| Yuva | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mani Ratnam |
| Screenplay by | Mani Ratnam |
| Dialogues by | Anurag Kashyap |
| Produced by | Mani Ratnam G. Srinivasan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Madras Talkies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 162 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹12 crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹24.48 crore[1] |
Yuva (transl. Youth) is a 2004 IndianHindi-languagepoliticalaction drama film written, produced, and directed byMani Ratnam. It starsAjay Devgn,Abhishek Bachchan,Vivek Oberoi,Rani Mukerji,Kareena Kapoor andEsha Deol. It was simultaneously shot inTamil asAayutha Ezhuthu but with a completely different cast, excluding Deol.[2] The film's rights are owned byRed Chillies Entertainment.[3]
At the50th Filmfare Awards,Yuva won a leading six awards, includingBest Film (Critics),Best Supporting Actor (Bachchan), andBest Supporting Actress (Mukerji).Yuva was also a breakthrough for Bachchan as he won theStardust Award for Actor of the Year – Male for his performance.[4]
The film begins with Lallan Singh shooting Michael "Mike" Mukherjee on his bike, resulting in him falling off theVidyasagar Setu into the water below, which is witnessed by Arjun Balachandran. The film then unveils the characters' pre-incident flashbacks.
Lallan is agoon, originally fromBihar but settled inKolkata,West Bengal, because his brother Gopal Singh has left him alone and he has no option of earning money back home. He loves, marries, and abuses his wife, Shashi Biswas. He gets into a contract under Gopal's recommendation to run errands and work as ahitman for Prosenjit Bhattacharya, a politician.
Michael is an influential student leader who wants politicians like Prosenjit to keep away from college elections. His closest associates are his best friends Vishnu and Trilok. Among the two, Vishnu acts as a right-hand man to Michael. Michael, in his personal life, is in love with his neighbour Radhika, who lives with her uncle and aunt. Prosenjit is worried when he hears news of students standing in the election. He uses every possible way to get them out of politics. First, he provides a scholarship to a prestigious foreign university to Michael. When Michael refuses the bribe, he orders his goon, Gopal, to take control. Gopal orders Lallan to beat up Trilok, which he does, but faces very strong retaliation from Michael and his fellow students.
Arjun Balachandran is the carefree and spoiled son of anIAS officer. He wants to relocate to the U.S. for a better future. He falls in love with Meera, whom he has just met. Arjun asks Meera for coffee, takes her to the beach, and realizes that Meera loves him back. One day, Arjun proposes to Meera, prompting her to playfully avoid him by getting into a taxi. Arjun gets a lift from Michael, who is travelling in the same direction to catch up with Meera, who is going that way. Suddenly, Michael is hit by three bullets (shot by Lallan) and falls off the bridge. He is critically injured but is saved by Arjun and Meera.
Lallan finds out that Michael is recovering from his injuries, and this is witnessed by Arjun, who follows him to apprehend him, only for Lallan to beat him up badly and leave him with a broken arm. After staying by his side until his recovery, Arjun changes his mind and joins hands with Michael to contest in the elections. Lallan later kills Gopal when he finds out that he had been instructed by Prosenjit to take him out due to Lallan leaving an eyewitness (Arjun) behind the bridge incident. He confronts Prosenjit, who brainwashes him to work for him and orders him to kidnap Arjun, Vishnu, and Trilok. However, they escape with the help of Lallan's ally Dablu, who has a change of heart after realizing that their profession was interfering with their personal lives, causing Sashi to leave Lallan for her hometown. He convinces Lallan, however, to no avail, and is killed by him when he aids Arjun's escape.
While running, Arjun calls Michael for help, but Lallan easily catches and beats him up. Michael arrives at the nick of time to rescue Arjun atVidyasagar Setu. A fight ensues between the three men, where Lallan is overpowered by Michael, who spares him and leaves him for the police. Lallan is handed over to the police. Michael, Arjun, Vishnu, and Trilok win the four seats they had contested for and thus enter politics.
Hrithik Roshan was initially offered the role of Lallan Singh, but was replaced byAbhishek Bachchan.[5]
The film was shot at different locations, includingKolkata,Chennai,Bhopal,Theni,Pollachi and other areas ofWest Bengal. During the shoot in Chennai, ambassador cars were painted yellow to make them look like Kolkata taxis.[6]
| Yuva | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 18 March 2004 (India) | |||
| Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Label | Venus Records & Tapes | |||
| Producer | A.R. Rahman | |||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack features six songs byA. R. Rahman, with lyrics byMehboob. The rap and lyrics for the song "Dol Dol" were written byBlaaze.
| Song | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Dhakka Laga Bukka" | A. R. Rahman,Karthik, Mehboob | 04:56 |
| "Khuda Hafiz" | Sunitha Sarathy,Lucky Ali, Karthik | 05:02 |
| "Kabhi Neem Neem" | Madhushree,A. R. Rahman | 04:49 |
| "Dol Dol" | Blaaze,Shahin Badar(Ethnic Vocals) | 03:59 |
| "Baadal" | Adnan Sami,Alka Yagnik | 05:25 |
| "Fanaa" | A. R. Rahman,Sunitha Sarathy,Tanvi | 04:41 |
The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with Bachchan and Mukerji's performances receiving particular praise.[7] A critic fromThe New York Times wrote that the film "has a sharp political edge that is rare in Hindi-language films, celebrated as they are for their wildly exuberant production numbers and sugary love stories".[8] It was reported that the movie had the narrative style of the 2000 Mexican filmAmores Perros.[9][10]
Yuva grossed₹209.1 million (US$2.5 million) at the Indian box office.[1] It did well in multiplexes, but not in single-screen theatres.Compared to other parts of the country, it fared better inMumbai. The Mumbai distributors recovered the cost of the film, but the sub-territory distributors in places like Surat and Baroda lost money. In places like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and even South India, distributors lost around₹50 lakh to₹1 crore. In states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the viewers couldn't relate to the film, hence leading to dismal business. Overseas, too, the film did average business.[11][12]
The film received several accolades, including a leading 6Filmfare Awards, oneIIFA Award, oneProducers Guild Film Awards, fourScreen Awards and twoStardust Awards.[13]
