For the town in Armenia, see Shahumyan, Ararat.

Yuva
File:Yuva.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	Shekhar Kapoor Mani Ratnam G. Srinivasan
Screenplay by	Mani Ratnam
Starring	Ajay Devgn Abhishek Bachchan Vivek Oberoi Rani Mukerji Kareena Kapoor Esha Deol
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
Editing by	A. Sreekar Prasad
Distributed by	Madras Talkies
Release date(s)	May 21, 2004
Running time	161 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	12 crore (US$2.39 million)[1]
Box office	17.25 crore (US$3.44 million)[2]

Yuva (Hindi: युवा, Urdu: یوا, English: Youth), originally titled Howrah Bridge is a feature film directed by Indian director Mani Ratnam and released in 2004. This film was a Simultaneous make of the Tamil film (""Aaytha Ezhuthu""), the prime objective of the movie was to motivate educated Indian youths to enter politics.^[3]

The film tells the stories of three young men from completely different strata of society and one fateful incident on Kolkata's Howrah Bridge which changes their lives forever.^[4] The narrative of the story is partially in hyperlink format.The film is set in the city of Chennai in the Tamil version. The Tamil version was regarded more popular among film critics.^{[citation needed]} Yuva was declared 'average grosser' at the Indian box-office.^[5]

The film's structure has been lifted from the 2000 Mexican anthology film Amores Perros.

Plot[link]

Lallan Singh (Abhishek Bachchan) is a goon, originally from Bihar but settled in Kolkata, West Bengal because his brother Gopal Singh (Sonu Sood) has left him alone and he had no option of earning back home. He loves, marries, and abuses his wife, Shashi Biswas (Rani Mukerji). Michael Mukherjee (Ajay Devgan) is a influential student leader who wants politicians like Prosenjit Bhattacharya (Om Puri) to keep away from college elections. Michael is in love with his neighbor Radhika (Esha Deol) who lives with her parents. And then there is Arjun (Vivek Oberoi), carefree and spoiled son of an IAS officer. He wants to relocate to the U.S. for a better future. He falls in love with Mira (Kareena Kapoor), whom he just met. After talking to Michael, Arjun changes his mind and wants to be a politician. Prosenjit is worried when he hears news of students standing in the election. He uses every possible way to get them out of Politics. Firstly he provides scholarship of a prestigious foreign university to Michael. When Micheal refuses the bribe, he orders his goon Gopal Singh to take control. Gopal beats some students but faces very strong retaliation from Michael and his fellow students. After that Lallan Singh takes charge and kills Gopal. He kidnaps Arjun and other candidates. However, they manage to escape with the help of Lallan Singh's ally. Lallan follows Arjun and beats him up. While running, Arjun manages to call Michael for help. He comes to rescue Arjun at Howrah Bridge. Then Lallan is handed to the police. Michael wins the four seats he and his fellow students have contested for. Shashi leaves for her hometown while Lallan remains in prison. Michael, Arjun and two friends enter Vidhansabha.

Cast[link]

• Ajay Devgn as Michael Mukherjee
• Vivek Oberoi as Arjun Balachandran
• Abhishek Bachchan as Lallan Singh
• Rani Mukerji as Shashi Biswas
• Kareena Kapoor as Mira
• Esha Deol as Radhika^[6]
• Om Puri as Prosonjit Bannerjee
• Sonu Sood as Gopal Singh
• Saurabh Shukla
• Vijay Raaz as a Friend of Lallan Singh
• Anant Nag as Arjun's Father
• Abhinav Kashyap as Trilok

Soundtrack[link]

The soundtrack features six songs by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Mehboob. The rap and lyrics for the song Dol Dol were by Blaaze.

Reception[link]

Critical Reception[link]

Abhishek Bachchan was praised by the critics for hints of a rustic 'angry young man' type performance in the film.^[7]

Box office[link]

Yuva grossed 17.25 crore (US$3.44 million) at Indian box office.Yuva did well in multiplexes. But it has not done well in single screen theatres. Compared to other parts of the country, it has fared better in Mumbai. The Mumbai distributor will recover the cost of the film, but his sub-territory distributors in places like Surat and Gujarat lost money.In places like Delhi , Uttar Pradesh, Punjab , even the south India, distributors lostaround 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) to 1 crore ( 10 million). Overseas, too, the film has done average business. ^[8][9]It was sold to distributors at price of a 20 crore-film. Despite a good opening, the box office response to Yuva was mixed, with several distributors losing money. It is another matter that the producers, Ratnam's Madras Talkies, had more than recovered their investments in this 20-crore three-language project.

