A refreshing tale of faith and friendship

Uunchai

Hindi (Theatres)

Director: Sooraj Barjatya

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa

Rating: 3.5/5

The best part of Uunchai is that it reminds you of many Bollywood films of a recent era, yet it is refreshing and also outstanding for its sheer simplicity, old world charm and the innocence associated with the Rajashri Productions.

However, it is not a typical Sooraj Barjatya film of hugely extended families wearing designer attires and eating and working together under one giant chandelier. Here there is no Prem either, saying things like “dosti ka ek oosul hai madam … no sorry, no thank you.”

Uunchai is restricted to four elderly friends and revolves around their trysts, tragedies and triumphs. One of them, Danny Denzongpa, dies early in the film with his dream of climbing Mt Everest unfulfilled.

The remaining three friends, Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Bomman Irani, decide to make their friend’s dream come true and embark on a trek to the Himalayas. “His ashes should rest where his soul dwells,” says Bachchan in a poignant scene.

Barjatya’s tender touch is palpable right through the film and converts a simple script (Abhishek Dixit) into an intense drama of faith and friendship, making the audience an integral part of a delightful journey through gushing streams with its crystal clear water and snow-capped mountains under cloudless skies. Full credit to cinematographer Manoj Kumar Katoi as his camera almost caresses the snow peaks and authenticates the beauty of the Himalayas.

The acting is top class as one can expect from an ensemble known for their nuanced performances down the years. Each of the main characters get almost equal screen space and they make the best of it while Denzongpa in a guest appearance leaves a lasting impression. The limited scenes with all four together is a delight to watch as they light up the screen with their mere presence. Their chemistry and camaraderie are best captured in the beautifully written and picturised song Keti Ko, (sung by Nakash Aziz, lyrics Irshad Kamil, music Amit Trivedi).

At the beginning, Uunchai appears like a matured version of Farhan Akhtar’s 2001 classic Dil Chahta Hai or Zoya Akhtar’s 2011 coming of age hit Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. But midway through it charters its own course with short sub plots giving a glimpse of life in the twilight. This undoubtedly stretches the length of the film which is close to three hours.

Watch Uunchai if you want to celebrate friendship and reach the base camp of Mt Everest without having to step on snow.