Ratnam opts to show this flashback first leaving you with two comparatively so-so stories to follow. Add to that Abhishek’s flashback (that of the street tough Lallan taking on the task of killing student leader Michael) is really the one story that is interesting and well written. Logically in a structure like this to work, the shootout should have been the climax of the film as the three stories come to a rip-roaring conclusion. Sounds interesting enough and hats off to Ratnam for attempting to try something unusual but unfortunately the real story involving these three young men starts from the shootout onwards and the film meanders for quite some time after to its resolution thus making the structure appearing more of a gimmick rather then a well intended integrated part of the film. The film then goes backwards to each one’s back-story turn by turn strictly sticking to their viewpoint and leading to the incident. The film depends on the novelty of the structure of its screenplay (novel at least for mainstream Hindi cinema but seen in films like the Mexican masterpiece Amores Perros (2000), an obvious inspiration), wherein the film starts with a shootout at Howrah Bridge involving three young men – Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi. Yuva is still ahead of the offerings of mainstream Hindi cinema but from Rathnam who gave you gems like Nayakan (1987), Gitanjali (1989), Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995), you always expect that something special. Everything in the film looked good – the ensemble star cast with a strong technical crew but the final film in spite of some fine flourishes here and there largely fails to work. You cannot help feeling let down after viewing Yuva because Mani Sir was coming back to Hindi Cinema after 6 years. After the creative and commercial debacle of Dil Se (1998), just when you thought Mani Ratnam had bounced back to form with the sensitive Alai Payuthey (2000) and the engaging Kan Nathil Mutha Mittal (2002), he disappoints with Yuva.