By Deepak Venkateswaran:
Released in 2010, I saw this movie in October 2011, and from then on, it caught my attention! And finally in 2013, after watching the movie for the 10th time, I decided to pen down this, after realizing that lots of people still haven’t even heard about the movie.
A magical blockbuster by Vikramaditya Motwane which deals with the life of Rohan (Rajat Barmecha), a young 17-year-old lad who is expelled from Bishop Cotton School (supposed to be one of the finest boarding schools in India),when he and his friends Benoy, Maninder, and Vikram are caught by their warden Rathore (“Mucchad”) watching an adult film, as he himself was in the theatre. Rohan returns back to the steel city (Jamshedpur) to his father Bhairav Singh ( Ronit Roy) who is stone-hearted and abusive and whom Rohan has not seen for the past 8 years, only to reach home and find a 6-year-old claimant for his room-Arjun ( Ayan Barodia) his half-brother out of Bhairav’s second marriage. Life becomes hard for Rohan as his so called father now takes control of him and forces him to study engineering (not a new thing for Indian kids) and work part time in his factory against his wishes of becoming a writer. The only solace is his Uncle Jimmy (Ram Kapoor) who is considerate and affectionate to the kids and supports Rohan’s dream. But as luck would have, it nothing seems to change Rohan’s dad, who is hell bent on making his life miserable. As a result Rohan’s life sinks into a frustration. The rest of the movie revolves around how Rohan faces and eventually escapes from his father, and chooses not only to save himself, but also a 6-year-old kid.
The entire movie is shot in the beautiful township of the steel city, Jamshedpur, as Mahendra J Shetty takes the camera across the quiet and peaceful life of the town; it’s beautiful quarters of SAIL; and the industrial belt. The poems of Rohan are beautifully written, with each and every word striking you deep down in the heart, and for that a big kudos to the writer. The music brings out the real beauty in the movie, as Amit Trivedi has flawlessly decorated the words of Amitabh Bhattacharya. The songs “Aazadiyaan” is in particular worth mentioning. This film failed to get the appreciation and response it deserves in the box office, but eventually it bagged several awards, and made it to the status of a cult movie.
The whole point, I felt in watching the movie was that it inspires us never to let your dreams die, and fight for them until you succeed or you break down in front of them. In all our lives there resides a Rohan, and to douse that Rohan someone would have taken the incarnation of another Bhairav Singh, the only need is to just find them, and get over it. This movie is connected very much to most of our daily lives, and I have only praises for it.
Brilliant efforts to spread a very positive message, and definitely a must once watch for anyone passionate about anything.