"Kehte hai ki everest pe har sawaal ka jawaab
hai."
Spoilers ahead...
Plot of Uunchai: 4 Friends and a Tale of Overcoming Life Hurdles
Three
close friends - Amit Shrivastava (Amitabh Bachchan), Javed Siddiqui (Boman
Irani), and Om Sharma (Anupam Kher) who are all senior citizens decide to trek
to the Everest Base Camp because the 4th member of their circle, Bhupen (Danny
Denzongpa), has recently died, and he always wanted to go there. The rest of
the story is all about the physical struggle, the adventure and the secrets
each of them learn as they battle to climb the Everest of their day-to-day
life.
Neena Gupta Can Make a Dull Scene Look Awesome
Had a
smile on my face for the majority of the first half, especially during the
entire car journey from Delhi to Agra to Kanpur to Gorakhpur with all the rest
stops, mainly food breaks, and the conversations between Amit, Javed, Om, and
Shabina Siddiqui (Neena Gupta), playing the wife of Javed. Neena Gupta is such
a brilliant actor that even the dull-looking scenes feel so alive with her
presence.
Parineeti Chopra Sub-plot Felt Forced
The
entire trek training montage felt really useless because at the completion of 2
months, you could say that none of them were fit enough to still go on the
trek. No, I don't belong to those stereotypical old-fashioned people who
believe that 60+ people should stay at home; I prefer them to be active. The
issue here is this training montage shows no improvement in their physical
abilities, so it's a total waste of time. It would have worked better if the 2
months were skipped directly to the day they start the trip, with a small
conversation hinting that they haven't done much but are hopeful to reach the
Everest Base Camp. That would have been ideal.
The main
issue, though, was the second half and the entire trek sequences. Firstly,
Shraddha Gupta (Parineeti Chopra), the trek instructor/guide, felt like a
forced inclusion in terms of the story, especially how they show Amit is
indirectly linked to her and all her family issues. Rather, some other actor
who was just there to help with the trek with no backstory would have gone
nicely. I also didn't understand how they create a total mess at the bridge
crossing rather than waiting for the rain to stop or at least slow down. Does
it happen in real life, so carelessly? Bit too much in the name of cinematic
liberties!
Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, and Anupam Kher With Stand-out Performances
There's
one department where I have no complaints, and that's the acting (minus
Parineeti, of course, as mentioned above). Amitabh Bachchan and Boman Irani,
especially, give top-notch performances, while Anupam Kher provides humor to
the narrative effectively as always. I loved the scene where they are sitting
on the Ghat and playing the song "Yeh Jeevan Hai, Iss Jeevan Ka," a
very well-directed emotional moment. Sarika Thakur was also a good addition,
initially as a mystery woman, and later provides more to Bhupen's reason for
the love towards the Himalayas or that poem he had written.
Bit sad
to see Danny Denzongpa get a very small role; he is yet so lovable. Loved it
when he in a friendly tone criticizes the work of Amit, telling him that his
best book is yet to come.
2nd Half Falters Despite Fewer Sooraj Barjatya Tropes
The
message of standing tall to any difficulty or circumstance life poses at you is
well and clear. A tighter second half and better writing would have made it
more effective. It's a little disappointing because the usual tropes that we
see in Sooraj Barjatya's family drama movies are at a backseat; rather, he uses
them as small conflicts and moves ahead without consuming the whole narrative,
whether it's Om's view regarding his brothers related to the handling of
Haveli, or how Shabina's daughter reacts at her mom's surprise visit when she
and her husband have a birthday party planned already, or how Amit feels guilty
for the condition his wife (Nafisa Ali in a cameo) is in.
The
songs, while not memorable, still feel fresh because we have Amit Trivedi doing
music for Sooraj Barjatya for the first time. "Keti Ko," "Haan
Kar De," and "Ladki Pahadi" are all decent tracks that work fine
with the narrative.
Final Verdict on Uunchai
Overall,
Uunchai is definitely a positive step for Sooraj Barjatya after that disastrous
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. Good to see him stay in his elements and yet try
something different, even with flaws, the heart seems to be in the right place,
making the movie a good watch.
0 Comments