Youngistaan (transl. Land of the young) is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language political film directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal. It stars Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma and Farooq Sheikh. The film is a love story set against the backdrop of Indian politics. It marked the posthumous appearance of Sheikh following his death on 28 December 2013.[3][4][5] It was a remake of the Telugu hit film Leader.
| Youngistan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Syed Ahmad Afzal |
| Written by | Syed Ahmad Afzal Maitrey Bajpai Ramiz Ilham Khan |
| Produced by | MSM Motion Pictures Vashu Bhagnani |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Amalendu Chaudhary |
| Edited by | Anuradha Singh |
| Music by |
|
Production companies | MSM Motion Pictures Pooja Entertainment and Films Ltd. |
| Distributed by | PVR Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 133 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est. ₹9.45 crore (US$1.1 million)[2] |
Sheikh's performance as Akbar Patel was notably praised.[6][7][8][9][10]
Plot
editYoungistaan is a love story set against the backdrop of Indian politics. It is the story of Abhimanyu Kaul and the love of his life, Anwita Chauhan.
Abhimanyu Kaul, a young man living an ordinary life in Japan, finds himself in the political spotlight due to the sudden death of his father, the Prime Minister of India. Abhimanyu struggles to balance his complicated personal relationships with the political resistance against him from his own party. Being a public figure, and reluctantly accepting to represent the governing party, much against his own wishes and at the cost of his private life, is a double-edged sword that Abhimanyu must walk on.
Thought of as an amateur and incapable of handling the issues at large by one and all (except the ever-faithful Akbar Patel, Secretary to the P.M.), the story closes as a victorious Abhimanyu changes the course of events and turns the tide his way through his hard work, honesty, and above all, a political legacy – a sharp, leading mind that not everyone inherits.
Cast
edit- Jackky Bhagnani as Abhimanyu Kaul/Abhi
- Neha Sharma as Anvita Chauhan, Abhimanyu's love interest
- Farooq Sheikh as Akbar Uncle
- Prakash Belawadi as Murli Mukundan
- Deepankar De as Shubhodeep Ganguly popularly known as Shubho Da (president of ABKP Party, interim prime minister and later president)
- Brijendra Kala as Kulfi/Alcohol Vendor
- Mita Vashisht as Suhasini Singh Deo
- Triveni Sangam Bahuguna as Ajay Thakur
- Nilesh Rai as Nilesh
- Kayoze Irani as Zafar, Abhimanyu's colleague in Japan (Special appearance)
- Boman Irani as Dashrath Kaul, Abhimanyu's late father and deceased prime minister of India (Cameo appearance)
- Shah Rukh Khan in an archive appearance in 2005 film Silsiilay
Production and promotion
editWhile the first schedule of the film took place in Indore, Lucknow[11] and overseas – the second schedule was held at the Taj Mahal in Agra, where a campaign titled Yo Youngistan Go Youngistan was launched.[12][13]
The first trailer of Youngistaan was unveiled at a suburban multiplex in Mumbai on 1 February 2014.[14][15][16]
Critical reception
editShubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating, "While the movie has a very interesting premise, it is totally diluted by lazy scriptwriting and sketchy direction."[17] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated it 2 out of 5 stars and stated "The film, despite its efforts, becomes muddled, and dull."[18]
Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times rated the film 1 out of 5 stars saying "Youngistaan is brain-dead and insufferable."[6] Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com rated the film 1 out of 5 stars saying "Youngistaan neither says something new nor does it reinforce time-tested wisdom in a way that you actually want to pay attention to it."[19]
Box office
editYoungistaan opened to a "low" occupancy of 5–10% on the first day of its release across 1000 theatres in India with the other two releases of the day: Dishkiyaoon and O Teri.[20]
According to exhibitor Rajesh Thadani, "Youngistaan raked in Rs 40 million during the first weekend."[21] On its first Monday, the film saw a sharp decline in its gross collection earning in the range of 7.5 million, thus taking its domestic total up to a cumulative of 48.0 million at the box office.[22] The film was a Box office bomb.[2]
Music
edit| Youngistaan | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album | |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Label | T-Series |
Music was composed by Jeet Gannguli (Suno Na Sangemarmar, Suno Na Sangemarmar (Remix)), Sneha Khanwalkar (Tanki (Mika Version) and Tanki (Bhaven Version)), Shiraz Uppal (Daata Di Divaani, Mere Khuda), and Shree Isshq (Youngistaan Anthem, Youngistaan Anthem Remix) whilst the background score were composed by Salim–Sulaiman. Lyrics were penned by Sanamjeet, Syed Ahmad Afzal, Hard Kaur, Sneha Khanwalkar, Jackky Bhagnani, Kausar Munir and Sonny Ravan.
