'Kai Po Che!' is not Modi propaganda, says film's director

Bangalore, Mar 4: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is not only at the centre of a heated row over activists forcing the cancellation of his keynote address at the Wharton India Economic Forum, some people are also upset about a recently released Bollywood movie not properly depicting his alleged inaction during the 2002 riots in the state.

The film in question is "Kai Po Che!". Its director Abhishek Kapoor liked the novel "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" so much that he decided to make a film on the book written by Chetan Bhagat.

The bestselling author told the story of three friends namely Govind, Ishaan and Omi who live in Ahmedabad. Developments in Gujarat at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st form the backdrop.

Since the movie is based on the novel, the devastating 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the post-Godhra riots a year later are the main turning points in "Kai Po Che!".

However, those who have found fault with the film feel it showed just one local politician hailing from the majority community as being mainly responsible for the violence that broke out after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was torched by miscreants on Feb 28, 2002.

Abhishek responded to such critics by tweeting: "Strange how some people are seeing 'Kai Po Che!' as Modi propaganda. They are obviously missing the point and looking for something that it's not...".

He stressed that the movie is about the close friendship between three young men. In "Kai Po Che!", Sushant Singh Rajput appears as Ishaan while Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav play the roles of Omi and Govind.

"'Kai Po Che!' is about the innocence of youth and their coming of age... not a witch hunt... accept it for what it is... and you might see the light," Abhishek noted.

Incidentally, the film's title is a Gujarati expression. When a person manages to cut another's kite in the midst of a kite competition, the phrase is uttered by the former to convey his elation.

OneIndia News