Director : Sooraj R. Barjatya
Writer : Sunil Gandhi (story), Abhishek Dixit (screenplay)
Dialogue Writer : Abhishek Dixit
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Neena Gupta, Sarika, Danny Denzongpa, Parineeti Chopra
Cinematographer : Manoj Kumar Khatoi
Editor : Shweta Venkat
Art Director : Anusha Iyer Srinivasan
Music : George Joseph
Sound Designer : Pritam Das
Language : Hindi
Zindagi ko haan karde…… Zindagi ko haan karde
Uunchai is a very good film. One of the memorable films of the year. It is well made. It leaves you wanting for more. It could’ve been a lot more better. Falls short of being extraordinary. On the human drama front it’s 10/10. It has all the elements to keep you engaged. It’s a fun joyride. Somewhere the connect is missing. Although you are with the characters, you laugh with them, you cry with them. The relatability is missing. The characters don’t feel very real or tangible. Everything feels very stereotypical and superficial.
The thought behind the film, the concept is fantastic. Better writing, better direction and better visuals would’ve taken it to the next level. I mean you have a dream cast of veterans at your disposal then why not put in the extra effort? It would’ve been totally worth it. Nevertheless, it’s a good attempt at making something different. Some things feel shallow and pretentious like when they are training to prepare for the trek. I know they wanted to keep it light-hearted at the same time it can’t be so unconvincing also. The whole friendship thing. I felt a bit of a background or a bit of a backstory to their friendship would’ve worked. The character of Bhupen dies too early in the film. I would’ve loved to see their bonding and their friendship a little more. Before you can even connect to the character, he is already dead. Then you don’t really sympathise or feel bad for the character or his friends. It was as if the character was just used for the set-up of the story. Before you settle into the world of the film, the characters, one of them is already dead.
Most of the information is very conveniently conveyed through dialogues which feels like taking the easy way out. Ok, 50 years of friendship you have told through dialogue then how is it being supported by visuals? Is a birthday celebration, song and dance, getting drunk together enough to establish the same? Wo to agar 50 years nahi hua hai to bhi dost saath mein karte hai. What is so special about it? Peheli baat to koi aise announce nahi karta ki dosti ko pachaas saal hue hai and all. Karte honge ameeron mein mujhe kya pata. That’s why the world of the characters feels so disconnected from yours. The motivation to trek to the Everest base camp also doesn’t come across as strong enough because of the half-baked friendship plot. This is the reason why everything else done by the friends for Bhupen or for their friendship with him falls flat. Even when his ashes are scattered in the climax that moment also loses its impact and doesn’t come across as very emotionally charged.
Bhupen just verbally shares his passion to go on a trek to the Everest with his friends then there is a discussion around this which is again dialogue, everything else you come to know after his death through the perspective of the people around him. It is made very poetic. At the same time, it fails to underline the importance or the gravity of the situation for the character (Bhupen) himself. What does the trek specifically mean for him? Apart from the generalised information that we are already given. It becomes less impactful in a way. It would’ve worked better if Bhupen was allowed to take it forward himself since you have a veteran like Danny Denzongpa essaying the character. And then maybe die. Anyways the death is sudden. It would’ve given more time to establish their bonding, their relationship. Showing some genuine moments of friendship would’ve allowed the audience to connect to the character so that they feel bad when he dies. Or even if he is dead, they should’ve kept him alive in flashbacks like they did with Rancho in 3 Idiots although Rancho doesn’t die and is the lead there. When Rancho is not there still his presence is felt through his friends something on those lines would’ve also worked. Only then the character will get that kind of importance and would’ve been prominent in the narrative. It feels like Danny Denzongpa is underutilized as an actor. His role is exactly how much you get to watch in the trailer nothing more than that. They have not explored the characters properly. What you call the layering of the characters is missing. Keeping the characters realistic would’ve worked better. Still the bonding and friendship of the other three friends is effectively conveyed. The characters are likeable. The performances take it to the next level. The writing is good. There are enough sub-plots to keep you interested. It feels relevant. The emotions are effectively conveyed. The dialogues are very good.
The direction is good. The execution is average. Still the director manages to keep you engaged throughout the 3-hour film duration. This year there have been quite a few films that have had a duration of 3 hours out of all the films Uunchai has to be the one that keeps you completely engaged. I didn’t feel that I had sat through a 3-hour long film. I never felt the duration of the film to be long or never found it to be tedious or boring. There is enough drama, emotions, humour; there are enough twists and turns to keep you hooked. You will be walking out of the theater with a smile. It is a feel good, inspiring film. I like the light-hearted treatment. I like the themes that have been dealt with. The drama is not overdone. This is the best thing it does. Which is why the variety of emotions work beautifully. There is a easy-breezy rhythm that keeps you invested. There is something very endearing about the film. It is not an immersive kind of cinematic experience. Still, it works on many levels. Even for the actors, casting senior actors was perfect but making them act old or young doesn’t seem to look convincing. They should’ve kept it natural since they are already that age.
