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''Yuva'' ( Youth) is a 2004 Indian
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
political drama A political drama can describe a Theatre, play, film or TV program that has a politics, political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written p ...
film written, produced, and directed by
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
''.'' It stars
Ajay Devgn Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
,
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
, Vivek Oberoi,
Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. It was simultaneously shot in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
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 begins with Lallan Singh (
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
) shooting Michael "Mike" Mukherjee (
Ajay Devgn Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
) on his bike, resulting in him falling off the
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
into the water below, which is witnessed by Arjun Balachandran ( Vivek Oberoi). The film then unveils the characters' pre-incident flashbacks. Lallan is a goon, originally from
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
but settled in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, West Bengal, because his brother Gopal Singh (
Sonu Sood Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, Model (person), model, humanitarian, and Philanthropy, philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. He is k ...
) has left him alone and he has no option of earning money back home. He loves, marries, and abuses his wife, Shashi Biswas (
Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
). He gets into a contract under Gopal's recommendation to run errands and work as a
hitman Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...
for Prosenjit Bhattacharya (
Om Puri Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as ind ...
), a politician. Michael is an influential student leader who wants politicians like Prosenjit to keep away from college elections. His closest associates are his best friends Vishnu ( Karthik Kumar) and Trilok (
Abhinav Kashyap Abhinav Singh Kashyap (born 6 September 1974) is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter, who gained recognition for directing and co-writing '' Dabangg'' (2010). Early life and education Kashyap was born in Obra, Uttar Pradesh where ...
). Among the two, Vishnu acts as a right-hand man to Michael. Michael, in his personal life, is in love with his neighbour Radhika ( Esha Deol), who lives with her uncle and aunt. Prosenjit is worried when he hears news of students standing in the election. He uses every possible way to get them out of politics. First, he provides a scholarship to a prestigious foreign university to Michael. When Michael refuses the bribe, he orders his goon, Gopal, to take control. Gopal orders Lallan to beat up Trilok, which he does, but faces very strong retaliation from Michael and his fellow students. Arjun Balachandran ( Vivek Oberoi) is the carefree and spoiled son of an IAS officer. He wants to relocate to the U.S. for a better future. He falls in love with Meera ( Kareena Kapoor), whom he just met. Arjun asks Meera for coffee, takes her to the beach, and realizes that Meera loves him back. One day, Arjun proposes to Meera, prompting her to playfully avoid him by getting into a taxi. Arjun gets a lift from Michael, who is travelling in the same direction to catch up with Meera, who is going that way. Suddenly, Michael is hit by three bullets (shot by Lallan) and falls off the bridge. He is critically injured but is saved by Arjun and Meera. Lallan finds out that Michael is recovering from his injuries, and this is witnessed by Arjun, who follows him to apprehend him, only for Lallan to beat him up badly and leave him with a broken arm. After staying by his side until his recovery, Arjun changes his mind and joins hands with Michael to contest in elections. Lallan later kills Gopal when he finds out that he had been instructed by Prosenjit to take him out due to Lallan leaving an eyewitness (Arjun) behind the bridge incident. He confronts Prosenjit, who brainwashes him to work for him and orders him to kidnap Arjun, Vishnu, and Trilok. However, they escape with the help of Lallan's ally Dablu ( Vijay Raaz), who has a change of heart after realizing that their profession was interfering with their personal lives, causing Sashi to leave Lallan for her hometown. He convinces Lallan, however, to no avail, and is killed by him when he aids Arjun's escape. While running, Arjun calls Michael for help, but Lallan easily catches and beats him up. Michael arrives at the nick of time to rescue Arjun at
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
. A fight ensues between the three men where Lallan is overpowered by Michael, who spares him and leaves him for the police. Lallan is handed to the police. Michael, Arjun, Vishnu, and Trilok win the four seats they had contested for and thus enter politics.


