Review of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) by Pakee W — 14 Jun 2013

If Bombay Talkies went all out paying tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema building extravagant, if not exagerrated, castles of how deeply films have had an impact on the ordinary and extraordinary lives of the Indian people, YJHD does so in a simple,everyday, almost nonchalant way. The movie is about regular people who, like you and me, complicate their lives when it gets too easy and detangle it when it gets too complicated. It does not speak of a love which in an idealistic, tempestuous, all encompassing manner prevails against all odds and enemies like the hero of the Hindi movie, but it speaks of one which is found and realised through a journey of self-discovery where life sometimes comes in the way and sometimes shows you the way. It speaks of success and failure in the same breath just as it speaks of the wild and the calm spirit. It touches base with the very urging topic of the "Fear of Missing out" of today's times. It speaks both of letting go and moving on as well as of compromising some dreams for the promise of companionship. And it does all this in a typical Bollywood masala movie, song, drama, friendship, emotion, family fashion.

The movie packs powerful performances by the supremely talented Ranbir Kapoor who is clearly growing into the star of the decade. Kalki Koechlin as always potrays her part adeptly , not forgetting to mention Kunal Roy Kapoor who even in his small part stood out and shone, albeit from the sidelines. Deepika Padukone looks her gorgeous, beautiful, desirable self delivering a fair acting performance and wonderful and best yet dance performances. Aditya Roy Kapoor does his part fairly well, his dialogue delivery reminding you of a certain Mr. Farhan Akhtar. He might prove to be a decent crowd puller in the form of a female fan following but still needs to improve if he wants to look effortless. Rana Daggubati can hardly be commented upon in his blink and miss cameo but Madhuri Dixit sparkles like a goddess in hers. The surprise at her appearance in such an item number cameo can only be outdone by the bundles of grace that she brings to the "item" song and dance routine which inspite of its raw theme was served in a wholesome, refined package. Ranbir manages to match step, performance and presence with Madhuri in Ghagra while outdoing his own dancing skills in Badtamiz Dil. Farooq Sheikh, Tanvi Azmi and Dolly Ahluwalia perform impeccably while Evelyn Sharma is forgettable in her role.

Ayan Mukherjee can easily be called the king of coming-of-age Indian cinema in today's times. He takes a mediocre story and screenplay, which is also his own work, and prepares a palatable dish out of it which moves at a comfortable pace. He is supported by a brilliant Manikandan who gives his best work so far weaving magic with his camera work capturing everything from the snow covered terrains of Manali and Kashmir through the aesthetically shot streets of gorgeous cities like Venice and Paris , from the forts and lakes of Udaipur to the gloriously shot sizzling dance numbers. The humour content is healthy and the dialogues are average except for the very well placed one-liners from various talked about movies down the long path of the Indian film industry.

The music, by Pritam, is youthful, catchy and keeps an eager interest alive for the viewer in the movie and complements the flow well but it fails to qualify for any spots around extra-ordinary or new. Songs like Ilahi and Kabira could possibly be remembered as soulful melodies while Ghagra, Balam Pichkari and Dilli Waali girlfriend might live on as potential dance performance music. Lyrics are strong and fresh in that they aren't predictable, but at the same time, do not lend a hand to the storyline of the movie. A possible exception is Kabira which is YJHD's version of Iktaara denoting similar transformation. Choreography is energetic, fresh and reverberating.

The movie reminds you of DDLJ at more places than one and seems like a contemporarised version of it where the characters themselves, rather than their families, stand in the way of love and togetherness. It paints nothing very new on the canvas of Indian cinema but is a befitting tribute to Bollywood while staying true to the ways and thinking of the current generation of Bollywood buffs. It picks up where Wake Up Sid leaves off and speaks of settling down where Wake Up Sid speaks of rising up. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder to today's omnipotence and ubiquity chasing youth to stop running and slow down. "Sab kuch to nahi kar sakte. Kuch to chhotega hi. to abhi jo hai wo achhe se enjoy karo".