Yugpurush is one of the more memorable films to emerge from Bollywood in the last decade. In a decade saturated with candy floss love stories, song-laden Hindu Family Values movies, and dozens upon dozens of lesser (and lesser) remakes of Hollywood films, Yugpurush was one of the standouts from 1997, a year notable for memorable films like 'Virasat, 'Judaai' and '1947'.
The story revolves around four characters: Anirudh (Nana Patekar), a simple and guileless man who has recently been discharged from the mental institution in which he has spent virtually all of his life, Ranjan (Jackie Shroff) a violent and possessive man who admires and resents Anirudh's innocence, Sunita (Manisha Koirala) a spoiled and self-loathing kept woman who finds life unbearable, and Deepti (Ashwini Bhave) a kind and gentle creature who loves Anirudh unconditionally, but not without complaint.
The film is structured as a love story and as a character study. Each of the four protagonists is carefully etched and sufficiently developed. Nana Patekar is absolutely phenomenal as Anirudh. His manner, mannerisms, and tone are perfect, and he delivers one of the best performances of his career. Jackie Shroff is well suited to his part, displaying full control of hate, jealousy, love and resentment that burden Ranjan. Ashwini Bhave is also perfectly cast as Deepti, a simple and lovely women who becomes bound with a man unlike any other. Manisha Koirala's performance wavers as Sunita: in a part written for Sridevi, Manisha is astonishing in the later portions when Sunita comes to terms with her fate, but less at ease playing the bitchy, shrewish moments that frankly Sridevi could have pulled off in her sleep. Manisha is perhaps too innocent an actress to enact some of the earlier scenes: instead of coming off as cold and diabolic, she is merely loud and falters. Sunita seems to be an extension of Sridevi's Hell Queen in Laadla, and no doubt she would have walked away with the film had she stayed on. Manisha herself has said in MOVIE in 1996: "I would have died to see Sridevi do these (Yugpurush) scenes." It would have been incredible to see Sridevi in the scene where Sunita auctions herself off to Ranjan.
The film is very well-written with none of the typical Bollywood clichés, though it could do without most of the songs, none of which are particularly memorable. The ending is a complete surprise, one that will leave a knot in your chest and a lump in your throat. Do see Yugpurush: a film that comes along once in a while!
The story revolves around four characters: Anirudh (Nana Patekar), a simple and guileless man who has recently been discharged from the mental institution in which he has spent virtually all of his life, Ranjan (Jackie Shroff) a violent and possessive man who admires and resents Anirudh's innocence, Sunita (Manisha Koirala) a spoiled and self-loathing kept woman who finds life unbearable, and Deepti (Ashwini Bhave) a kind and gentle creature who loves Anirudh unconditionally, but not without complaint.
The film is structured as a love story and as a character study. Each of the four protagonists is carefully etched and sufficiently developed. Nana Patekar is absolutely phenomenal as Anirudh. His manner, mannerisms, and tone are perfect, and he delivers one of the best performances of his career. Jackie Shroff is well suited to his part, displaying full control of hate, jealousy, love and resentment that burden Ranjan. Ashwini Bhave is also perfectly cast as Deepti, a simple and lovely women who becomes bound with a man unlike any other. Manisha Koirala's performance wavers as Sunita: in a part written for Sridevi, Manisha is astonishing in the later portions when Sunita comes to terms with her fate, but less at ease playing the bitchy, shrewish moments that frankly Sridevi could have pulled off in her sleep. Manisha is perhaps too innocent an actress to enact some of the earlier scenes: instead of coming off as cold and diabolic, she is merely loud and falters. Sunita seems to be an extension of Sridevi's Hell Queen in Laadla, and no doubt she would have walked away with the film had she stayed on. Manisha herself has said in MOVIE in 1996: "I would have died to see Sridevi do these (Yugpurush) scenes." It would have been incredible to see Sridevi in the scene where Sunita auctions herself off to Ranjan.
The film is very well-written with none of the typical Bollywood clichés, though it could do without most of the songs, none of which are particularly memorable. The ending is a complete surprise, one that will leave a knot in your chest and a lump in your throat. Do see Yugpurush: a film that comes along once in a while!