ram-solo Reviews

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

large step in the right direction .. (yet more needed)

[7/10 · 18 August 2006]

On the very outset, whether it be all the publicity, interviews, to some degree even the music (mitwaa in particular), we have been well informed that this film is a love story about 2 people which is set outside the realms of their own marriages & this in itself is a daring stride on the producers part.

How so? You might ask. Well, partially it burns down to films being a HUGE part of people's lives in the Indian culture. If this is your first experience of Bollywood I should probably point out that in the Indian film industry we have lagged behind the rest of the world, for one reason only that I can put a finger on, and it has nothing to do with the song-and-dance as many may suggest, but it is the fact that they have been aimed specifically at the Indian audience for decades. Perhaps it shouldn't be, but it is considered a benchmark within Indians even to the extent of it being used as a tool by the elder generation to give guidance & set morals in their children, almost like the way many of us from early childhood are taught about God & religion.

Easily done, as the people of India are surrounded by our films far more than they are here in the UK, it is almost frowned upon if you haven't seen the latest Bollywood blockbuster on the weekend of its release. The people are more in touch with the latest & greatest in films than they are in the politics of the country, in fact politics probably comes 3rd place after Films & Cricket. An example is probably if you asked a kid who the Prime Minister of the country was they are less likely to know than who Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan is.

Plot Summary: KANK narrates the story of two families. There are the Sarans: Dev, his wife Rhea, their son Arjun - played by Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and child artiste Ahsaas Channa respectively, & there are the Talwars: Rishi, his wife Maya & his father Samarjit (though after watching the film you're more likely to remember him as Sexy Sam) - played by Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji & Dr. Amitabh Bachchan respectively. Both marriages are steadily moving forward but clearly unstable from the very moment we meet the characters. Dev & Maya's paths cross and they find friends in each other when they realise & find a little comfort in sharing thoughts with each other as they are both in the same situation of weak on the verge of breaking marriages. Through many a cup of coffee** and conversation regarding their respective marriages, they find themselves falling for each other. The crux of the story is how the two & their families deal with this (once they admit it to themselves & each other). A simple story, a concept far from novel you might think, & not wrongly, but as the case always is with Karan Johar films (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham & Kal Ho Naa Ho), its the way he portrays the characters, the way the plots & subplots & climax are unveiled upon the silver screen that makes the film far more than the on paper, simple, straight out of life stories.

Music: The 60's theme "Rock n Roll, Soniye", The EuroVision-like "Where's the party tonight?", or typical mushy variety "Tumhi Dekho Na" the choreography of Farah Khan deserves all the praise it gets as it simply can't be faulted. The above songs I found do take a little getting used to & can sound a tad cheesy but you can't help but tap your feet to them by the end.

A notch above the rest however are definitely the songs "Mitwaa" which actually does convince you that these two (SRK & Rani) are slowly falling for each other, and the title song "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" is simply beautiful, pleasant on the ears & conveys the pain of separation & the time that passes through the change in seasons superbly.

Overall Impressions: A top notch film from the writing, performance and execution point of view. It is stylish, has substance, has kept the conventional modes of entertainment value for the typical audience in mind (Light hearted moments, Song-n-Dance, Lavish costumes, A-list actors) but at the same time has daringly broken the conventions in content, handling a sensitive subject with élan & total dignity, which will certainly earn it a lot of respect points. The screenplay balances the two extremes of sweet light moments and sour showers of emotion with a familiar breeze. The relationship between the couples or even those between the parents and children are handled with respect. If there are moments that move you to tears, there are ample moments that bring a smile to your face too. The film is quite talky, but in a smart way. You never feel that the characters are talking to hear their own words or to fill up screen time. Definitely worth a watch for the overall sweet-n-sour flavour you get from a typical chick flick. From the people that do them best, you can't really go wrong, with a sharp twist, a hidden message passed subtly through the first line in the theatrical trailer and the final line in the film: "The foundation of a marriage should be an unconditional love for your partner & nothing else, for if the foundation is flawed then relationships break"

Kaal (2005)

Respectable Effort

[8/10 · 5 May 2005]

The energetic 'Kaal Dhamaal' song in the opening is a highlight for the SRK fans out there, pairing him once more with Malaika Arora Khan. {Last seen in Dil Se (1998) which was the first Bollywood film to reach the Top-10 in the UK movie charts.}

'Kaal Dhamaal' sets the pace nicely for what is to follow ..

Personal Review: An introduction to the film through a kill in the jungle, followed by the introductions of the key characters & how they end up in the jungle. though a fairly slow paced start, with some clichéd jumps in sound volume, introduction of dodgy looking characters, mixed with the signs of inauspicious events (including the black cat crucial for a film of this genre), unfolds & sets the mood of the film quite well. It could perhaps have been a little more effective if we saw more from the green skewed perspective from the 'eye of the tiger' in these earlier scenes.

You expect it to pick up pace once all the main characters collaborate their efforts to reach safety & though it does, I felt this part was a tad slow & does test the patience of the viewer a little, especially the number of times they seem to have trouble with their respective vehicles. There is a subtle and dry comedy that appears every once in a while. It lightens the mood some & keeps viewers focused during this time. Having said this I feel this may have been intended to maintain a steady progress in the storytelling & also emphasize the following sequences.

The sequence where we see the main characters first confrontation with the tigers & the introduction of Ajay Devgan's character is superb and sticks out as a mark above the rest. At intermission we are left with the possibility that the cause of the killings may be more than just tigers, it is timed well to let the viewer know this quite early on so they don't feel cheated once the plot does unravel itself. Its also an ideal time to have a break at this juncture to leave the viewer pointing fingers & anticipating a charged up second half.