Awards[link]

2004 Filmfare Awards[link]

• Best Supporting Actor - Abhishek Bachchan
• Best Supporting Actress - Rani Mukerji
• Critics Award Best Movie - Mani Ratnam
• Best Screenplay - Mani Ratnam
• Best Art Direction - Sabu Cyril

See also[link]

• Hyperlink cinema - the film style of using multiple inter-connected story lines.
• Aaytha Ezhuthu, the Tamil counterpart of this movie.

References[link]

1. ^ Mid-2004: MHN Shines; Yuva, Lakshya, Khakee - Mixed Response
2. ^ Box Office 2004
3. ^ Sarkar, Sonia (January 18, 2007). "Bollywood-inspired IITians eyeing polls". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bollywood-inspired_IITians_eyeing_polls/articleshow/1260234.cms. 
4. ^ Hot spots
5. ^ Dull opening for Yuva!
6. ^ I am today's woman -- very independent, very bindaas'
7. ^ Box Offfice Decade in Review: 2004 - Veer Zaara, Dhoom 1, Main Hoon Naa
8. ^ Yuva a loser?
9. ^ Give Yuva a chance. Don't kill it!

External links[link]

• Yuva at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine in MA, USA during a stage show 2011 May
Born	Jasmine Mary Joseph Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2001–present

Meera Jasmine (Malayalam: മീര ജാസ്മിന്‍) is an Indian actress, who appears in regional Indian films that includes Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 and is a two time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award, the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards,^[1] as well as the Kalaimamani Award from the government of Tamil Nadu.^[2]

Early life[link]

Meera Jasmine was born in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India, to Joseph and Aleyamma. She completed her schooling in Bala Vihar, Thiruvalla and Marthoma Residential School, Thiruvalla. She appeared for her Higher Secondary Exams in March 2000. She had enrolled for a BSc degree in Zoology at Assumption College, Changanassery and completed nearly three months when she was spotted by director Blessy (who was then an assistant director to director Lohithadas) and offered a role in Soothradharan.

Career[link]

Malayalam[link]

Meera Jasmine made her debut in the Malayalam film Soothradharan.^[3] Her second film was Gramaphone, directed by Kamal, in which she appeared alongside Navya Nair and Dileep.^[3] Her role as a Jewish girl was appreciated by Malayalam critics. Her third film was Swapnakkoodu, a romantic comedy alongside Prithviraj, Kunchako Boban, Jayasurya, and Bhavana under director Kamal. Her performance was appreciated and the film was a high commercial success. Among the five main characters, the one who scored the most was again Meera.^[4] She rose to fame in Malayalam cinema with the film Kasthooriman directed by her mentor Lohithadas, in which she enacted comedy and sentimental scenes. She received her first Filmfare award for her performance in Kasthooriman. The film was also a success at the box office, running for 100 days. The same year, she acted in T. V. Chandran's acclaimed Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam. She played a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was forced to marry an older man, for which she was awarded a State Award and the National Award in addition with several other awards.^[5] It was followed by her performance as Raziya in Perumazhakkalam alongside Kavya Madhavan.

In the film Achuvinte Amma (2005), she enacted the young, adorable character Achu. She then paired with Mohanlal in Rasathanthram (2006). She played as a girl pretending to be a boy in the first half of the film. The film went on to became a commercial success. Her next film with Dileep - Vinodayathra, which again was directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. She was next featured opposite Mammootty in the critically acclaimed film Ore Kadal. The film was showcased in film festivals and won awards. Her performance as an innocent middle class woman won praise from audiences. Media quoted her as, "Matching step with the megastar in this histrionic race is Meera Jasmine, who amazes you with a stunning delineation of her difficult role"^{[citation needed]}. Her next film was Calcutta News with Dileep. Blessy, who introduced her to film field, was the director of Calcutta News. In Innathe Chintha Vishayam (2008), she collaborated with Sathyan Anthikkad for his fourth consecutive film, again opposite Mohanlal, but failed to succeed. Her next films Minnaminnikoottam with Kamal and Rathri Mazha with Lenin Rajendran, which released after a long post-production delay, were box office failures. More than a year later, she played the role of a music lover and singer in Rajeev Anchal's Paattinte Palazhy. Though the film was commercially not successful, her character was noted and her performance gave her a comeback. Her next film, Four Friends, was a multi-starrer directed by Saji Surendran. She played the role of a cancer patient in this film. In the 2011 film Mohabbat, in she played the lead role opposite Anand Michael and Munna.

