Underplayed Gems

Kai Po Che! (2013)

Kai Po Che! poster
Original title
कई पो छे!
Directed by
Abhishek Kapoor
Genre
buddy film, sport film
Country
India
Runtime
2h 07m
Rated
NR
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 153 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Three young friends in Gujarat try to open a sports shop and academy together. Their bond is tested by personal struggles and major events like an earthquake and communal riots.

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What happens

Kai Po Che!: Brothers... For Life (transl. I have cut the kite) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures, marking the banner's first solo production under the Disney·UTV brand. Adapted from Chetan Bhagat's 2008 novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, with a three-song soundtrack by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, the film stars Rajkummar Rao, Amit Sadh, and newcomer Sushant Singh Rajput as the three main protagonists while Amrita Puri plays the female lead. The title is originally a Gujarati phrase that means "I have cut" which refers to Makar Sankranti (known as Uttarayan in Gujarat) where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitor's kite and yells the phrase. Set in Ahmedabad from 2000 to 2012, Kai Po Che! revolves around three friends, Ishaan "Ish" Bhatt (Rajput), Omkar "Omi" Shastri (Sadh) and Govind "Govi" Patel (Rao), who want to start their own sports shop and sports academy; the story also references the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the 2002 Godhra train burning and the 2002 Gujarat Riots, and tracks their deep friendship, and innocence tarnished by religious politics and communal hatred. The film had its world premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2013 where it was the first ever Indian film to feature in the World Panorama section. Made on a budget of ₹300 million (US$3.1 million), Kai Po Che! was released worldwide on 22 February 2013 and met with acclaim from Indian reviewers, with praise for the direction of Kapoor and the performances of Rajput, Rao, and Sadh, but mixed reviews internationally. The film grossed ₹830 million (US$8.7 million) worldwide, becoming a critical as well as commercial success. The film received five nominations at the 59th Filmfare Awards, including Best Director for Kapoor, Best Supporting Actor for Rao, and Best Story. The film won two awards, including Best Screenplay for Kapoor and Best Background Score for Hitesh Sonik. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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