As a big fan of Subhash Ghai, I remember almost 20 years back, buying ticket for the first show of "Ram Lakhan" at double the price and then sitting in a packed houseful show with people whistling, dancing and clapping on every scene and song. And now comes a day when I easily get a ticket for the first show of "Yuvraaj" from the window itself and become a part of few people watching the movie in the theater. There is no excitement in any viewer, no whistles or claps and no dancing around the screen.
Surely times have changed a lot, and surprisingly "Subhash Ghai Sir" has also changed his style of film-making. But the sad part is that the change of style is not coming up good enough for the viewers. As witnessed in his last few movies, "Yuvraaj" too has its merits but falls short of the expectations from the famous "Showman" of Bollywood. The discouraging opening response must be due to the unimpressive and confusing promos which were not able to explain what the movie was. Even Salman and Anil looked puzzled in their acts in the on air promos.
Coming to the movie itself, it starts off with Salman, Katrina and Boman Irani (as Katrina's father) with their love story angle. 50 minutes into the movie and the same goes on & on with no sign of Anil and Zayed. This makes the viewer restless as it is too lengthy and should have been trimmed heavily. Then with the news of Salman's rich father dying the story moves on and the other two brothers of Salman are introduced, Anil Kapoor & Zayed Khan. After every one is there on the screen the story goes into the "Jaydaad" & inheritors drama with a twist in the form of autistic Anil Kapoor.
The locations are fresh, sets are huge, songs are shot lavishly, but nothing hits the right note. Everyone looks playing his part knowingly that something is wrong and not working. There are very few scenes to watch out for and it all seems to be too lengthy and repetitive. The most lacking part is the story and screenplay of the movie which does not give ample scope to any star in particular.
The film mainly moves around Salman & Katrina with Anil Kapoor taking the limelight post interval. Salman Khan & Katrina look good as a couple but it is not one of their best movies. However, I liked Salman in the last scene when he cries in front of Boman to save the life of his brother Anil. He never looks like acting in the scene and proves that he has got the talent too along with the fab body. The scene where Katrina is playing and teasing topless Salman shows their off screen bonding clearly. Katrina has a fresh look but her hair style could have been better. Anil Kapoor as usual is almost perfect but at places repeats his "Eeshwar" act. Actually Anil gets betrayed by the script and hence his character fails to strike the emotional chord with the viewer. Zayed Khan still relies more on his looks than his acting. Boman Irani is a bit loud but calms down in his last scene with Salman. Mithun Da in a guest appearance enjoys his few scenes with elegance.
Like in his earlier movies, "Yuvraaj" also has a rich family with a Mama ji, cunning uncles, brothers, loyal servants and a vamp bhabhi. Here the bhabhi is too hot to handle and has the looks to kill. Climax is the least convincing part with a twist told so many times before where the performer is poisoned before his main grand show. Even the song is not enjoyable enough for the grand finale. Till you reach the climax you lose interest in the happenings and wish the movie was only around Salman and Katrina.
Apart from the fresh cinematography, the other major highlight of the film is the music of A. R. Rahman. Though this time the magic of "Taal" is missing and the music needs time to grow on the listener. Two songs score over all the others with "Tu Hi Meri Dost Hai" being the best. The songs may not be that entertaining for the Indian audience as they are designed giving more stress on Western Arrangements. Honestly I also cannot rate this as one of Rahman's best as i was expecting much more from the combination of Rahman & Ghai.
In few words, I again found the "Golden Touch of Subhash Ghai" missing in this. But if you are a Salman-Katrina fan then you will surely enjoy their lovable screen presence together.
