiot'. The fourth one in the rank. Though he's not a patch on his predecessors (the infamous '3 Idiots'). Avinash (Raj Tandon), quite a top ranker in school, harbours the common IITian dream for whatever lame reason. With low grades and an even lower morale, he goes to meet his Dadu (Raghubir Yadav) after a decade, for some consolation and comfort. Unlike Dadu who pampers him, dotes on him and even tucks his laadla in bed, Avinash's parents (Yashpal Sharma and Manjusha Godse), are so shamelessly consumed by the corporate chase that they display little warmth for their only beta. In fact, their 'sky-high' expectations and insensitive taunts break his spirit, leading to a nervous breakdown. Still, they care-a-damn. Weirdos, huh? On the sunnier side, while all this is happening his heart finds pehla pehla pyaar in neighbouring girl Muskaan (Anya Anand). From there the film moves on to terrace-tops and paddy fields. Pretty, but not positively encouraging (for us). 'Aal izz not yet well' in the story, yet, we don't give up (how optimistic!). This time hope comes fluttering in the form of a kite. Avinash is challenged to participate in a traditional kite flying competition, an honour his Daadu had pompously won ages ago. Suddenly, his academic goals are a thing of the past; he flaps his wings and takes a flight. Who cares about being a forerunner anymore? He's on a life-changing mission to be a kite-runner. Not just that, this young noble-heart reunites Daadu with his estranged parents, and out-of-the-blue-skies the oblivious couple spares time for the bechara bachcha and buddha baap, for a tear-jerking family reunion (Uff!). Capture this true 'Baghbaan' moment in your memory, please. A few touching, melt-down moments follow, all thanks to Raghubir's acting skills.
Debutant Raj Tandon doesn't have the muscle or meat to essay this role of a disenchanted boy trapped in an aimless ambition. With expressions like caricatured 'emoticons', he's awkward in most parts. Debutante Anya Anand has a certain sweetness about her, but seems fairly unrehearsed for this role.
The strongest actor in this drama, Raghubir Yadav, plays the ageing Daadu with fatigued lines and old antics of an emotionally high-strung, hunchbacked grandpa.
For a movie that's supposed to be inspirational, director (Gitanjali Sinha) gives us blah lines, lackluster story-telling - which is emotional at times, with an exhaustingly slow pace - weakening the script further. We get the idea of a kite being a metaphor for life and all that philosophy, but this simple story is so grounded, it doesn't take off into the khula aasmaan at all. And all we can say is... Kai po che! |
