Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

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Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAshutosh Gowarikar
Screenplay byAshutosh Gowariker
Raoul V Randolf
Dialogues:
Vijay Maurya
Based onDo And Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34
by Manini Chatterjee
Produced byAjay Bijli
Sanjeev Bijli
Sunita A. Gowariker
StarringAbhishek Bachchan
Deepika Padukone
Sikandar Kher
Vishakha Singh
CinematographyKiran Deohans
Seetha Sandhiri
Edited byDilip Deo
Music bySohail Sen
Production
company
Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions
Distributed byPVR Pictures
Release date
  • 3 December 2010 (2010-12-03)
Running time
174 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget450 million (US$5.6 million)[1][2]
Box office49.1 million (US$610,000)[3]

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (transl.We Play with Passion) is an Indian Hindi-language historical action-adventure film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and released on 3 December 2010. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sikandar Kher, it was based on Manini Chatterjee's Do and Die, an account of the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid.

Although the film was set in Chittagong (in present-day Bangladesh), it was primarily shot in Goa; portions were filmed in Mumbai.[4] Its first promo was posted on 12 October 2010 on the film's Facebook page.[5] The film depicts the Chittagong Uprising from its beginning to its aftermath, an 18 April 1930 attempt to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces in Chittagong (then part of the British Raj's Bengal Presidency) by armed Indian independence fighters led by Surya Sen.[6][7]

Plot[edit]

Outdoor stone platform inside a wall, with a memorial tablet
Close-up of the inscribed tablet
The gallows at Chittagong Central Jail, where Surya Sen was hanged; the government of Bangladesh has designated it a monument.

Sixteen young people are playing football in an open field when an army convoy arrives, ordering them to leave the field because they are setting up a base. When the young people object, the soldiers threaten them and then leave in anticipation of a meeting with (Surya Sen).

Surya Sen is a village schoolteacher and an activist for Indian independence. He has connections with other revolutionaries, who see him as their leader: Ganesh Ghosh (Samrat Mukerji), Lokenath Bal, Ambika Chakraborty, Nirmal Sen (Sikander Kher) and Ananta Singh (Maninder Singh). After his release from prison, Nirmal Sen (Sikandar Kher) meets Surya Sen and asks him what to do next. Surya Sen tells him and Nirmal meets Pritilata Waddedar (Vishakha Singh), who expresses the eagerness of her and her friend Kalpana Datta (Deepika Padukone) to join the Indian Republican Army. Pritilata and Kalpana meet Surya Sen, who has demonstrated their skills by asking them to collect information. Disguised as cleaners, they draw sketches of the cantonment.

Surya Sen divides the group into four, and asks them to separate. While he is staying with his sister in Patiya, police commanded by Major Cameron surround him; the major is shot dead by Nirmal Sen. The wounded Nirmal Sen tells Surya Sen to escape, sacrificing his own life.

Eight young rebels, led by Pritilata, later attack the European Club. After killing the officials there, the rebels flee and Pritilata commits suicide by ingesting cyanide. Surya Sen escapes and retreats to another house with Kalpana and the other rebels. The Chittagong superintendent of police (SP) cracks down on the rebels and begins a manhunt for Surya Sen. Although he escapes, other members are arrested, killed, or shoot themselves to death to avoid police torture.

Several months later, during an army football match, the young rebel Haripada assassinates the SP who led the crackdown. Surya Sen is arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by hanging; Surya Sen happily accepts the verdict. Before the sentence is carried out, however, his British executioners break his teeth, limbs, and joints with a hammer. Unconscious, he is dragged to the scaffold and hanged.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Asin was the first choice for Deepika's role in the film but due to several commitments Asin opted out.

Critical reception[edit]

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey opened to generally-positive reviews. Critics appreciated the film, although some said that (at almost three hours) it was excessively long.[8] According to Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India, the filmmaker was able to "combine high-octane drama with a high degree of restraint ... The film unfolds like a relentless thriller with loads of action involving the band of revolutionaries as they go about their bloody business."[9][10]

An NDTV reviewer rated the film 2.5 out of 5: "Ashutosh Gowariker is Bollywood's most earnest historian and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a noble attempt at restoring glory to long-forgotten heroes".[11] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film four out of five, calling the bygone era's recreation "demanding, laborious and strenuous. It's a challenge to present the era convincingly. Besides extensive detailing to lend authenticity, the director carries the responsibility of making the characters come alive to the present-day generation. Gowariker has successfully done that in the past and does it successfully yet again in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. The expectations from Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey are minimal, but you can't overlook the fact that it's a genuinely honest effort that needs to be encouraged and appreciated."[12]

Sify, which also gave it a two-and-a half-rating, recommended the film.[13] Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN gave it two stars: "It's a noble effort that gives you a glimpse of forgotten history".[14]

A Reuters reviewer wrote, "Gowariker's biggest strength is that he chooses a story worth telling. For that reason alone, and to get a glimpse into a much-ignored part of our history, this film is worth a watch."[15] For the newspaper Daily News and Analysis, Aniruddha Guha wrote that the film's plot made it watchable: "The strong points of the film are the novel storyline – that of kids fighting for independence – and the performances of most actors, especially the children. Also, Gowariker manages to recreate the era well (with art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai), and draws you in the plot slowly and steadily".[8]

Soundtrack[edit]

The film's songs and score were composed by Sohail Sen, who had worked on Ashutosh's previous film What's Your Raashee?. The lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar.[16] The music was launched on 27 October 2010.[17] Its track listing was posted on the film's Facebook page the day it was released.[18] Malayalam playback singer Ranjini Jose made her Bollywood debut on "Naiyn Tere".[19]

Nominations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Young rebels | Business Standard News". Business-standard.com. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ^ "PVR tells Gowarikar to restrict KHJJS duration to 2 1/2 hrs?". Archived from the original on 25 April 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  3. ^ Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network. "All India 2010". Boxofficeindia.Com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey to be released on December 3". Daily News & Analysis. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  5. ^ Here is the first Theatrical Trailer of Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. KHJJS Official Facebook page. Retrieved 12-10-2010
  6. ^ "Homage paid to Surya Sen on his 84th execution day". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  7. ^ "India's former president Pranab Mukherjee starts Chittagong visit". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b Sahni, Diksha (3 December 2010). "Review Round-up: 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' Is Well Played". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (2 December 2010). "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey". The Times of India.
  10. ^ "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey gets rave reviews". Hindustan Times. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey - NDTVMovies.com". Movies.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) | Movie Review, Trailers, Music Videos, Songs, Wallpapers". Bollywood Hungama. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  13. ^ "Movie Review:Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey review: A restless watch". Sify. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  14. ^ "Masand: 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' lacks life - Reviews - Bollywood reviews - ibnlive". Ibnlive.in.com. 10 December 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey: A story worth telling". Reuters. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010.
  16. ^ Everyone has been asking about the music director, so thought... KHJJS Official Facebook page. Retrieved 29-10-2010
  17. ^ "Abhishek, Deepika launch soundtrack of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey". Sify Movies. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  18. ^ Here is the final confirmation of the Track List that you have all been waiting for!! KHJJS Official Facebook page. Retrieved 06-10-2010
  19. ^ "Ranjini Jose to rock Bollywood". Sify. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  20. ^ "Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

External links[edit]