Yugpurush Movie Reviews

Now-a-days when Shahrukh Khan's acting in My Name is Khan is talk of the tinsel town and a hot topic for the moviegoers and the movie-reviewers alike, it is quite natural to refresh the nostalgic memories of Nana Patekar's performance in an almost forgotten movie Yugpurush that got released in 1998. The difference in the characters played by SRK and Nana Patekar is that while SRK is a patient of Asperger's Syndrome since birth in MNIK, Nana Patekar portrayed an asylum-released mental patient (catatonic) in Yugpurush. The similarity is that both the characters are childlike innocent in their attitude and behaviour and that's why simply lovable. Doing no injustice to SRK for his commendable job in MNIK, it will not be inappropriate to rate Nana's performance as Aniruddh in Yugpurush is a lesson in acting and that's how we differentiate between a star and a class actor.

Yugpurush was directed by Partho Ghosh who is definitely not a legend but he had carved a niche for himself in the nineties through movies like 100 Days and Agnisaakshi. Yugpurush flopped on the box office and got brushed aside by the elite reviewers too under the accusation that it gave preference to the love-triangle aspect of the story over the childlike innocent character of Nana Patekar alongwith his experience in the real world outside the asylum, his impact upon others (and others' impact upon him) and his overall presence in the plot (which could have established him as 'Yugpurush' and justified the title of the story). Now after 12 years since its release, Yugpurush can be re-assessed in a more objective manner vis-a-vis the hype of MNIK and SRK's role in that.

In Yugpurush, Aniruddh gets released from asylum at the age of 36 years after spending a quarter of a century behind its closed doors. Doctors declare him completely cured and a normal human-being fit to live in the society. He carries the normalcy certificate issued to him everywhere with him to show it  to the people as an evidence that he is no longer a mental case. He comes in contact with police in the course of saving the life of a child in a riot, Sunita who is the keep of a corrupt politician, Paresh; Ranjan, a spoiled millionaire youth and the family of his mentor, Mohan who is having an eye on Aniruddh's ancestral property etc. He starts loving Sunita and a lovelorn Sunita finding herself among greedy and narrow-minded people, too falls prey to the childlike innocence of Aniruddh. Mohan's kind-hearted daughter, Deepti also is in love with Aniruddh. However things take turn with the fact that Ranjan too tries to get Sunita with the help of his filthy richness. Though he had befriended Aniruddh, the beauty of Sunita overpowers whatsoever friendly feelings he might be having in his heart towards Aniruddh. The fact Ranjan could not understand is that money can buy only a woman's body, not her heart and sentiments. Sunita runs away from Ranjan (despite having committed to live with him in lieu of money) and goes to Aniruddh whose love for her cannot be measured on any scale. The jealousy and the sense of defeat in Ranjan leads to the climax of the story in which the asylum's doctor who had treated Aniruddh is compelled to tell the relevant people that his toil of 25 years has been undone within a few months. Ranjan realises that Aniruddh was a Yugpurush (man coming just once in an era) but only when it's too late.

Yugpurush is by all means Nana's movie only. He has given several marvellous performances in several movies playing different kinds of roles. But his portrayal of Aniruddh in Yugpurush is, in my opinion, is his hitherto best ever performance for which he quite unjustifiably did not get any award. Jackie Shroff as Ranjan, Mohan Joshi as Mohan, Shivaji Satam as Paresh etc. among others have done full justice to their characters. But special mention is needed for the female leads. Ashwini Bhave as Deepti has simply startled with her natural performance. Her expressions and emotions expressed in the climax are simply superb. But it is Manisha Koirala who steals the show as Sunita with her sparkling beauty having shadows of her internal gloom and portrayal of her conflict between practical life with Ranjan and emotions for Aniruddh. As a woman torn between love and money, Manisha simply rocks. This extra-ordinarily beautiful and talented actress ruined herself through alcohol and affairs in later years which is really sad.

