Watch it for ladies and the ....Shek
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
'Ufff'....that was precisely the reaction (not just mine, but also my fellow watchers, who had gone especially at 10pm on a Friday night to watch the latest product from the Johar camp. While walking out of the theatre, I heard words like 'horrible', '2nf half was totally not needed', 'it's stretched like a bubblegum'.....hmmm....I was glad Mr. Johar was not watching with us.
This Karan Johar ~3hr 40min saga, indeed, seems to be a never-ending tale, courtesy its slow pace and director's blind eye towards editing.
The first 15min were simply brilliant from a film-making point of view....the inter-mixing of sequences introducing each character.....the costume contrast of Shahrukh in New Yorker style jacket/jeans and Rani Mukherjee in a red Dulhan dress trying to meditate over her marriage happening right then.....that whole scene was awesome, particularly the way they walk away from each other, clandestinely turning back every 2 seconds shows the sprout of their symbiotic emotions. But the pace just takes a quick dip after that, like a zone V rapid.
As for the much talked-about brave theme, I think it is done pretty believably. Instead of infidelity, at least on the face, it's more alike two lovers craving to be together, despite their nuptial cords with their own better-halves......All Karan tries to say is that don't be encumbered by marital chains, liberalize yourself and go where your heart is....ala Dil Chahta Hai (BTW, the Akshey-Dimple romance was handled much more subtely by Farhan Akhtar!).
Shahrukh Khan is at his hamming best. His acting (rather over-acting) is recycled with the same facial expressions as in Kal Ho Na Ho, Main Hoo Naa, etc. You can bear him only if you enjoy watching him as a star (which most of Indians do). Otherwise, he is way far behind his contemporaries in acting prowess. Wake up, SRK, you need to go back to your DilSe or Swades levels.
Amitabh's character was a little over-the-board...but it probably added humor to an otherwise lengthy and often boring tale. BTW, the satire of old Indian men devoid of physical relationship was right on!
The Jr Bachchan was definitely the pick of the gang. He switches seamlessly between childish behavior and high-pitch anger at lack of his wife's interest in him. It was never explained, though, why Rani didn't respond to his gestures.
Music of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Leo trio is very good. I loved Mitwa, with its nice picturization of Shahrukh and Rani in love. The title song is along the lines of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, looks more like a bhajan than a song. Rest are OK.
As for the look and background, director made a conscious effort not to repeat the NY locales used in Kal Ho Na Ho (Parson to hoga:)). The kind of locales chosen hinged upon cuteness and beauty, rather than tall glamorous buildings. In-fact, there are hardly any scenes shot inside downtown. Karan's infatuation towards Fall leaves and the benches continues. Every now and then, whenever characters get a chance, they perch on a bench either in a metro train station or on a road or in a park.
Following the norm with every Karan Johar movie, the ravishing Kajol appeared in a special appearance.. (remember: she and Rani made a quick halt in Kal Hoi Na Ho in the song Mahi Ve). She stole the thunder with her 10-second special appearance in the song 'Rock n Roll'...
As for our Johar saab, this has to rank lowest in his credentials list. Towards the fag eng, did he himself also make a cursory appearance in the train sitting behind SRK? It was so fleeting that I was not sure.
Rang de Basanti still ranks my best movie of the year, rather standing tall without much competition. Lets see....BTW, the trailers of 'Kabul Express', 'Munnabhai Lage Raho', 'Don' were enjoyable.
The ladies looked pretty, especially Rani when she wore sarees and Preity with her ultra-modern outfits. Their acting was just Ok.
Watch it for ladies and Abhi-shek!
-Sanjit Singh Dang
Milpitas, California
Aug 25, 2006, 3am PST.
PS: While driving back home, I was wondering how Ram Gopal Varma would have treated this script....definitely, it won't have exceeded ~2 hrs. He would probably shoot it in some Mumbai slums and the characters may have a dark side to them as a reason for their behavior (if not linked to the underworld, then maybe they would have some psycho problem or their family circumstances are not humane..)...Lyrics would probably be by Gulzar with Vishal's music....Any other ideas?
Read what does the Public say?
----------------------------------------
Please add your comments here (both positive and negative).
Visit my other sites: aamir-khan.com and fanaahthefilm.com.