Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sikander Kher, Vishaka Singh.

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Based on Manini Chatterjee's novel, "KHJJS" is based on the 1930 Chittagong uprising led by Surjya Sen (Bachchan). Sen and his friends, most of them the educated middle-class of the city of Chittagong, had planned a co-ordinated attack on the British establishments in the city on April 18th 1930. The movie spans the period a few months before and after the date and tells the story of how the revolutionaries planned and executed the attacks and the manhunt after the event.

One of the most striking thing about the Chittagong uprising is the voluntary involvement of a gang of teenagers, who played a crucial role in the execution of the attacks on the establishments and risked their lives.

To tell the truth, the plot is engaging and the fact that it tells us about an event in India's history which is not very known (at least I don't remember reading about this in my school history books) makes it a compelling watch. It is has its set of flaws though.

First of all, it is far too long to hold the viewers' attention. Second to see the actors talk in chaste Hindi and suddenly throw the occasional Bangla-accented word for a proper noun is somewhat odd. I think Gowariker would have done better justice to the story if he had chosen to make it in Bangla/Bengali. Finally, most of the sets (though the art-direction is lavish) look "fresh" somehow.

Anyway, fact is that the above critique is just superficial and the story telling is still good. KHJJS is definitely a good watch but like most other Gowariker movies, one feels that something could have been done better without being really clear what it should be. Another suggestion would be to leave the "desh bhakti" aside when you watch the movie. KHJJS doesn't really work as a patriotic movie - it seems to work on a more neutral rhythm.

My rating: 6/10. Good effort to tell a much neglected story.