jmathur_swayamprabha Vasu Bhagnaani's production Youngistaan starring his son Jacky Bhagnaani in lead role was released on 28.03.2014 telling the story of a 28 years old youth becoming the prime minister of India. Less than two months later, the rulers of India changed and we got a new prime minister who is not 28 years old but 64 years old. However the Indian masses have voted him to power with an absolute majority with a lot of expectation. Let's see what he is able to do during his tenure. However the story of Youngistaan is somewhat similar not to that of the current prime minister of India but to that of Late Rajiv Gandhi who had accidentally become the Indian premier at the relatively young age of 40 years on 31.10.1984 after the brutal murder of his mother and the then prime minister of India - Mrs. Indira Gandhi. I watched Youngistaan quite late (after the general elections and the change of rule at the centre) but this movie impressed me so much that I decided to write its review.Abhimanyu Kaul (Jacky Bhagnaani) is the son of the prime minister of India - Mr. Dashrath Kaul (Boman Irani) but having no interest in politics, has always stayed away from it and is pursuing his career as a computer game developer in Japan when he has to rush to India due to his father's being on his death-bed. In order to fulfill the last wish of his father, he has to enter Indian politics quite reluctantly and wear the thorny crown of Indian premiership. His girlfriend Anwita (Neha Sharma) who never wanted him to join politics, is quite unhappy at it but she has to yield before his decision. How Abhimanyu is able to don this role and checkmate his opponents with his deceased father's secretary Akbar Uncle (Farooq Sheikh) being the only trustworthy person for him in this cobweb, forms the remaining part of the movie.After watching I am surprised that most of the professional reviewers have trashed this movie like anything as if it's a very bad product. This is one more illustration of the various biases maintained and nurtured by the Indian film reviewers. Youngistaan may not be a great movie but it's by all means a good, well-made and admirable movie. The movie clearly conveys what it purports to convey without any confusion, ambiguity or digression. The heart of the movie is in the right place and despite being an imaginary and improbable story, the things happening in the corridors of Indian politics have been depicted with a highly realistic approach. In my humble opinion, Youngistaan is a completely no-nonsense movie and the efforts of the team behind its making deserve to be appreciated.Due to the realistic approach only, the movie appears to be monotonous and boring at places. The climax is, therefore, dull and unappealing. However the filmmaker has shown better sense by not inserting too many regular Bollywood formulae and undue melodrama in the narrative and kept the things shown on the screen as straightforward and reliable as possible. Entertainment does not appear to be the motive of the filmmaker though such movies are usually made for entertaining the audience and thereby hauling box office collections. Hence this paradoxical approach of the filmmaker is strange but laudable.The whole milieu of the movie mainly that linked to the corridors of power in India, appears to be out and out real. The body language of the different characters is quite apt according to the assigned roles and the mood of the movie. Sets are impressive. Ditto for cinematography. Dialogs are not theatrical but quite appropriate according to different situations and the characters uttering them. Background score is in order.Music director Jeet Ganguly hasn't composed any super hit numbers for this movie but his musical score alongwith the lyrics of Arijit Singh is certainly good.I have been an admirer of Jacky Bhagnaani since his debut movie Kal Kissne Dekha (2009). He is a handsome as well as talented actor who deserves the right break to give a boost to his career. He has rendered a controlled performance in the lead role of Abhimanyu whose years are tender but personality is mature. Another highly admirable performance has come from Late Farooque Sheikh in the role of the PM's secretary. All others have also fitted the bill.The word Youngistaan represents the youthful part of the Indian population who is open-minded, progress-oriented, free from bigotry and does not believe in any undesirable discrimination among people. This Youngistaan badly needs a youthful, dynamic and open-minded leader at the helm of affairs. The hero of Youngistaan is an imaginary character but we, the right-thinking Indians, wish that it were real.

