Hawaa Hawaai (2014)

What a movie !! What a direction !! And super sets of acting by the children. The movie clearly reflects the daily life of small street children who wishes to study but have no chance at all and no luck as well. The movie provided goosebumps at each moment. The story line is predictable but is connected in a superb way. I hated Amole Gupta for his role as a villain in Singham Returns but i was a wrong.He might not be a great actor but he is indeed a great director. Moreover, if you are bored of those stupid 100cr earning movies. Then this one is a must watch. A very much inspiring sports movie. Any non Hindi speaker can watch it on subtitle and feel the movie at each point. I am Nepali and i loved it very much. A very good Movie after Udaan.

The one person who has mastered the art of how to deal with and extract some exceptional work from kids in Hindi films is Amole Gupte and the director has strongly proved his praiseworthy skill in films like TAARE ZAMEEN PAR (as creative director) and STANLEY KA DABBA winning much recognition including the National Awards. So as expected, one gets to see the glimpses of the same lovable art form in HAWAA HAWAAI too but in a more decorated manner, somewhat different from what we had earlier seen in Amole's previous films.HAWAA HAWAAI begins well and remains focused on the kids alone, which actually is its major triumph card played throughout the film intelligently. The first half holds out well and the second half gives you some emotional moments too with the final tournament executed in an engaging style. However this time we have a project based on a sport, which is not that famous in the country (found only in the metros) along with some over the top and unrequired sequences too which don't allow the film to excel in its overall execution.For instance, the 30 Rupees insertion was quite a deliberate one since even a street kid knows that he cannot even get 1 liter of milk in that small amount or even one cutting chai available at a minimum of 5-10 Rupees in the market. So how can they believe just 30 Rupees to be the price of a big roller-blade set being sold at a lavish store, particularly when the kids are supposed to be so sharp & witty in their otherwise mutual interactions? Secondly all those iron-man kind of armors looked like too filmy to be incorporated in a Amole Gupte film desperately trying to make a stronger impact. And lastly a love angle thrown in just for the sake of it was also a clear indication of side- plot inserted forcefully.So in short, the meaningful warmth witnessed in Amole's STANLEY KA DABAA is sadly missing here and the completely predictable theme of the film plays a major drawback too as always seen in projects based on Sports theme. But still Amole once again brings forward a burning issue of our society i.e. of Child Labour and Minimum Education as the right of every kid residing in the country. The sequences showing the big, ugly class divide existing all around us, hit you hard and one does begin thinking about the same, as the film ends with an interesting scene of a primary class being attended by the grown up kids.Here I would like to mention a very important sequence in the film, wherein the coach starts training the poor kid, feeling both the responsibility and pride in doing this noble act. But in the process, forgets about the nutrition level to be maintained along with the physically draining, training sessions provided in nights. And I really found this thoughtful insertion a very enlightening one, pointing towards the fact that it's not just sufficient to provide all the kids their minimum education, but we also need to look into their 'nutritional needs' too in order to get their overall development in a much balanced manner.Revolving around all realistic characters, HAWAA HAWAAI plays the underdog card well in its second half and the performances lift up the film with a fine display of friendship, will power and focused ambitions. The situational soundtrack doesn't grab your attention as it should have but the cinematography presents it delightfully leaving a positive impact. Saqib Saleem wins your heart as the selfless coach. Plus both Neha Joshi (the mother) & Anuj Sachdeva (the elder brother) are terrific in their respective roles. The supporting cast contributes greatly, especially Razzak Khan playing the positive character helping the kids in his garage in just two scenes.Actually the film deserves to be seen for the five kids alone led by the talented Partho Gupte who once again delivers an astonishing performance as the hardworking boy. He remains the real hero of the film along with his four friends Bhura (Salman Chhote Khan), Gochi (Ashfaque Khan), Abdul (Maaman Memon) and Bindaas Murugan (Tirupathi Krishnapelli), with Gochi taking away most of the smiles in the theater.In all, despite being predictable and having few avoidable sequences, HAWAA HAWAAI still can be called a decent attempt spreading awareness among the society, keeping the living spirit alive in the underprivileged kids. It's honestly not a step ahead by Amole Gupte but deserves to be seen for its sincere, inspirational performances for sure. Also because we rarely make films here with the kids playing the key roles.

