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Uunchai Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
UUNCHAI is the story of a life-changing journey of three friends. Amit Shrivastava (Amitabh Bachchan) is a successful author, based in Delhi. He is separated from his wife Abhilasha (Nafisa Ali Sodhi) and the closest people in his life are his three friends – Javed (Boman Irani), Om Sharma (Anupam Kher), and Bhupen (Danny Denzongpa). The quartet meets on Bhupen’s birthday and makes merry. Bhupen, who’s originally from Nepal, expresses the desire to head to Everest Base Camp along with Amit, Javed, and Om. The friends, however, reject the idea, citing their old age and health issues. Bhupen goes home after the party and passes away in his sleep. Even in the case of Bhupen, his friends are his only family and they handle the cremation and other rituals. While going through Bhupen’s study, Amit finds that the former has booked a tour package to the Everest Base Camp for his three friends. The tour is going to take place in two months. Meanwhile, Om is making plans to immerse Bhupen’s ashes in the river Ganga in Varanasi. Amit informs Om and Javed about Bhupen’s Everest plan. He persuades them to join him so that they can release his ashes at the Base Camp since it was Bhupen’s favourite place on Earth. Om and Javed agree after a lot of persuasion. But there’s a problem. Javed’s wife Shabana (Neena Gupta) will never allow her hubby to take such a risky trek. Hence, Amit comes up with a plan. He tells Shabana that the trio will go to Kathmandu, Nepal where they’ll immerse his ashes. As per the plan, they’ll go to Kathmandu by road since Om is scared of flights. Amit tells Shabana to join them. He tells her that they’ll drop her at Kanpur at her daughter Heeba (Sheen Dass) and son-in-law Valli (Abhishek Pathania)’s place. Once that’s done, the trio will then head to Gorakhpur where Om will meet his brothers, whom he hasn’t met in 30 years. The three friends and Shabana begin their trip. But sadly, Amit’s foolproof plan goes for a toss. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Sunil Gandhi’s story is touching. Abhishek Dixit’s screenplay is simple and neat. The script flows at its own pace and is peppered with adequate funny, emotional, and even thrilling moments. In a few places, however, the writing could have been tighter. Abhishek Dixit’s dialogues are simple, and conversational and in some scenes, it is quite deep.
Sooraj R Barjatya’s direction is exemplary, as expected. He’s known for making films about families and this is the first time that he has toyed with a film which celebrates friendship. And he succeeds as he executes the script beautifully. What’s remarkable is his old-school style narration. The film is not just about three friends trying to scale Everest. There are multiple tracks, and they all contribute a lot to the principal track. At the same time, it gives viewers a wholesome, cinematic experience. A few twists in the tale also add to the entertainment quotient.
On the flipside, the film’s length is a major issue. At 170 minutes, UUNCHAI tests the patience of the viewers in some places. Secondly, the youth is the major chunk of the moviegoing audience and the film doesn’t offer much to this section. This can prove detrimental, from a box office point of view. Lastly, Sooraj R Barjatya’s films are known for super-hit music. Even like MAIN PREM KI DIWANI HOON [2003] had chartbuster songs. UUNCHAI, however, has a poor soundtrack. A minor issue with the film is also the track of Amit and his estranged wife as it is not explained properly.
Uunchai – Official Trailer | Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani
UUNCHAI begins with a breath-taking sequence. The film then goes into flashback mode and nicely introduces the principal characters. The scene of Bhupen’s demise is very moving. The scenes where the trio start prepping for the trek in Delhi are cute. The Kanpur sequence is dramatic. What’s praiseworthy is that instead of going the BAGHBAN [2003] way, the makers chose to show that even the parents can go wrong. The best part of the first half is reserved for the intermission point. It is sure to bring the house down. Post-interval, the Gorkhapur episode and Mala Trivedi’s (Sarika) flashback is memorable, as also the confrontation thereafter. The initial trekking scenes are nice but later, the film slows down and drags. The pre-climax is when the film picks up. The finale is lovely.
Amitabh Bachchan delivers a terrific performance, as expected. It was a challenging role, not just physically but also emotionally and Big B comes out with flying colours. Especially in the second half, he’s too good. Anupam Kher’s part reminds one of his similar acts in KHOSLA KA GHOSLA [2006] and BABY [2015]. But he ensures it stands out and does a fine job. His breakdown scene at the Gorakhpur ghat is lovely. Boman Irani underplays his part well and lends support. Danny Denzongpa is fair in a cameo. Parineeti Chopra is hardly there in the first half but in the second half, she makes her presence felt. Neena Gupta is charming and one does miss her after a point in the film. Sarika is restrained and apt for the part. Nafisa Ali Sodhi is good in the cameo. Sheen Dass, Abhishek Pathania and Raju Kher (Guddu bhaiyya) are okay.
Amit Trivedi’s music is poor. A film like this should have had a chartbuster or a soulful melody. All songs of the film, ‘Keti Ko’, ‘Arre Oh Uncle’, ‘Haan Kar De’, ‘Ladki Pahadi’ and ‘Savera’, work as they are well woven in the film, and due to the picturization. George Joseph’s background score is appropriate.
Manoj Kumar Khatoi’s cinematography is spectacular. The locales of Nepal are very nicely captured. Urvi Ashar Kakkar and Shipra Rawal’s production design is rich. Sham Kaushal’s action is realistic. NY VFXWaala’s VFX is praiseworthy. Terrence Lobo, Daena Sethana, Priya Patil and Mohit Rai’s costumes are in sync with the character’s personalities. Shweta Venkat Mathew’s editing should have been sharper.
On the whole, UUNCHAI is a simple, emotional, family film with top-notch performances by the lead cast. However, the film suffers due to mediocre music, excessive length and offers nothing for the youth. At the box office, the film will appeal only to a limited section of the family audience and will need positive word of mouth to sustain.
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