| No. | Title | Music | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suno Na Sangemarmar" | Jeet Gannguli | Arijit Singh | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Mere Khuda" | Shiraz Uppal | Shiraz Uppal | 4:09 |
| 3. | "Tanki" (Mika version) | Sneha Khanwalkar | Mika Singh, Bhavin Dhanak, Apeksha Dandekar, Sneha Khanwalkar | 5:27 |
| 4. | "Daata Di Diwani (Qawwali)" | Shiraz Uppal | Rafaqat Ali Khan & Shiraz Uppal | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Tanki" (Bhaven version) | Sneha Khanwalkar | Hard Kaur, Apeksha Dandekar & Sneha Khanwalkar | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Youngistaan Anthem" | Shree Isshq | Shree D & Ishq Bector | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Suno Na Sangemarmar" (remix) | Jeet Gannguli | Arijit Singh | 5:23 |
| 8. | "Youngistaan Anthem" (remix) | Shree Isshq | Shree D & Ishq Bector | 4:48 |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Mirchi Music Awards | Lyricist of The Year | Kausar Munir – "Suno Na Sangemarmar" | Nominated | [23] |
| Song representing Sufi tradition | "Daata Di Diwani (Qawwali)" |
Sequel
editThe makers have announced a sequel titled Youngistaan dobara, which would narrate the story after Jackky Bhagnani's character becomes prime minister.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Youngistaan – Movie – Worldwide Gross & Budget". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Youngistaan - Movie - Box Office India".
- ^ Youngistan is a film for Indian youth, says Jackky Bhagnani : Bollywood, News – India Today Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Indiatoday.intoday.in (4 December 2013). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Was to shoot with Farooq today: Boman Irani – The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (28 December 2013). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Still can’t believe Farooqueji is no more: Sangam Bahuguna – The Times of India Archived 14 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (29 December 2013). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ a b Movie review by Anupama Chopra: Youngistaan is brain-dead and insufferable. Hindustantimes.com (29 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Youngistaan movie review: Sexily sketched politics of our disembodied democracy | India | Latest India News | Get Free India.com Email | Live Cricket and Entertainment News at India.Com Archived 12 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. India (28 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Review Roundup: ‘Youngistaan’ – India Real Time – WSJ Archived 14 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Blogs.wsj.com (28 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Youngistaan: Watch it for Farooque saab Archived 12 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu (29 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ A pleasant escape Archived 18 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. The Asian Age (28 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Saxena, Deep (18 November 2013). "SPOTTED! Aditya Roy Kapoor, Parineeti in Lucknow for YRF's Dawaat-e-Ishq". Hindustan Times. Lucknow. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Not just Lucknow, all of Uttar Pradesh under Bollywood spotlight – The Times of India Archived 28 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. indiatimes.com (19 November 2013). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Has Rahul Gandhi inspired Jackky Bhagnani? – The Times of India Archived 28 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (13 November 2013). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ 'Youngistaan' team pays tribute to late actor Farooque Shaikh – The Times of India Archived 28 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2 February 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ NDTV Movies Archived 9 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Movies.ndtv.com. Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ 'Youngistaan' team pays tribute to Farooque Shaikh – Entertainment Archived 12 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Mid-day.com. Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Movie Review: 'Youngistaan' – Entertainment Archived 10 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Mid-day.com. Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ ‘Youngistaan’ review: The film, despite its efforts, becomes muddled, and dull Archived 20 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The Indian Express (29 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Youngistaan review: I wouldn't vote for It – Rediff.com Movies Archived 10 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Rediff.com (28 March 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ "Dishkiyaoon O Teri And Youngistaan Open Poorly". Box Office India Trade Network. Box Office India. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ Box Office: 'Youngistan' collects Rs 4 cr – Entertainment Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Mid-day.com. Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ Youngistaan: 1st Monday Box Office Collections Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Koimoi.com (9 February 2015). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
- ^ "Nominations – Mirchi Music Awards 2014". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ Director, Producer plan a sequel to Youngistaan Archived 7 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. News.biharprabha.com (15 April 2014). Retrieved on 10 July 2015.
External links
edit- Youngistaan at IMDb