Tamil[link]

Jasmine's Tamil film entry made her a well-known star in the South. The successes of the Tamil film Run and Bala (2002) gave her the chance to work with the established actors of the Tamil film industry. She won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Actress award for Run. The success of the films led her to work with directors such as Mani Ratnam in Aayutha Ezhuthu and SS Stanley in Mercury Pookkal. Her latest Tamil film, Mambattiyan got released in Dec' 2011. Meera has acted in 15 Tamil films.

Telugu and Kannada[link]

Jasmine became noted in the Telugu film industry with Run, the dubbed version of the same-titled Tamil film. She was in the Telugu films in 2004 with Ammayi Bagundi and Gudumba Shankar but also entered Kannada cinema by co-starring with Puneet Rajkumar in Maurya. Her Kannada film Arrasu again with Puneet Rajkumar and Ramya is a hit. Her other Kannada films include Devaru Kotta Thangi and Ijjodu.

Jasmine's biggest commercial suceess in Telugu remains Bhadra with Ravi Teja in the male lead. Her other Telugu films are Raraju, Maharadhi, Yamagola Malli Modalayindi, Gorintaku and Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu, in which she is paired for a second time with Sivaji.

Controversy[link]

She offered prayers at Raja Rajeshwara temple at Taliparamba in Kerala where the entry of non-Hindus is prohibited. This led to a controversy and sparked off a protest by Hindu devotees. Later, she paid 10,000 (US$199.5) as penalty to the temple authorities to conduct the purification rituals.^[6][7]

Awards[link]

National Film Awards

• 2004 - Best Actress, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam

Kerala State Film Awards

• 2003 - Best Actress, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, Kasthuri Maan
• 2007 - Best Actress, Ore Kadal.

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

• 2005 - Tamil Nadu State Film Award (Special Prizes), Kasthuri Maan

Tamil Nadu Government

• 2008 - Kalaimamani Award

Filmfare Awards South

• 2003 - Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Malayalam), Kasthoorimann^[8]
• 2006 - Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Malayalam), Achuvinte Amma
• 2007 - Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Malayalam), Ore Kadal^[9]

Asianet Film Awards

• 2003 - Best Actress Award, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam^[10]
• 2004 - Best Actress Award, Perumazhakkalam^[11]
• 2005 - Best Actress Award, Achuvinte Amma
• 2007 - Best Actress Award, Ore Kadal

V. Shantaram Awards

• 2003 - V Shantaram Award for Best Actress, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam.
• 2007 - V Shantaram Award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal

Vanitha Film Awards

• 2004 - Vanitha-Chandrika Film Award For Best Actress, Perumazhakkalam
• 2007 - Vanitha-Nipon Paint Film Award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal

Mathrubhumi Film Awards

• 2003 - Mathrubhumi - Medimix Award for Best Actress, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam^[12]
• 2004 - Mathrubhumi - Medimix Award for Best Actress, Perumazhakkalam^[13]

Other Awards

• 2001 - Bharathan Award For Best Female Debut Actress, Soothradharan^[14]
• 2002 - Dinakaran Award For Best Female Debut Actress, Run^[15]
• 2003 - National Film Academy Award for Best Actress, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam.
• 2003 - Kaveri-Film Critics Award, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam^[16]
• 2003 - Kerala Film Audience Council Award, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam
• 2003 - Kerala Film Critics Association Award, Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam^[17]
• 2004 - Tikkurishi Award for Best Actress, Perumazhakkalam.^[18]
• 2005 - Amrita Film Fraternity Award for Best Actress, Achuvinte Amma
• 2006 - Jeevan TV-Mastro Mania award for Best Actress, Rasathanthram
• 2007 - Dubai AMMA award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal
• 2007 - FOKANA Award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal^[19]
• 2007 - Amrita Film Award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal^[20]
• 2007 - Sreevidya Puraskaaram (Best Actress), Ore Kadal^[21]
• 2007 - Tharangini Film Award for Best Actress, Ore Kadal
• 2008 - Best Actress at 8th Annual Imagine Indian Film Festival, Spain, "Ore Kadal"
• 2008 - Dubai AMMA award for Best Actress, Calcutta News
• 2009 - Veera Pazhassi Awards -Swarna Mayoogam

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Meera Jasmine at the Internet Movie Database