10 years ago today��_ Revisiting ��Yuva�۪
Release date: 21st May 2004
Director: Mani Ratnam
*ing: Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Esha Deol
Mani Ratnam�۪s ��Yuva�۪ released exactly a decade ago today.�� The political drama was made simultaneously in the Tamil language, as ��Aaytha Ezhuthu�۪, though the only actor who was a common part of the Hindi and Tamil versions was Esha Deol.�� Both versions of the film did average business at the box office but ��Yuva�۪ was much acclaimed among critics and performances by some of the cast became career-defining.
Revolving around the youth�۪s interest in politics, ��Yuva�۪ follows the journey of its three protagonists: Michael Mukherjee (Ajay Devgn), Lallan Singh (Abhishek Bachchan) and Arjun Balachandran (Vivek Oberoi).�� While Michael and Arjun are both students, the former dreams of a better India and the latter dreams of moving to the USA to build a better future for himself.�� Lallan, on the other hand, is a goon who works for a corrupt politician.�� The three characters lead separate lives but the crux of the story brings them together.
The first half of the film is written as an episodic screenplay, first following Lallan�۪s story, then Michael�۪s and eventually Arjun�۪s, before the characters meet and the second half focuses on their interactions with each other.�� Though this style of screenplay was not a common formula in Bollywood, the film went on to win the Filmfare Award for ��Best Screenplay�۪.
Performances by the cast were most definitely the highlight, with Abhishek Bachchan crediting the film to be the most integral turning point in his career till date.�� Bachchan, who was struggling to make his place in the industry under the shadow of his megastar father, came into his own while playing Lallan Singh.�� He won both critical acclaim and popular awards.�� Rani Mukerji, who was paired opposite Bachchan in the flick, also won awards for her performance as a timid wife who accepts domestic violence in the name of love.�� Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ajay Devgn too received a lot of appreciation for their work in the film.
The music of ‘Yuva’ became incredibly popular when the film released and remains popular even today.�� Composed by A. R. Rahman, the soundtrack consists of six songs, the most popular being: ��Kabhi Neem Neem�۪, ��Fanaa�۪ and ��Khuda Haafiz�۪.
A socially relevant film, as the involvement of youth in politics is always debated, ��Yuva�۪ had even grabbed the Filmfare Award for ��Critics Choice Best Movie�۪.
BizAsia sends congratulations to the entire team of ��Yuva�۪ on its 10th anniversary.
