Movie Review: Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii

By Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM

It's an arduous task to make a film with kids. And much more difficult

to inject a sport [read, cricket] in the plotline. 2007 has witnessed two films

with cricket as the backdrop - HATTRICK and SAY SALAAM INDIA. In

CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII, two tracks run concurrently -- an

orphan's desire to have parents and his passion for cricket.

Made with noble intentions and with the motive of making a film that

would appeal to kids from 6 to 60, CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII

doesn't really measure up to the expectations of either adults or kids.

That's because the film appeals in bits and spurts. The sequences on the

pitch succeed in arousing the required emotions, but the emotional angle in

the story [between Rahul Bose and his estranged father Nasser Abdullah]

appears fake. Also, the romance between Rahul and Meera Vasudevan is

half-baked. In fact, forced in the narrative.

In a nutshell, CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII isn't great cinema.

Conversely, it's not a below-the-mark movie-going experience either. It

floats somewhere in between.

CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII is a journey of a 13-year-old an

orphan boy Karan [Zain Khan], who lives in a dilapidated orphanage

owned by a stern, uncouth warden, John Kakkad [Rajesh Khera]. Karan

has two dreams, one is to have parents and the other is to be a big

cricketer. His inspiration is Kapil Dev since he has been brought up on the

motivating stories of India's World Cup win by the orphanage caretaker,

Bholu Dada [Susheel Parasher].

Karan's best buddy in the orphanage is Daboo [Deeptiman

Chaudhary], who often lends his gentle ears to the aspirations which Karan

lives on. His dreams take a turn when one day, he lays his hands on an old

cricket bat which Karan is convinced is the bat that Kapil Dev used to win

the World Cup, and for him the bat becomes a magic bat.

One day, by the stroke of luck, the coach of the Indian cricket team

[Vijay Crishna] spots Karan and is highly impressed by his batting skills.

This happens at a time when the Indian cricket team is going through a

rough patch. Karan is inducted into the team as the opening batsman along

with the captain, Varun [Rahul Bose].

Karan soon becomes the nation's heartthrob. Only one person hates

him, Raghav [Raj Bhansali], the orphanage bully, who feels that if Karan

did not have the magic bat, he would have never made it to the cricket

team. Raghav now wants the magic bat at any cost.

At the final one-day match between India and Pakistan, events spiral

out of control and Karan's magic bat is destroyed. Karan is a nervous

wreck, but Varun makes him realize that faith in oneself counts beyond

anything else.

Jay Shewakramani's story has the potential to strike a chord with

moviegoers of all ages, but the screenplay [Nupur Asthana] vacillates

between convincing and least convincing. In an effort to please the kids as

also grown-ups, the film drifts away from the core issue.

Debutante Kituu Salooja's direction is simple and a few moments are

deftly executed, especially those in the orphanage. But, as mentioned at the

outset, the film works in bits and spurts, not in totality. Salim-Sulaiman's

music is plain ordinary. The title track in the end credits is eye-catching.

Cinematography [Promod Kumar H. Pradhan] is functional.

Rahul Bose takes a backseat since the focus is on Zain Khan, who's

supremely confident all through. Ditto for the other kid, Raj Bhansali. Vijay

Crishna is effective. Rajesh Khera's performance is impressive. But his

shabby get-up resembles that of a male witch, not an orphanage warden.

Meera Vasudevan gets no scope. Deeptiman Chaudhary is cute.

On the whole, CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII is an ordinary fare that

might attract kids in its opening weekend. But the three tough oppositions

next week will marginalize it completely.

Bollywood.com Rating: 3.5

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