Kevi Rite Jaish

A Gujarati movie 'Kevi Rite Jaish' has just released and its been a long time since Gujarati movies have attracted audiences. I had never seen a Gujarati movie though I have been an avid follower of Marathi films which have taken a big leap in the last few years. If I understood the language, I would also have watched Bengali and Malayalam films which are known to produce the best regional films in India. Being brought up in Gujarat and having considered myself a Gujarati first, I was keen to watch the movie, more so when I came to know that it talked about the American obsession of the Patel community. 

Now about the movie. The movie is no doubt a fine attempt at transforming the canvas of Gujarati cinema. The last well made Gujarati film that you heard about was 'Des re joya pardes re joya'. Since then, there has been a dearth of good movies in Gujarati language. I wonder why? Gujaratis are a business community, but then they are well attuned to the arts and literature. The financial aspect and the fact that Gujaratis are spread all over the globe creates favourable situations for them to produce good cinema. The reason I see for the lack of the young generation of Gujarati's liking towards literature and their culture. No cinema can expect revival if its young people are not bent towards literature, classics and their rich culture. Look at the products that are coming out of Marathi cinema today. They are rich in the knowledge of their own ethos and culture. If Gujarati cinema wants to undertake the path of revival then its directors, producers and other stake-holders should engage in a deep reading of the Gujarati way of life.

While I laud the attempt made by this young director and I am sure that this film will be hailed as a landmark and will surely shape the bright future of Gujarati cinema, I wish it would have avoided:

• The stereotyping of the Gujarati community as typically rural-minded, not sophisticated, loud and brash - especially the role of the father in the film
• The slow pace with which the film drags, hardly moving the story ahead
• A non-actor as a leading hero, weren't there good choices for the leading man?
• Some very glaring loopholes and loose ends in the story - like no explanation for the accident met by the hero and his friends, the illogical love story in the film
• The absolutely horrendous lifting of the beautiful garba 'pankhida' and converting it into a rock song.

Gujarati cinema has a lot of potential and I wish someday it can have its own "shwaas" (the landmark film that changed the course of marathi cinema)

A new dawn for Gujarati cinema?