Yuva

About the film

Yuva (transl. Youth) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language political crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. It stars Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, and Esha Deol. It was simultaneously shot in Tamil as Aayutha Ezhuthu but with a completely different cast, excluding Deol. The film's rights are owned by Red Chillies Entertainment.

At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Yuva won a leading six awards, including Best Film (Critics), Best Supporting Actor (Bachchan), and Best Supporting Actress (Mukerji). Yuva was also a breakthrough for Bachchan as he won the Stardust Award for Actor of the Year – Male for his performance.

Plot

The film opens in media res on Kolkata's Vidyasagar Setu, where mercenary enforcer Lallan Singh shoots student activist Michael "Mike" Mukherjee, causing him to crash his motorcycle into the Hooghly River. The assassination attempt is witnessed by a casual bystander, Arjun Balachandran. The narrative then shifts into a non-linear, three-part portmanteau structure, exploring the disparate backgrounds of the three men leading up to the confrontation.

Lallan is a volatile migrant from Bihar who settles in the slums of Kolkata after being abandoned by his elder brother, Gopal Singh. Facing absolute poverty, Lallan turns to violent crime. He marries Shashi Biswas, an idealistic local woman, but their relationship is severely fractured by his erratic behavior and rampant domestic abuse. Under Gopal’s recommendation, Lallan becomes a contract killer and political muscle for Prosenjit Bhattacharya, a powerful and corrupt politician.

Michael is a brilliant, fiercely independent student leader who actively organizes youth coalitions to dismantle systemic political interference in university elections, positioning himself as a direct threat to Prosenjit's regional control. Michael is also romantically involved with his neighbor, Radhika. Recognizing Michael's growing influence, Prosenjit attempts to neutralize him by orchestrating a fully funded scholarship to a prestigious foreign university. When Michael flatly rejects the bribe, Prosenjit orders Gopal and Lallan to break the student movement through violent intimidation. Although Lallan brutally assaults Michael's close associate Trilok, he faces fierce physical retaliation from Michael and an organized front of university students.

Production

Hrithik Roshan was initially offered the role of Lallan Singh, but was replaced by Abhishek Bachchan.

The film was shot at different locations, including Kolkata, Chennai, Bhopal, Theni, Pollachi and other areas of West Bengal. During the shoot in Chennai, ambassador cars were painted yellow to make them look like Kolkata taxis.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack features six songs by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Mehboob. The rap and lyrics for the song "Dol Dol" were written by Blaaze.

Reception

The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with Bachchan and Mukerji's performances receiving particular praise. A critic from The New York Times wrote that the film "has a sharp political edge that is rare in Hindi-language films, celebrated as they are for their wildly exuberant production numbers and sugary love stories". It was reported that the movie had the narrative style of the 2000 Mexican film Amores Perros.

Yuva grossed ₹209.1 million (US$2.2 million) at the Indian box office. It did well in multiplexes, but not in single-screen theatres.

Compared to other parts of the country, it fared better in Mumbai. The Mumbai distributors recovered the cost of the film, but the sub-territory distributors in places like Surat and Baroda lost money. In places like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and even South India, distributors lost around ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore. In states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the viewers couldn't relate to the film, hence leading to dismal business. Overseas, too, the film did average business.

Accolades

The film received several accolades, including a leading 6 Filmfare Awards, one IIFA Award, one Producers Guild Film Awards, four Screen Awards and two Stardust Awards.

Key details