Youngistaan had to go to court over the issue of its trendy title. An international beverage company had claimed legal rights over the title. But producer Vashu Bhagnani felt Pepsi had got it wrong, having stolen the concept from their ads. Youngistaan has nothing to do with the beverage.
Youngistaan was the first Indian film about the life of a prime minister. Jackky Bhagnani (coincidentally, the producer’s son) plays the hope of the country. His character comes to the prime ministerial seat with many dynamic ideas. He questions the status quo. He wants to know why banks charge interest from their customers even for the 67 bank holidays every year. He wants to build a warehouse in every village so that the food-grain reserves don’t rot and go to waste.
A political drama about a young foreign-educated NRI who is forced to take over his country’s reins after his father’s sudden death. Unlike Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti, Youngistaan doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is no attempt here to mythicise or demonise the politicians.
Think Rajiv Gandhi. Think Rahul… Jackky Bhagnani plays an amalgamation of many political dreams. Never mind if some of them turn into nightmares in real life (think Kejriwal). Cinema is about hope and redemption. In a nation hurling towards damnation, the thought of some political wisdom, clarity, and far-sightedness in this season of the elections is eminently welcomed. Young Bhagnani brings a temperance and sensitivity to his character. This is a guy who can think straight, even when he isn’t thinking straight.
Youngistaan is a smartly written political parable about a young, smart, foreign-bred Indian who has the audacity to sing “Japan Love in Tokyo” on a drunken night in Tokyo, who is thrust into the thankless job of India’s prime ministership. Wisely, the narrative never takes itself so seriously as to careen over under the weight of its conscientiousness.
There is a sense of mischief underlining the very powerful message about the young shouldering the governance of the country without resorting to the stereotypical morality and dress code of neta-giri in Hindustan. Jackky’s Abhimanyu Kaul is young, enterprising, modern in thought, and ready to take on the political humbug head-on. He is also a considerate, generous boyfriend trying to make his somewhat overbearing, sometimes annoying life-mate understand the complexities of the responsibility suddenly thrust upon him. Youngistaan is as much a political drama as a rom-com about a young prime minister and his fun-loving, outgoing girlfriend, who suddenly finds herself under house curfew just because her lover has a rather important job to perform.
Writer-director Syed Ahmad Afzal has told a story that seems destined to be put on screen. The politics of our disembodied democracy is sexily sketched. In this season of the Lok Sabha elections, Youngistaan raises pertinent questions on the quality of leadership in our country. While it gets its political fundas right, the plot also accommodates the central romantic conflict into its structure.
Every character, big or small, is effectively cast. Jackky Bhagnani, as the prime ministerial candidate, conveys a whole lot of sincerity in his performance. His scenes with his dead father (Boman Irani) are emotionally resplendent. They play off well against the stark, sometimes funny and outrageous reality of Indian politics. Neha Sharma, as his untameable girlfriend, plays her character with intelligence and grace. This girl deserves more than what Hindi cinema has so far offered her. But it is Farooque Sheikh, as Bhagnani’s quietly efficient PA, who brings a twinkle-eyed wisdom to the table.
The film tells us it’s okay to have dynastic rule as long as the job gets done. It also tells us that there’s no need to get hysterical if our prime minister is in a live-in relationship. It may not be cool for a prime minister to get his girlfriend pregnant at a time when he has a responsibility towards the nation. But if it happens, there’s no need to get righteous and holier-than-thou.
The shooting of Farooque Sheikh’s last film, Youngistaan, wrapped up with five kg of Indian sweet jalebi from the late actor’s favourite sweet shop in Indore.
Producer Vashu Bhagnani ordered jalebi for the entire unit when the film was wrapped up.
Vashu Bhagnani said: “In October, Farooque saab had personally got us jalebis from this particular shop and force-fed all of us. I am not a jalebi guy. But I enjoyed Farooque saab’s insistent warmth. On the last day of shooting, we celebrated his positive spirit by ordering his favourite jalebis in Indore.”
Farooque, who died on Dec 27 following a cardiac arrest in Dubai, is said to have completed his shooting for Youngistaan, including a scene featuring another actor who is yet to shoot for it. Ajay Devgn was to make a guest appearance in a scene with Farooque. The late actor shot the scene without his co-star.
Says Bhagnani, “I’ve encountered all kinds of actors in my career as a producer. But I’ve never met anyone as kind and generous as Farooque saab. My son Jackky is very lucky to have worked with Farooque saab. Even Shah Rukh Khan has expressed regret about not having worked (enough) with Farooque saab. Jackky has learnt so much. I think Jackky is now a changed person and actor. He has evolved as a human being and an actor. They did a two-week workshop together. It proved to be a mind-opener for my son. Farooque saab took Jackky under his wings, showed him how to open up in front of the camera.”
