Kai Po Che!

About the film

Kai Po Che!: Brothers... For Life (transl. I have cut the kite) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures, marking the banner's first solo production under the Disney·UTV brand. Adapted from Chetan Bhagat's 2008 novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, with a three-song soundtrack by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, the film stars Rajkummar Rao, Amit Sadh, and newcomer Sushant Singh Rajput as the three main protagonists while Amrita Puri plays the female lead. The title is originally a Gujarati phrase that means "I have cut" which refers to Makar Sankranti (known as Uttarayan in Gujarat) where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitor's kite and yells the phrase.

Set in Ahmedabad from 2000 to 2012, Kai Po Che! revolves around three friends, Ishaan "Ish" Bhatt (Rajput), Omkar "Omi" Shastri (Sadh) and Govind "Govi" Patel (Rao), who want to start their own sports shop and sports academy; the story also references the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the 2002 Godhra train burning and the 2002 Gujarat Riots, and tracks their deep friendship, and innocence tarnished by religious politics and communal hatred. The film had its world premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2013 where it was the first ever Indian film to feature in the World Panorama section.

Plot

Sometime in 2010, Govind "Govi" Patel is giving a presentation at a school about the services provided by Sabarmati Sports Club, an enterprise owned by him. Omkar "Omi" Shastri, in a parallel scene, is released from prison and Govi picks him up. While halting at a restaurant mid-way, Govi and Omi reminisce about their lives ten years ago, and remember their good friend Ishaan "Ish" Bhatt.

Ish is an ex-district level cricketer, who became a victim of selection politics. Omi is the nephew of a Hindu politician, Bittu Joshi, who funds his father's temple, and Govi has a penchant for business and numbers. Together, they open up a sports shop cum cricket training academy.

Ish asks Govi to tutor his younger sister, Vidya, in mathematics, for her upcoming exams. Vidya and Govi gradually develop feelings for each other and begin a romantic relationship. Upon learning this, Omi warns Govi of the consequences, as Ish is very protective of his sister.

Production

Filming began in Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat along majority of scenes canned in old Ahmedabad and continued further in Porbandar, Diu. A scene featuring the trio was shot at Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple. One of the songs Meethi Boliyan was exclusively shot around Daman and Diu. Reportedly, Sushant Singh Rajput had to undergo four months cricket training under two coaches to fit into the book adapted character of 'Ishaan'. A cricket match sequence was shot at the Sabarmati Railway stadium sabarmati in Ahmedabad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has granted the director permission to use footage from a historic India–Australia Kolkata test match from 2001 in Kai Po Che!. Director Abhishek Kapoor has admitted that the leading Bollywood stars didn't want to be a part of the film. Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja was signed for a special appearance in this film.

Chetan Bhagat, whose book is adapted for the screen, first revealed the title of the film. Subsequently, a short contest was announced by him on Twitter to create awareness about the film and its title.

Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by Amit Trivedi while the lyrics were penned by Swanand Kirkire. The background music has been composed by Hitesh Sonik.

Release

Kai Po Che! release date was confirmed as 22 February 2013. The film was released on 1000 screens in India. Kai Po Che! received 'U' certificate from the Censor Board prior to its release without any cuts, and released on 22 February 2013.

The first trailer of this movie was released on YouTube on 20 December 2012, and was premiered along with Dabangg 2. The 3 Mistakes of My Life book cover was relaunched with the poster of Kai Po Che!

The director had a four-city promotional strategy. There were plans of bonding with friends in four cities and hanging out with them. Sushant Singh Rajput was to host a private screening of Kai Po Che! in his hometown of Patna for his childhood friends. On 18 February 2013, a star-studded premiere was organised in Cinemax, Versova, Mumbai.

Reception

The film was critically acclaimed by Indian critics but was met with a rather mixed reception from critics overseas.

Sukanya Verma for Rediff.com gave 4/5 stars and says Abhishek Kapoor's clarity of vision makes Kai Po Che!, the adaptation of a mediocre novel, so irresistible. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 out of 5 and stated that the film is brimming with solid content. Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave it 4 out of 5 stars saying, "Kai Po Che! is very likeable. Between tears, you find yourself smiling, because it's the story of friendship and human triumph above all else." Resham Sengar of Zee News gave 4/5 stars stating, "The magic of the film lies in its details!" Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3.5 stars saying, "Kai Po Che! is a competently crafted, well acted and consistently engaging drama that makes its point without sinking into preachy paroxysms". Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars adding, "Abhishek Kapoor uses Kai Po Che! as an apt metaphor and crafts a lovely, emotional film on abiding friendship and the values that make life worth living." India Today gave 3.5 stars.

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