Partho Ghosh has given a sensitive treatment to the story and done justice to it in major parts if not fully. It is a movie which explores the inner side of human-beings and tries to reveal its grey and dark shades alongwith the intricacies and contradictions inherent. The story loses its way in post-interval part when the triangular relationship of Aniruddh, Sunita and Ranjan becomes just too much and comes heavily upon the viewers making them desperate for some relief that they do not get till the end of the movie. But overall the impact of the movie remains with the viewer for a long time after it is over. The scene of Aniruddh signing the property papers in favour of Mohan without any thought and thereby making Mohan move to the extent of tearing them himself as well as the scene of Aniruddh's saying to Sunita - 'Paise nahi hain mere paas; main pyar de sakta hun, samman de sakta hun' (I don't have money, I can only give you love and respect) leaves a deep-seated impact upon the viewer. The movie strongly underscores the point that a person can be good till he is a child (by age or by heart) and the bad elements creep in the personality with the contact of so-called practical life and people. The tragic end of the movie generates a throbbing pain in the heart of the viewer, making him empathise with Aniruddh.

The music is not great but not bad either. Cinematography and art direction are good. Dialogues are nothing short of excellent. Editing could have been better. Screenplay could have been more innovative and gripping. Director Partho Ghosh could have tried to be a bit more creative while dealing with this unorthodox script, so as to make the movie more gripping and entertaining.

All fans of Nana Patekar should watch this movie and the people who have liked MNIK (with Shahrukh's acting as Rizwan Khan) too. It is a well-intentioned movie containing many plus-points for sensitive audience. If you want to see the complexities of human psyche, do watch it.

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I have watched many of nana patekar's movie he's one of the talented actors in bollywood, he's a natural actor that could any kind of role that you give him. If anyone can play mental disturbed person it's nana patekar. I began to like nana patekar from yugpurush, not that I thought he was a bad actor before, he did do good movies like ankush, tiranga,parinda,angaar and of course krantiveer.

Yugpurush is directed by partho gosh, not a great or very famous director in the past he directed movies like 100 days, dalaal, kohra, teesra kaun, agnesakhi., then later on ghulame mustafa.

The movie was released in 1998, when it was a salman had pyar kiya tu darna kya and shahrukh's dil tu pagal hai was coming out, nobody ever noticed this movie, talented actors like nana patekar stay underestimated, when nana completely overshadowed srk in raju ban geya gentleman.

Anirudh (nana patekar) is mentally disturbed person who has sufffered from very rough or traumic childhood experince. One day he is released from prison, he finds himself lost in the world, he doesn't know what to do with himself, he very childlike. Now the world anirudh has entered there only corruption rules, the first person he meets is sunita (manisha koirala) a unhappy mistress of a corrupt politician, the two are together somehow, anirudh gets attracted to sunita, that only thing that makes him happy. Sunita is attracted to anirudh beause of simple life and his childlike personality.

Meanwhile seema (ashiwini bhave) is madly in love with anirudh, but she is heartbroken after she finds out that anirudh loves sunita. Another person in the story is jackie shroff who plays a arrogant son of a politician. Jackie makes friend with anirudh because he jealous of anirudh and sunita's relationship. Jackie lusts after sunita, and is completely obvious that sunita and anirudh love each other. Jackie refuses to accept defeat and marries sunita. The story takes takes few twists and turns ends up in a sad way.

Partoghosh may had a lot of flops, but this sure was one film that should have been a hit, because it;'s a very different story then others, what was jaab pyar kiya tu darna and dil tu pagal hai against this movie. The movie flopped due to it's sad storyline and unhappy ending, but perhaps people forget about the good performances in this movie.

The music was pretty poor, by rajesh roshan, but I thought you don't need music in this kind of offbeat film, but I loved one song called chaley hum do jan sair ko chaley sungh by kumar sanu and I don't know the other song, but it's a good friendship song picutersed on nana patekar and jackie shroff.

The performances- Jackie shroff's character is like a villain, but he does a good job in the film as usual. Manisha koirala gives a nice performance also, she one actress who is underrated, she had proved it in company, khamoshi, but still she remains underated an actress. Suprise package of the movie is ashwini bhave who has never given a good performance in any movies except in this movie, her role in the movie who loves a mentally disturbed person is not realistic but convincing. She does a brilliant job in yugpurush.

The star of the show is noneother then nana patekar, in the movie world he has given outstanding performances as for anna in parinda, partap in krantiveer, Abb tak chappan as the inspector, but yugpurush is one of his best performances, who can better play a pagal person then nana patekar, the guy could overshadow the likes of movie amitabh bachnan, srk and anyother regular actor of bollywood. He makes the character looks so innocent his character is well developed.

The movie belongs to nana patekar, this was an award worthy performance for nana.

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