A film on Skating is hardly done in India, so Hawaa Hawaai is sort of a trend setter. The film is well handled and the kids scenes(always stand out in an Amol Gupte film) is superb though the boys do look a bit odd as street guys. Yet the scenes are well handled, though at times the film is dragged especially in the second half, also it follows the predictable nature of such filmsBut yet the film is riveting and does move youDirection is good Music is okaySaqib Saleem is great in his serious role, Partho Gupte is good in his role, rest all mostly newcomers do a good job

Please read this review at http://moviereviewsbybinduc.blogspot.in/2014/05/hawaa-hawaai.htmlHawaa Hawaai celebrates the triumph of an ordinary Dharavi boy who dared to dream, pursued his dream and became successful with his sheer determination, hard work, and persistence. Though the plot is absolutely predictable, what makes it a delight to watch is the simple yet sensitive and unexaggerated handling of the plot by Amole Gupte; group of 'Pandavas'- five boys and their camaraderie; mentor-protégé relationship; bonding between mother-son / two brothers etc. This movie has no dearth of optimism, positive energy, and undying achiever's spirit.Harishchandra Wagmare (Makrand Deshpande), a cotton farmer, gives a perfect start to the movie with lighting the diya and a great bhajan (explaining the Jeevan-saar i.e. meaning of life and challenges associated with life) along with his son Arjun Harishchandra Wagmare (Partho Gupte) on his side and a happy family in the background. These initial frames itself explained that the young protagonist Arjun's life may not be easy. Then the backdrop changes to Mumbai, where Arjun is trying to seek a job at a tea-stall. His mother (Neha Joshy) reluctantly allows him to work there. Destiny changed the course of his life that day, since in front of the tea stall, he got to see lot of children welcoming Lucky Sir aka Aniket Bharghava (Saqib Saleem, brother of actress Huma Qureshi), a skate coach. Aniket is in a wheel chair recovering from an accident. He is passionate about the sport and coaching lot of students and also preparing them for District Championship. Arjun got fascinated with skating but found it a distant dream since skates were too costly to be afforded by him. When his group of other four friends (all children) – a mechanic Gochi (Ashfaque Bismillah Khan), Weaver Abdul (Maaman Memon), Rag Picker Murugan (Thirupathi N Kushnapelli) and a Gajra (Mogra) seller Bhura (Salman Chote Khan) learn about Arjun's dream, what they do next is actually to be seen. It is hilarious, when all five take leave for an hour from their respective employers to buy a skate with just Rs. 30/- since Gochi misunderstood 30K as just Rs. 30/-. Amole has spectacularly depicted the synergy of these boys where each one of them contributed to tailor made a skate- Hawaa Hawaai for Arjun (let me not reveal, how each one of them contributed).But the path for Arjun was not easy. He turned out to be an Eklavya who learnt by watching Aniket's coaching along with serving tea to the customers and practicing late night when everybody left. Still, Arjun was aware that he was far away from being a great skater.How Arjun's friends plan to get his talent showcased in front of the 'Dronacharya' – Aniket is another hilarious scene. How Aniket takes an extra mile to coach his new student ? How does Arjun manage with his full day (rather extended hours too) tea-stall job followed by skating practice? Can Aniket groom Arjun to be a Champion? What happens to the District Championship? We know, Arjun will emerge as a winner at the end, but how his journey was toward the winning destination? Please watch the movie and enjoy the journey of Arjun.What an effortless performance from Partho as Arjun! He seems to breath Arjun's character, his pain, inner turmoil, passion to fulfill the dream… Rest of the cast Saqib as a skating coach, Neha as Arjun's mother, Anuj as Aniket's brother Anirudh, of-course Makrand Deshpande's brief but lingering performance as Arjun's father and all the kids are also very good. Writer-Director Amole Gupte has effortlessly shown the suffering of the downtrodden and their struggles to live their lives in a very believable manner. The underlying pathos is shown in a subtle manner. He has touched upon the plight of the farmers. The heart-rending song 'sapno ko ginte ginte' captures varied glimpses of children engaged in different activities of life. On one side, a few children are going to school, having parental bliss, enjoying the home made food, and on another side, a few other children are trying to earn their living by rag-picking, selling mogras, weaving, working in the garage / tea-stall, their daily battle for survival etc. These contrasting lifestyle's visuals are run side by side. The picturization of the song displays the divide between the privileged and the underprivileged / deprived lot of the children in the contemporary society. It is great to see how the kids find a way out even amidst darkness, dealing with the life's struggles with a great sense of humour. The moment where Aniket realizes that what he learnt from the positive spirits of these Pandavas has changed his life forever is very touching. Amole has definitely been able to raise a few questions that, aren't we responsible to ensure the following as a society: 1. make basic education every child's right 2. wiping out child labour from the society 3. Identifying and nurturing the talents of every children