Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Vishakha Singh and Sikander Kher
Release Date: 2010-12-03 08:00:00
Quick Take: Ashutosh scores, yet again!

There is something about Ashutosh Gowariker’s latest offering that will haunt you once the lights are come on. Something that will pierce your heart and stay in your memory. And this is interesting because Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a bumpy ride as far as the narrative goes. It jolts and jumps and sometimes doesn’t move at all. But that’s all in the first half, which just seems longer than it is. The story is an untold, true one of a group of youngsters who want to overthrow the government in Chittagong, headed by Surjya Sen a young schoolmaster with a vision for India’s independence. Like all uprisings that happened during the freedom struggle, this one too is doomed. And that too with a heart-rending sense of finality.

One has to say though that your heart sort of sinks in the first 45 minutes of the film. Gowariker’s obsession with setting every little stone in its exact place and letting each character take its own time to evolve is tedious. All the characters are likeable and you know you will eventually root for them. The kids are too many to actually remember or stand out but again you know that your heart is meant to go out to them and it sure does.

Since this is a true story you can only wonder about how weak and harebrained their plan is and how endearingly well intentioned. You know that these revolutionaries don’t stand a chance. If this had been an original screenplay, you would only be exasperated by how wafer thin their plan is, but as something that really happened, you overlook that.

Post interval the film is overwhelming. Thanks to the tepid first half, you are hardly prepared for the sudden volcano of action that transpires. There is defeat, despair, death and above all a sense of desperate, unrelenting patriotism. You see these people hurtle towards sure and violent death and you can but marvel at Gowariker’s hold over not just the pace but also the emotions. At this point, the screenplay is down pat. You know what is going to happen to whom next. And yet you are riveted.
As for the performances, the word that comes to mind for Abhishek Bachchan is ‘composure’, he displays a certain inner peace throughout and despite his faulty Bengali, this is one of his career’s best. Deepika Padukone doesn’t have much to do but she is radiant, confident and a pleasure to watch. The motley group of actors both child and adult are all competent. Special mention for Sikander Kher who exhibits tremendous screen presence, Ganesh Ghosh and feisty Vishaka Singh.

There is some amazing art direction in the film not to mention the costumes; Gowariker shows his forte yet again in making a picture perfect period film. This is his thing. He does it well. Now if only he could get a leash on the length. If not for his OCD with films that tend to run to a minimum viewing time of three hours, KHJJS would have been a masterpiece. This is honestly a film not longer than an hour and a half.
Movies like KHJJS reiterate our faith that there are still filmmakers out there who will not compromise on their vision and conviction. Trade fads be damned. And as long as there are stories like this waiting to be told, we hope people like Ashutosh Gowariker will tell them.



Rating: 3/5

Sukanya Venkatraghavan