Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey Movie Reviews

On the whole, KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY, based on the Chittagong rebellion, is an enlightening experience of a poignant, but little-known chapter in history. It's a film of immense significance which evokes a colossal patriotic fervor. A motion picture like KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY isn't created targeting the box-office solely. It's also made for the gratification of the senses. And that it does in sufficient measure. In an industry obsessed by opening weekend business and box-office records, this is one of those rare films that doesn't compromise on its gracious objectives for the sake of becoming more box-office friendly.

A film-maker of extensive aptitude and sensitivity, Gowariker's tryst with period films continues. Seems like he has worked himself to the grind in order to attain perfection. The writing [screenplay: Raoul V. Randolf and Ashutosh Gowariker] and execution of the material are so credible that it influences you to wonder if the writers and director were part of the revolution. The Bengali ethos and the behavioral patterns of the characters, recreating the etiquette and body language of people who lived in a different era along with their attire and styling and also their dwellings come across as very pragmatic. In fact, Gowariker has left no stone unturned to make a film that does justice to the event.

The cinematography is striking, background score is effective, action is real and soundtrack (with a charging title track) is in sync with the period and genre. The dialogues often get trite. The editing could have been much crisper.Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey infuses life in a dormant chapter from history textbooks. If you overlook the minor inconsistencies, this one is a decent patriotic film and surely worth a watch for its sincerity.

The high point of Gowariker's film is the fact that it combines high-octane drama with a high degree of restraint. The film unfolds like a relentless thriller with loads of action involving the band of revolutionaries as they go about their bloody business. Yet no one hollers the national anthem at youor grows hysterical with patriotic pulp. Instead, the director gently salutes the spirit of nationalism in a seminal scene where the bunch of teenage revolutionaries discover the hypnotic allure of a hymn like `vande mataram' while resting under the shade of the trees in their village. And the fact that it all begins with a bid to get back their football field makes the teenage uprising even more endearing.

Gowariker deserves full marks for picking a historic subject that's novel and unique. Surjya Sen's fight for freedom was somehow lost in the pages of history, until now. Making a period film is more difficult than every other genre because a whole lot of detailing is needed to get it right. From the research to the language, from the sets and locations to the costumes, everything has to be correct. And KHJJS scores big time in every department. The director, with his uncompromising vision, transports you to the pre-independence days. The casting of all the actors down to the smallest part is excellent, and so is the performance from each one.

The film’s biggest plus, though, is the performance of the kids. Each and every one of them enthuses life in characters, creating an immediate connect. You smile when they are happy and feel the anguish when they experience it. After having seen the words ‘Vande Mataram’ uttered in almost every film set in pre-independence India, watch the kids discuss its meaning. It’s among the scenes that make a strong impact. Wish there were more.

The Chittagong Uprising, that began at around 10 pm on April 18, 1930, is to Bengal what Jallianwalla Bagh is to Punjab. But under Ashutosh Gowariker’s direction, the powerful and heartbreaking story of these martyred krantikaris is rendered dull and boring. Mostly... Mostly because the story, adapted (and mildly fictionalised) from Manini Chatterjee’s non-fiction book, Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising (1930-1934), is so compelling that it moves you irrespective of who is telling it, or how. To be fair, Khelein Hum... has some poignant moments, but the film, at the end, is less than the sum of its parts.

A film that seeks to recreate a forgotten chapter in history ought to touch the viewer enough to evoke patriotic feelings in his heart at least while watching the movie. Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey manages to bring to the fore only a few mutinous moments (for the viewer) even as he brings to life political journalist Manini Chatterjee’s book Do And Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34.

It is the second half of the film that then hits you straight in the solar plexus, because after that soporific opening, here we have wall-to-wall action. The Chittagong Uprising makes for a smashing narrative, and Gowariker plays it loyally enough. It isn't subtle and the direction is straight out of the Jingoism Manual, but because the story itself has such immense meat, it's hard to not get sucked in as you watch it unfold.

KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY has its moments. You feel for Surjya Sen and his team members. Almost the entire second half has poignant moments that keep you hooked. Abhishek Bachchan delivers a good performance and suits the part well. Deepika Padukone as Kalpana Datta is decent but she doesn't get enough scope as it's basically Surjya Sen's story. Vishakha Singh is excellent. Sikandar Kher is impressive. Samrat Mukherjee is good and so is Shreyas Pandit. All the other actors add value to the film. KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY isn't a bad film but its slack pace refrains it from being a memorable film. Not worth 'playing jee jaan sey'.

The second half has more urgency and momentum and climaxes in the inevitably tragic but rousing finale. However, here too the chase and gunfights become repetitive and I found myself distracted by the thinly sketched British characters and the mediocre extras who play them. Ashutosh Gowariker is Bollywood’s most earnest historian and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a noble attempt at restoring glory to long-forgotten heroes but honestly, I felt more charged and patriotic in the last 40 minutes of Lagaan than I did in this entire film. I’m going with two and a half stars.

Sadly, the real-life patriotic struggle gets lost in translation to the big screen. Even while you admire the courage and fervour behind this little-known revolution, a part of you remains unmoved. Gowariker sets up the background of the Chittagong Uprising painstakingly, yet forgets that one most important detail – he fails to infuse life and passion into his film. Under his heavy-handed approach, most of 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' turns into just what you dreaded – a dry history lesson.

Ashutosh Gowariker seems to have lost all sense of time, and possibly the plot too. He takes a rousing chapter from the Indian freedom struggle and reduces it to a dull, painful 165-minute-long experience, proving the dictum that history is never boring, only the teacher is.

The director (Gowariker) -- over-generous as usual as editor, merciless toward his dulled audience -- is still not sure we get the picture. It’s been over two and half hours. Extreme patience, not patriotism, can sail you through this wikipedia page.