DareDevilKid Reviewed by: Dare Devil KidRating: 3.4/5 starsA wonderful ideology, well-executed within the best of its limitations. "Youngistaan" addresses some pressing and extremely relevant topics, and while the film doesn't always succeed in presenting a lucid theory towards these problems plaguing the nation, it does manage to stir emotions and inspire viewers to a degree by serving a pertinent canvas of political issues.Director, Syed Ahmed Afzal, weaves a decent narrative around an inspirational plot, and even though his handling of this complex subject is a tad underwhelming at times, at the end of the day he does manage to get the tone and feel of the film right. Superior scripting and crisper plot transitions could have helped the film convey its message more assuredly, nevertheless, given a chance "Youngistaan" does grow on you over the course of its approximately 2-hour duration.Punching way above its weight, "Youngistaan" is pleasantly entertaining and thought-provoking. More importantly, it gives Farooq Shaikh a memorable swansong in a well-written role.

kirtikumarkasat Politics has been a hot topic for movies in India. The newbie director just had to make a little more effort to create a movie which could relate better to the scenario and not make things just fly in the air. The plot couldn't get justice from Jacky Bhagnani who like his character 'Abhimanyu' has got an easy access to film industry because of his dad. The story and screenplay are good. The writers have given the youngster the name Abhimanyu in the very right context. His father is called Dashrath, I wonder if they wanted to convey something on 'Ram rajya'. Farooq Sheikh no doubt fulfills the missing charisma. It turned out to be his last film sadly. Neha Sharma is cute and her chemistry with Jacky is superb. Jacky has to work hard on his acting skills. He didn't have the body language of that 'stern' leader. No politician in this country would be that 'frank' to lose his votes. The music is good. Sangamarmar is the best song. The film ends with Abhimanyu kaul winning elections on his own but how he executes the plans is not explained. Winning elections is no big thing in India, but after winning how things get implemented is the thing what films should cover in my opinion. A below average effort which certainly could have been better with a better director and dialogues

ahwaan_padhee Youngistaan Movie Review : The idea of Youngistaan might have germinated from the 'dance of democracy' brouhaha that our nation is currently witnessing with the vibrant political scenario. And with the Parliamentary elections looming large, the release of this film finds a suitably perfect time. But well- intentioned ideas do not necessarily translate into successful product. Debutant director Syed Ahmad Afzalmight have set his eyes on this ambitious yet sensitive subject like politics but somehow doesn't succeed in bringing out the interesting mix of drama, action, power and cynicism. The story which kicks off in Tokyo with an impressive background score(Salim Sulaiman) where Abhinav Kaul(Jackkie Vagnani)is working hard as a gamer and partying hard with his live-in girlfriend,Anvita(Neha Sharma) and pal( Kayoze Irani),takes a sudden U- turn to India's capital with the death of his father, Dasrath Kaul(Boman Irani, cameo) who happens to the country's PM. Overnight, his life is changed when he is entrusted with the responsibility of the country's most coveted seat of the acting PM."With great power comes greater responsibility " – Abhi soon faces hostility from members within his party, delves deeper to unravel a scam.His bewilderment in the dirty game is no lesser than her girlfriend's continuing dismay who doesn't get any private time with him.At this juncture , his only confidante is the endearing PA to his late father ,Akbar uncle(Late Farooq Sheikh Saab) who silently encourages him at every step. Afzal seems to model his protagonist on the Congress VP, Rahul Gandhi where his stubbled looks, wardrobes and demeanor find a striking similarity but the plot focuses more on his personal life and the upheavals caused due to the media, with some purely avoidable inserts of comic elements. The narrative doesn't gather the necessary momentum and with a sloppy execution ,it touches the core issues only at the periphery. Some of the potential ideas which the film introduces like the youth reforms, e-voting are not pushed further and eventually they fall flat.Resultantly ,it doesn't offer much scope for Jackkie Vagnani who tries to pull-off with a committed performance but gets absorbed in the uninspiring scheme of affairs.Neha Sharma is sporty but falters in the emotional parts. It's a wise assortment of talented supporting casts like Mita Vasisth, Prakash Belawadi(of Madras Café fame) and Farooq Sheikh but none of their characters are sketched in an illustrious way. Overall, Youngistaan starts off well, makes tall claims and much like our nation's leaders,fails to deliver.