Title: Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi
Director: Ravindra Gautam
Cast: Anant Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Dinesh Lal Yadav
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: ***1/2
The prolific politician Yogi Adityanath needs no introduction at all. Always termed as someone who is not just outright and just but also ahead of times, he has been nothing less than a revolutionary personality of the modern times. So, for someone to portray the journey traversed so far by this illustrious person is nothing less than a challenge in itself. Does the film’s leading man Anant Joshi manage to do full justice to the film Ajey and Yogi Adityanath, let's find out…
The film welcomes you with a serene atmosphere of Uttar Pradesh, set in the year 1984. The audiences are then treated to be a part of a baarati’s dance and music… a happy event that, in no time, turns into a bloodshed of sorts. We are then introduced to two young boys. While one is Ajey- the kid who is academically bright and then, there is his brother… who ‘wants to obey his father’s instructions’ of becoming a bus driver when he grows up!
As they grow up, they start off with a tourist bus service. but , as luck would have it, an oversmart local goon acts as a roadblock. This leads to a series of events, which forces Ajey’s father to send him out-station for his further studies. And when he joins a college to do his first year BSc, he gets ragged on the very first day. The flip side of the ragging is that he makes his gang of friends.
Again, due to certain events, Ajey lands up contesting the college elections. Even though he loses the college elections, he gathers the guts to reason his loss before Guruji (played by Paresh Rawal, whose character is based on Maharaj Avaidhyanath). It is Ajey’s Guruji who carves the path for him to transform from Ajay Anand to Yogi Adityanath. What happens after that is what forms the rest of the film.
Actors’ performance
As stated earlier, it's a huge responsibility to not just step into the (on-screen) shoes of a political supremo like Yogi Adityanath, but also to bring him alive on the silver screen is not at all an easy task. And our man Anant Joshi walks every possible mile to look and behave like the central character. He is extremely convincing in all the phases traversed by Yogi Adityanath.
What is remarkable about Anant and his performance is that, even though he knows that he has a large shoes to fill, he does not let anyone’s persona overshadow his own! For someone who has to his credit films like 12th Fail, Kathal and others and web series like Maamla Legal Hai, Ye Kaal Kaali Aankhein and others, a role like Ajey, only proves that he has indeed come a long way!
Then, there is the ever dependable veteran actor Paresh Rawal (in the role of Mahant Avaidyanath), who is extremely convincing in the role of someone who has to act as a rock solid anchor to the film’s narrative. As an icing on the cake, there is also Dinesh Lal Yadav whose screen presence manages to balance the film that oscillates between spirituality and politics as its mainstay! As for the supporting cast, all the actors do a commendable job.
One really needs to applaud the film’s director Ravindra Gautam for the patience he has shown with his camera while translating the film’s narrative on the silver screen. His direction is privy to the fact that he is definitely not someone who will rush into things to make it happen. Testimony to this, stems from the transitions one gets to see from the growing up years of Ajey to his meteoric rise as a political leader with the touch of spirituality intact! With this film, Ravindra has shown the world how a biopic can be made without looking even a bit like a propaganda sprinkled film!
Thanks to the film’s cinematographer, the film (that’s based on Shantanu Gupta’s bestselling biography The Monk Who Became A Chief Minister)) looks like a visual treat at many places. The film’s cinematography has been done in such a way that the film’s storyline looks and sounds as real as possible, without sounding or looking preachy at all!
The film’s music is simple though. At the same time, the film does not have any hook songs which have recall value. Having said that, one cannot deny the fact that, the factor that complements the visuals and the performances is the film’s background score. The use of traditional Indian instruments adds that much needed authentic and realistic feel to the film.
FPJ verdict
The film Ajey: The Untold Story Of A Yogi is definitely a must watch for all those who love biopics, political stories or natural acting. Besides that, the film’s simplicity also acts as one of the USPs. But, the eternal question remains is that, are all these magnetic enough to draw the ‘cineplex crowds’!