Cast

*
Ajay Devgn Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
as Michael "Mike" Mukherjee, an activist who wants to encourage students to enter politics (Loosely based on George Reddy) *
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
as Lallan Singh, a goon working as muscle for politician Prosenjit Bhattacharya * Vivek Oberoi as Arjun Balachandran, a wealthy young man who dreams of going to America *
Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and hi ...
as Shashi Biswas Singh, Lallan's wife who gets abused every day by him * Kareena Kapoor as Meera, a girl who is going to Kanpur and Arjun's love interest * Esha Deol as Professor Radhika, Michael's neighbor and also his love interest *
Om Puri Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as ind ...
as Prosenjit Bhattacharya, a ruthless politician and Lallan's boss who wants to get the college students out of politics * Anant Nag as IAS Avinash Balachandran, Arjun's father * Vijay Raaz as Dablu, Lallan's friend who helps Arjun, Vishnu, and Trilok escape *
Sonu Sood Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, Model (person), model, humanitarian, and Philanthropy, philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. He is k ...
as Gopal Singh, Lallan's brother, a goon who had left his brother alone and later gets killed by him *
Saurabh Shukla Saurabh Shukla (born 5 March 1963) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, and film director who works in Hindi and a few Tamil language, Tamil and Telugu language, Telugu films. He is best known for his roles in ''Satya (1998 film), Satya'' (1998), ...
as Dr. Gopal, Radhika's uncle * Karthik Kumar as Vishnu, Michael's close associate who acts as a right-hand man to him *
Abhinav Kashyap Abhinav Singh Kashyap (born 6 September 1974) is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter, who gained recognition for directing and co-writing '' Dabangg'' (2010). Early life and education Kashyap was born in Obra, Uttar Pradesh where ...
as Trilok, Michael's close associate who once gets beaten up by Lallan Singh * Paras Arora as Arvind Balachandran, Arjun's younger brother * Tanusree Chakraborty as Arjun's classmate * Kharaj Mukherjee as Advocate Vishal Ghoshal * Brijendra Kala as Sheshadri, a newspaper editor * Sujata Sehgal as Joe Mukherjee, Michael's sister * Lekha Washington as the girl at the embassy * Simran (uncredited) *
Meera Jasmine Jasmine Mary Joseph,
, rediff.com; 1 August 2004.
known professionally as Meera Jasmine, is an Indian ac ...
(uncredited)


Production

Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
was initially offered the role of Lallan Singh, but was replaced by
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
. The film was shot at different locations including
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
,
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...
, Theni,
Pollachi Pollachi is a town and municipality in Coimbatore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Pollachi taluk. It is situated near the center of the South Indian Peninsula, surrounded by Western Gha ...
and other areas of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. 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 Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
, with lyrics by Mehboob. The rap and lyrics for the song "Dol Dol" were written by Blaaze.


Reception


Critical 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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''.


Box office

''Yuva'' grossed at Indian box office. ''Yuva'' did well in multiplexes. But it did not do well in single-screen theatres. Compared to other parts of the country, it fared better in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. 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 (Rs 5 million) to 1 crore ( 10 million). 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 below-average business.


Accolades

The film received several accolades, including a leading 6
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
, one IIFA Award, one Producers Guild Film Awards, four
Screen Awards The Screen Awards was an annual awards ceremony held in India, honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection was done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced ...
and two
Stardust Awards The Stardust Awards was an award ceremony for Hindi movies, which was sponsored by '' Stardust'' magazine. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. The first ceremony was held in 2004 for films released in 2003. The ...
.


References


External links

* * {{Madras Talkies 2004 films 2000s Hindi-language films 2000s political drama films 2000s political thriller films Indian multilingual films Indian nonlinear narrative films Films directed by Mani Ratnam Indian political thriller films Hyperlink films Films set in Kolkata Films set in West Bengal Films scored by A. R. Rahman 2004 multilingual films Films shot in Kolkata Films shot in Chennai Films shot in Madhya Pradesh Films shot in Pollachi Films shot in West Bengal Student politics in India Films set in universities and colleges Films produced by Mani Ratnam Hindi-language drama films