5 Reasons Mani Ratnam's Yuva Should Be Watched Again!

Yuva is one of those rare films that was surprisingly good and became incredibly successful but one that we often tend to forget.

The film, which completes 14 years today, not only is considered one of the best Mani Ratnam films but is a one that proved vital for its young and talented cast.

Yuva broke many conventional barriers in terms of Bollywood filmmaking and it was rightly rewarded for it. Upon release, the film became popular among audiences and ended up winning 6 Filmfare awards. 

So we analyse what made this film so special:

A stunning ensemble.

Yuva tells the story of 6 characters through 3 different stories and how they their lives come together after a major incident. Though the film had Ajay Devgna and Rani Mukherji , which had some experience in the industry then, what was really key to the success of the movie was its young cast.

Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol and Abhishek Bachchan are all from Bollywood families but had failed to make any major impact in the industry before the movie. The film provided them a good opportunity to showcase their potential. The film, in particular, was important for Abhishek Bachchan, who desperately needed a hit. The film was and his performance was singled out among the cast and won him his first Filmfare award.

Sensational A.R. Rahman.

Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman is among  the best director-music composer partnerships in the modern era. This movie showed exactly that. Tracks like "Dhakka Laga Bukka" and "Kabhi Neem Neem" were refreshingly original and also became incredibly popular. And so was this song:

Unique story structure.

The best part of the film was how the three stories are told. Each story is given proper weight and it is Mani Ratnam's superior skill that none of the stories take away attention from each other, even though they are interlinked. It was a high-risk move that is often shown improperly but that wasn't the case with Yuva.

Wide-ranging themes.

At heart, Yuva was a pure Bollywood film. Including great romantic scenes and engaging action with elements of crime and humour, the film, like many blockbuster films in Bollywood covered a lot of themes. But in Yuva, these parts are all accomodated expertly. Also, the way Ratnam incorporated politics into its storyline is also worth noting.

Did you know?

The Tamil version of the fiilm Aaytha Ezhuthu starring Siddharth, Madhavan and Suriya was simultaneously shot with Yuva, and was released on the same day: 21 May 2004. The only actor present in both the films was Esha Deol.