Review : Krantiveer – The Revolution

Krantiveer – The Revolution

Director : Mehul Kumar

Writer : Mehul Kumar

Music : Sachin-Jigar

Cast : Jahan Bloch, Sameer Aftab, Harsh Rajput, Aditya Singh Rajput, Govind Namdeo, Ashok Samarth, Mukesh Tiwari

What goes for the film : The promise of the original

What goes against the audience : Bad casting, very bad lead actors

Cinemaa Opinion : Misses being an all-time absurd wave classic because of the lead actors. Still, a must watch for absurd wave afficionados. Scroll down for a detailed review.

Instead of the usual trailer of the film you see at this space on this site, we thought of putting up the most memorable scene from the original. Enjoy!

The return of the master to Bollywood’s Absurd Wave

Back when we used to buy balcony tickets for 5 rupees, there was an ambitious director from Gujarat who started making Hindi films. Long since forgotten, his earlier works like Marte Dam Tak, Paap ki Aandhi & Aasman se Ooncha laid a strong foundation on which the recent Absurd wave in Bollywood is being built. Mehul struck gold in the mid 90′s with his high decibel Tirangaa, which remains his best work in the absurd genre and Krantiveer, a film that was to the 90′s what Arjun was to the 80′s and Deewar was to the 70′s – a reflection of the angst of that generation’s youth. In a year when the seeds he had sown early in his career have grown into a lush young tree, he returns with a sequel to the jewel in his crown, Krantiveer. And with this return, lays down a few lessons for budding aspirants of the absurd wave. Here’s an insight into the understated greatness of Krantiveer – The Revolution.

Lesson # 1 : Don’t waste your time on unnecessary stuff like the script and characters.

Krantiveer – The Revolution is not really a sequel. Its actually a reprise of the original in a contemporary tone. I’m sure Mehulbhai didn’t have to spend a lot of time on the script. He had still preserved the script of the original. A few swaps here and there, a couple of changes without affecting the overall picture and bingo! So we have all the elements of the original starting right from the Chota Dimaag (though its replaced with a much more chic and contemporary medula); the iconic Love Rap (transformed into a club number to keep up with the changing times); the subjugated woman fighting back after being laughed at by the protagonist (and since domestic violence is more in fashion these days compared to dowry, the required changes are in place); the builder-politician-goonda nexus (including a sly reference at a major plot point from the original).

The characters also jump straight out of the original. Roshni, the protagonist, is the successor to Pratap (Nana Patekar) from the original. Her love interest, Vishal is the counterpoint to Medha (Dimple). There’s a builder and a couple of politicians who are also straight out of the original. And since the main villian of the original (Danny’s unforgettable Chatur Singh Cheeta) was dead, in comes his brother to fill the void. All in all, remixing that even Bally Sagoo would’ve been proud of.

Lesson # 2 : Stay focussed

Mehulbhai delivers a masterclass in how to stay focussed. He puts Stephen Covey to shame with his dexterous time management. The first half an hour is devoted to recounting the film’s heritage with Nana Patekar’s climax speech forming part of a news story and a host of other references to the original. The next 45 minutes to draw the battle lines and also throw in the drama quotient in the form of a love triangle…plus some more references. And the final 45 minutes to complete the formality of good winning over evil, needless to say, armed with some more references. The segments are neatly compartmentalised and when one thing is happening, the focus remains just on that. In this way, Krantiveer – The Revolution addresses everything that it needs to, and more.

Lesson # 3 : Nothing compares to the power of chest-thumping jingoism

The film is intended to be a wake-up call for the youth. And it doesn’t beat around the bush on that front. We’re introduced to all the ills in our society – domestic violence, eve teasing, predatory bosses in the corporate world, the rich-poor divide and the communal divide. The reasons for all these problems – the Britishers & our politicians. The easiest of solutions – catch them red handed on video and shame them by playing the expose video on the TV news. After all, aren’t sting operations easier to pull off than crossing a deserted street? And if things still don’t work out, let our fist-happy population loose on them. Most importantly, the naming, shaming and beating have to be done at the highest volume possible. It worked in Tirangaa, it worked in Krantiveer and there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work here.

Lesson # 4 : Use your extras to the maximum effect

The film breaks unthought of ground in its use of extras. The extras blend in so well with the environment that sometimes they end up looking more prominent than the actual action. The scene where Roshni meets her friends in a coffee shop is memorable due to the towering presence of the extra on the table next to where the friends are sitting. She sits there like a statue and the moment she’s prompted to start her performance, she nods and goes on to chew the scenery with her sublime histrionics. Also noticeable in this regard are the scene where Roshni “wakes up” a wife being battered by her husband in public. The extras are so involved in the scene that they are oblivious of any other presence around them. And they hold animated monologues with unseen spirits. And then there’s the court scene at the end where the audience in the courtroom are all involved in giving their best shot so that the scene can be a part of their showreel. As a tribute to this unprecedented show of devotion by the junior artistes, Mehulbhai himself appears in a cameo, as one of the audience in the court scene.

Lesson # 5 : Whatever be the genre or tone of your film, don’t forget the underlining comedy

This is the most important lesson that Mehulbhai passes on with Krantiveer – The Revolution. After all, the unintentional comedy is what makes the film conform completely with the absurd wave. And he does this part in style. The sting operation that snares the corporate honcho is copybook absurdity. A fresher journalist without any formal training executes it on her first day on the job. The same evening, the expose is shown on TV; the honcho throws in his resignation and is even arrested for good measure. The power of the media. The sting operation at the end of the film exceeds even that. It’s cinematographed not by one camera, not by two, but by four. And these cameras are installed right in the villians’ houses and even have a panoramic vision, shifting the POV with the characters. Roshni’s interview with a Judge is another memorable exhibition of how the imagination of a reasonable scenario can be stretched. The insider dig on the studio culture in the film industry is epic in both its laughter quotient as well as its thick irony. But what takes the cake is Suhasini Mulay’s 2 minute act at the end of the film. Watch the film just for that.

Where Mehulbhai falters is the casting. The main actors, try being cool to the limits and end up becoming cold. They also end up blunting a lot of the film’s comic potential. The film was supposed to be a launch vehicle for Mehul Kumar’s daughter, Jahan Bloch. But her performance in the film has been robotic at its best. And the other actors fare no better. Its somewhat sad to see actors of the calibre of Farida Jalal, who reprises her role as Pratap’s mother (she does have a couple of lovely “Dekh Bhai Dekh” kind of moments here) and Mukesh Tiwari who plays Chatur Singh Cheeta’s brother, get to work with such duds. Maybe a little more care on the casting front could have made this an instant absurd wave classic, that it just falls short of.