People in India are known to be extremely passionate about two things, sports and cinema. And, when these two come together, the audience gets very excited to check what is in store. Over the last few decades, one has seen Bollywood churn out several memorable sports-based films including ‘Lagaan’, ‘Chak De India’, ‘Ferrari Ki Sawari’ and ‘Dangal’ among others. ‘Krishna Aur Chitthi’, featuring Darsheel Safari and Arun Govil in the lead roles, is a new addition to the list. However, this film is very different from any sports film one has come across till date.
Arjun (Darsheel Safari) is a young cricketer who has grown up idolizing Sachin Tendulkar. A situation arises when he has to play the sport and compete against a team for a special purpose. His father (Arun Govil) is about to lose a piece of land he owns in Kashmir to dishonest officials and unscrupulous politicians. A cricket match will decide whether Arjun’s father will get to retain the ownership of his land or not. While Arjun is reluctant to play initially, he agrees when his father shows him a letter from Sachin Tendulkar asking him to play.
‘Krishna Aur Chitthi’ is a unique film which brings sports and devotion together. The film blends these two elements in such a wonderful manner that you, as the audience, feel mesmerized. The script, written by Rajnish Mishra, is one of the film’s biggest strengths. The narrative moves at a good pace while ensuring there are no dull moments in between. The emotional moments tug at your heartstrings and the twists take you by surprise. The screenplay is inspiring and exciting in equal measure.
Technically, the film does not give you a reason to complain. The camerawork, by Hemant Gulshan Chauhan, is top-notch. The editing (Devendra Murdeshwar) is crisp. The special effects (ASR VFX) are good and have been incorporated at the right junctures. The music (Puneet Dixit) is soulful. The lyrics (Sanjay Masoom) are good.
Vinaay Bhhardwaj and Saumitra Singh have jointly directed the film and have done a fine job with it. They do a good job of translating the written material well on the screen and making sure the narrative never goes astray. The first and the second half of the film are equally gripping and that speaks volumes about the kind of hold the two directors have had over the narrative.
Arun Govil brings a certain gravitas which works very well for the character. Darsheel Safary fits the part very well. He plays cricket with a lot of confidence and gives a good account of himself in the other scenes as well. Sajjad Delafrooz leaves a mark as Iqbal Qureshi. Mir Sarwar is good as Khalid. Rituraj is memorable in a supporting role.
Overall, ‘Krishna Aur Chitti’ is a very well-made that offers a unique cinematic experience. Perhaps, for the very first time, one gets to witness a film that blends elements related to faith and sports and presents them together in a narrative that is cohesive and engaging at the same time.