I am a huge fan of films which have a message. And especially ones that aim to attack the youth and awake them from their deep slumber. The likes of Rang De Basanti, Yuva and Hazaar Khwahishen Aisi address the need for the youth of India to get involved. Without their involvement and interest, India will not be able to move forward. This is exactly the message Mehul Kumar tries hard to deliver with Krantiveer: The Revolution. After the grand hit of Krantiveer back in the nineties, which featured a very loud and impactful Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia, Kumar decided that it is now, in 2010, that the film required a sequel. In an interview with BollySpice, he reinforced the need for such a “revolution” for the youth and by the youth. With a fresh script intact, the director signed on an even fresher cast including his daughter Jahan Bloch, Samir Aftab, Aditya Singh Rajput and Harsh Rajput. Krantiveer, this time round was meant to strike a chord with younger audiences while reminding our seniors that the problems still exist.
Roshni Pratap (Jahan Bloch), daughter of the late Pratap (Nana Patekar) and late Meghna Dixit (Dimple Kapadia) is a strong minded revolutionalist who has no bones in exposing mundane crime but is desperately looking for a job. She meets Vishal (Samir Aftab), a like-minded Army Officer who not only hooks her up with a news reporter job but also manages to sweep her off her feet. She takes on her job with hopes to make a difference and through sting operations exposes a number of corporate heads, politicians and so on. In between, you are introduced to her friends: Goldy (Aditya Singh Rajput) who is love with the fiery Roshni and Uday (Harsh Rajput) who help the news reporter in her path to revolutionary road.
It tries. It tries very very hard. The problem with this Krantiveer is that the film is too loud. The actors all scream their dialogues instead of speaking them in an impactful way. It attempts to make an impact much like Rang De Basanti but from the get-go, the film is serious and so does absolutely nothing for the audience. The sting operation scenes are not up to par with what is normally seen and accepted by audiences today; top notch cinematography. As a screenplay, the film lacks a complete plot and is basically begging for attention it doesn’t deserve. The film tries to deliver a number of messages but because the dialogues are so forced, it doesn’t come through as powerfully as they could have been portrayed.
As a director, Kumar tries to attack the emotions of the youth by showing them problems that currently exist but are not taken seriously by the country. You are witness to the Mumbai Terror Attacks as well as smaller issues that we are unaware of. But ultimately, there is no impact, no fire and doesn’t push the youth to get up and make a difference.
I have great expectations of Jahan Bloch. As long as she works on her dialogue delivery and tones it down a tad bit, she can easily become the next Shabana Azmi. Samir Aftab is good and does an apt job as does Harsh Rajput. Aditya Singh Rajput does well especially in his greyer shades; he should look at playing more negative roles, it would do him well. Farida Jalal is cute and adds some real depth to the film.
When Nana Patekar jabbered on and on in the initial installment, you sat, jaw-opened and listened. This time round, you yawn because the actors’ ham and the plot is so hackneyed. What is meant to be portrayed doesn’t come out. In fact, you are left wondering what happened in the film. This revolution doesn’t go too far.
