Chain Kulli Ki Main Kull - Movie Review

Movie Review - Chain Kulli Ki Main Kull

The only film worth reviewing this week is Chain Kulli Ki Main Kulli, directed by first-timer Kittuu Salooja, produced by Ken Ghosh.

Here, Rahul Bose plays the "Dependable" Rahul Dravid sort of captain of the Indian cricket team. His coach could win an Indian look-alike contest for Greg Chappell, if there were any.

The little boy, a fairly natural actor, who makes his international cricket debut against Pakistan at 13, seems like the curly haired Sachin Tendulkar from his early teens.

The film itself is John Schultz's Like Mike. In the Hollywood original, a poor kid finds sneakers of Michael Jordan. The shoes have magical powers. He instantly dunks his way into the top of NBA, or the National Basketball Association.

In this rehash of the American kiddie B-grader, a poor orphan child finds a bat with the initials 'KD 83' or Kapil Dev, 1983. This was perhaps the bat that Kapil may have used to score 175 runs against Zimbabwe in the '83 World Cup.

How the peon at the orphanage knows so much about that match is a mystery to me? The BBC was on strike on that historic day of Indian cricket. That particular innings of Kapil actually never got televised. But never mind that.

The willow we talk of wields magical powers. And our little boy, within a few seconds, lands up as the star of the Indian cricket team. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just a few observations to make here.

Firstly, it's been about two and half decades since India won the World Cup in England. High time really, that we stopped flogging that single achievement of ours. This movie is yet another tribute to that same grand success. Thank you.

Secondly, a film should either be pure fantasy or an emotional drama. This one attempts both. So partly fails at both. And we're constantly dealing with Rahul Dravid and his problems with his Estranged dad, or a silly goon boy who keeps harassing our little kid at the orphanage. Just show us the magic bat. That's enough.

Finally, around the time of World Cup in March, pretty much all the movie corporate houses decided to cash in with a cricket film. Some didn't even release after India's early exit from the tournament. This one has. After Indians have finally thumped Bangladesh at their home turf.

So cricket is perhaps not such a bad word anymore. If you compare Chain Kulli Ki Main Kulli with other World Cup movies this year, Salaam India or Hattrick, it scores higher.

At least children are likely to enjoy this more. Aside of those comparisons, there's nothing to write home about here, really.