It's well meaning.
By MovieTalkies.com, 31 August 2009
2 / 5
N Chandra makes a comeback to his familiar terrain with a hard-hitting, issue-based film called Yeh Mera India. The man who gave us films like 'Pratighaat', 'Ankush' and 'Tezaab', goes back to his familiar hard hitting style of storytelling. The director picks up stories which deal with issues that most Mumbaikars, and Indians are used to living with. The film is a sharp diatribe against the ills plaguing our nation on the plus side. But on the other hand, even though Chandra's heart is in the right place, he tends to get too shrill and the film does seem to be a tad too long. Also, the director seems to be compelled to finish the movie on a happy note for each of the 12 characters and their stories, thus deserting his realistic tenor.
Chandra's attempt to look at the human face behind the news headlines is indeed creditable. But his good intentions come unstuck as he brandishes a gun over every possible issue that plagues our society today. It begins with the migrant issue and goes on to talk about communal discrimination where members of a certain community are denied flats by some housing societies in Mumbai, sexual harassment, racial and cast discrimination etc. Nothing can withstand the fire of Chandra's wrath as he thunders his way through the movie. There is obviously nothing subtle about 'YMI' and the issues seem to have been clumsily handled. Nothing much seems to have changed for Chandra from the times of 'Pratighaat'. He still uses that same bombastic style of story telling which loses it impact at times as it is a style which has been done to death. Also the solutions that he seems to offer through his movie are quite unrealistic or even idealistic. However, the film has an interesting narration pattern, wherein the director picks on one day in the life of 12 individuals, whose stories are all interweaved. It's through these 12 characters and their lives that he makes his point loud and clear. The film's stellar cast is its biggest asset. 'YMI' boasts of a cast consisting of actors like Anupam Kher, Seema Biswas, Rajit Kapoor, Sarika, Atul Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Pravin Dabas, Rajpal Yadav, Milind Gunajee Perizaad Zorabian and Smilie Suri. All the members of the cast put in convincing performances. One feels that with this movie, Chandra seems to have his plate overflowing. He ropes in so many issues that he is not able to give them all the kind of attention they deserve. The film is meant to be hard hitting one but its fire seems to have been diluted to a large extent because of Chandra wanting to strike every ball to the boundary. It gets a little tiring after a while. So even if its heart is in the right place, as a movie, one feels that 'YMI' is far too shrill and noisy.