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By Taran
Adarsh, May 4, 2007 - 15:49 IST
 Certain films run out of steam despite an interesting
storyline, partly due to difficult-to-comprehend
screenplay and also due to the abstract nature of
narrating the story. YATRA is one of those films.
The story of YATRA could've developed into a
fascinating screenplay, but writer/editor/director
Goutam Ghose interprets it in an offbeat manner, which
makes the goings-on difficult to decipher for an
average moviegoer.
Dasrath Joglekar [Nana Patekar], a celebrated writer,
travels to Delhi to receive the prestigious Literary
Award. During the journey he meets a young film-maker
Mohan [Nakul Vaid], an ardent fan of Dasrath's writing
and the encounter brings back memories from the past.
Both of them travel back in time, remembering
characters from Dasrath's celebrated novel 'Janaza',
reconstructing the true story of the novel
protagonist, Lajvanti [Rekha], from their own
perspective. After the gala award ceremony in New
Delhi, Dasrath disappears from his hotel. Tension
mounts in his family [comprising of wife Deepti Naval
and two kids].
Memories from the past and passion bring Dasrath to
Mehendi Galli, where people flock to listen to mujras.
But everything has changed with time. Lajvanti has
become Lisa, presenting popular film songs to
entertain a new clientele. Dasrath's sudden appearance
is a great surprise for Lajvanti. The character of his
novel 'Janaza' comes alive in an unexpected juncture.
 On paper, the plotline sounds interesting, but when
translated on celluloid, it lacks the power to enchant
you. The screenplay doesn't work because it seems
unfinished and also, Ghose's execution is abstract.
From the writing point of view, the relationship
between Nana and Rekha hasn't been carefully
developed. Nana is shown meeting Rekha at a very
crucial stage of the story [she has been raped]. An
unexplainable bond develops between the two that makes
you conclude that they have feelings for each other.
Ideally, the writer/director should've shown a
sequence or two to support this theory, so that when
Nana suddenly lands up at Rekha's doorstep after
winning the award, it looks believable.
The second hour goes haywire. Nana's sudden demise and
Rekha's idea to get rid of the body by hiding it in
her closet and packing it off to an undisclosed
destination, looks bizarre. Nana's wife [Deepti Naval]
drops in at that moment and a few minutes later, the
movie ends. What kind of a climax was that?
In between, there are sequences that flummox the
viewer. Nana imagines his daughter in a call centre,
his bruised son is being interviewed by a TV reporter
and his associate in Delhi is getting intimate with a
guy, who in turn is capturing the 'action' on his cell
phone… What was that? Slightly earlier, Deepti Naval
was shown as a farmer's wife, who looks shocked to see
her husband [Nana, a farmer] commit suicide… Sorry,
didn't understand that either!
 Music [Khayyam and Goutam Ghose] is equally
uninteresting. Cinematography is of standard, although
the color tones tend to get dark at times. Dialogues
are wonderful and are sure to be appreciated.
It's a different Nana Patekar you get to watch in
YATRA. Devoid of his usual mannerisms, Nana is natural
to the core. The problem with Rekha is that she has
enacted similar roles in the past and no matter how
hard she tries, it doesn't work. But, yes, the
sequence when Nana meets her for the first time [the
cry of anguish] is splendid. Deepti Naval is
appropriate. Nakul Vaid gets minimal scope. Romit Raaj
[Nana's son] is hardly there. The veteran actress
enacting the role of Nana's mother is lovable.
On the whole, YATRA is a poor fare. It has precious
little for connoisseurs of art house cinema, but
nothing for the masses. The low-key promotion coupled
with a mighty opposition [SPIDER-MAN 3] will make
YATRA's yatra at the box-office very tough.
Rating:- *
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