Apart from that the thrills are missing. The thrills that as an audience keep you on the edge of the seat. The trek is made to took fairly easy. The challenges, the difficulties, the limitations are there in the dialogue; visually it doesn’t come across effectively. It does in parts like when Amit having Alzheimer’s is revealed and the Ek kadam, ek saans part where the characters are tired but are still going on with the trek. In spite of the obstacles the characters seem to easily complete the trek. Or maybe it is edited in such a way that you feel so. There were situations but nowhere you really feel the thrills. Maybe because the setup looks artificial. Maybe there is a certain predictability. From the tone of the film, you don’t expect anything drastically unexpected to happen; the element of surprise. There is a scene where there is rain and thunderstorm while they are crossing a bridge on the trek. Amit is struggling to cross the bridge. His health is deteriorating because of not taking his medicine. It is a perfect situation for some thrills, tension, chaos, drama. It partially achieves it. You are in the moment amidst all the drama. Amit falls on the bridge and then it is cut. And then you wonder what did just happen. How does the build-up and the characters struggle make any sense when you have not seen the conclusion? I feel they should’ve let him cross the bridge how much ever he needed to struggle for it so that there is a sense of achievement; overcoming your limitations kind of or a sense of not giving up. The audience would’ve liked it more.
Moving on, to the bad Vfx. The Vfx is noticeable. The film doesn’t look visually very stunning. It doesn’t get the scale or the magnanimity that it deserved. Maybe because of budget constraints. The visuals of the road trip look average. The feel of a road trip is missing like you get to see in Piku or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. You can make out that the interior portions of the car are shot separately in a studio and the exterior long shots of the car are different and then they are edited together. You can make out in the exterior shots that the actors themselves are not actually present in the car. Not just the road trip before that also when Amit and Bhupen are in the car same thing has been done. This is not something new these things are often done in films but they are invisible and seamlessly blended.
The casting and the performances make it totally worth it. The performances are the lifeline of the film. All the veterans are fabulous. Their camaraderie, their bonding is adorable. For me, Amitabh Bachchan stood out. He steals the show. He still gives the Sexy Sam vibes. I feel somewhere Parineeti Chopra looks like the weak link in front of the stalwarts. Her performance doesn’t make much of an impact.
The cinematography is good. It could’ve been better especially the Everest trek visuals. Thoda sa larger than life, spectacle ka feel aana chahiye tha. The difficulty of the trek could’ve been visually better conveyed. Adventure wala feel aana chahiye tha. Getting the thrills and the adrenaline rush. It is focused too much on the characters. That could be a choice that the director makes which is also fine. Since ultimately the performances cover-up all the drawbacks.
The editing is brilliant. I didn’t find anything unnecessary or didn’t feel that something could’ve been edited. In fact, I wanted more from it. It is edited so well that it holds your attention for the entire duration of 3 hours. It kept me entertained throughout. The production design is good.
The soundtrack of the film is very good. It is an album of original songs and I feel it is one of the best albums of the year coming from the Hindi film industry. I wonder why the album wasn’t promoted enough. The songs are nicely used to take the story forward. The background music is good. I felt that it is used too much. Thode silences, thoda ambience would’ve worked. The sound design is ok. The sound mixing is superb. It is a very balanced mix. One of the reasons why the audio doesn’t get over bearing on your ears and to sit through the duration of the film is a smooth sailing ride.
To conclude I would say, Unnchai is a family film which is a huge plus point. It is a clean, family entertainer. It is going to work big time with the television audience once it premiers on TV. On OTT as well it is going to be a staple for family viewing. Irrespective of the positives and the negatives it will be relished by every household. At least I am going to watch it again and enjoy.
About The Author
Aaditya Bagwe
Aaditya Bagwe is a filmmaker, writer, director, producer and actor. The founder of Infinite Eight Filmverse. He has been writing about films since 2015. A film school graduate in BSC in Film and Television Production with specialization in Direction. A diploma holder in Acting. He has done a short course in Film Appreciation conducted by FTII. Formerly having worked with Pop Diaries as a film review writer. He brings to you his multiverse of writings about films, web series and the entire cinematic universe.