As expected the pace picks up a fair bit in the second half & as the mystery unravels you do find yourself pointing fingers in almost every direction. The chases, the deaths, it all leads up to an unexpected climax which has been handled with much sincerity.

The background score by Salim – Sulaiman and cinematography by Santosh Thundiyil need a special mention. Besides the performances, direction & screenplay, these are the two major assets to this film without which an experiment like this could easily crumble.

As for the performances, Ajay Devgan emerges as the shining star despite having a small role. His performance is sure to be admired & applauded. There couldn't be a more perfect performance for his role, he proves he's a veteran & the rest of the new generation cast have plenty to learn from him. His dialogue delivery is truly awesome & his character is etched into your memory even after the show. Vivek Oberoi seems to fit his role successfully without much effort making his presence felt. His repeated line "Cut The Crap" and constantly irritated character does require him to display a certain arrogance & attitude. He'll probably be remembered for his instant anger & wanting to kill everyone. John Abraham suits his role well & is progressing as an actor in each film. Lara Dutta and Esha Deol are strictly okay for what they do. Admittedly they don't get much to do except look pretty, scream & irritate. In this venture Lara excels in the screaming & looking pretty, Esha in the irritating. The supporting starcast fill their relevant parts precisely as required.

Soham Shah who has previously assisted Ram Gopal Varma & Karan Johar, two exact opposite end of the Bollywood industry finds his feet with an excellent screenplay. He has rightly combined Johar and Varma's skills to generate something that is far from usual. The cries of "we want something different" from the Indian audience have been heard! 'Kaal' undeniably defies the Bollywood stereotype & is certainly a step in the right direction. Its a unique film forwarding the current revolution to the Bollywood industry. Though I see what they're trying to do & it works to an extent, it does have some room for improvement. The film does have a slight amateur feel to it, but primarily I feel this is probably due to limitation in its budget, nevertheless its a respectable film for a first time low budget attempt & definitely worth a watch.

Overall a safe venture by Karan Johar & SRK, they couldn't really go wrong with this project. It marks their debut as a partnership in production where they've shown they are willing to experiment & fully support fresh ideas & fresh artists. Taking the back seat & supporting newbies in the industry should earn them deserved respect {& hopefully a fair amount of money}. A definite winner in the production point of view considering their investment wouldn't have been all that great with a fairly new cast & a new director with a fairly low budget.

Main Hoon Na (2004)

one big homage, can't complain though!!

[7/10 · 25 June 2004]

an excellent homage to 70's cinema & music, but not at all in a bad way as typically assumed with this kind of genre. although the plot had a fair use of cliché'd scenes, we could see that all the artists were enjoying themselves working on this & it always reflects in good performances. with the big grins we certainly know from the outset that its meant to be cheesy & that is exactly why it works.

suniel shetty seems more than comfortable playing the villain, sushmita sen & her sari's will certainly adjust the people's views on saris being old-fashioned, shahrukh khan once more reminds us of why he's one of the most respected actors in the industry

amrita rao & zayed khan are adequate & show potential though its hard to judge them so early in their careers

but above all i think credit goes to farah khan for scripting & direction, you would not think this a work of a first timer. don't get me wrong its not perfect, but whats the fun in perfect anyway??!

additional comment: its good to see the hero being overpowered by the villain without bias {srk & farah khan being good friends}.

we shall look forward to her next venture ... already we know it will have Shahrukh Khan - Surprise Surprise!

Lakshya (2004)

has its inspirational moments

[6/10 · 25 June 2004]

after dil chahta hai the expectations were bound to be high for this venture. the concept was promising & so i tried to avoid such expectations & take this film as it came.

i went in expecting nothing much & yet felt disappointed with this one.

in the 1st half i found myself twitching for something to happen, but i cautiously thought it is a buildup to the 2nd half.. & to some extent i was correct in thinking so ...

the second half was more gripping in that we felt like we were in the midst of the soldiers, priety getting promoted & sent there seemed a bit too pushy for coincidence.

the relationship between priety & hrithik seemed half baked but i can see how giving it more emphasis would take away from the main plot. perhaps an intermediate could have been found.

the use of the word lakshya {goal} is used frequently but to me his actual lakshya in this film seemed 'small' one mission doesn't seem enough to be a goal in life to me & then it was just cheesy when he tells preity that she is too.

if he was dedicating his entire life to the service of the country then this would be an understandable lakshya.

i think the problem with a film like this is adding the romance concept ruins it. if preity's character wasn't to exist then this could work nicely.

also songs seemed there for no particular purpose & none of them stick with you after the show. main aisa kyon hoon was good to watch but like the rest placed just for the sake of being there, none of the others had any impact whatsoever.

veterans like amitabh bachchan & om puri were wasted, although their presence could be noted. in the 1st half flashbacks i felt hrithik's character was very strongly based on aamir khan's character in 'dil chahta hai' preity zinta's character is not much different to that of her own character in vidhu vinod chopra's 'mission kashmir'

overall i felt this film was a mish mash of films we've seen before, & not intentionally done or well done. with a few patriotic & inspiring moments overall a felt a letdown.

this is not to say farhan akhtar is a one hit wonder. wishing farhan all the best for his next film. everyone has the right to experiment ... i mean even veterans like rajiv rai & yash chopra have the odd failiure films. {pyaar ishq aur mohabbat & lamhe respectively}

Baghban (2003)

nicely done

[7/10 · 29 October 2003]

i read a response saying this film was an absoulute miscast & it was unrealistic hat the children were so loving in 1st fifteen minutes & so otherwise in the rest of the film.

i must beg to differ. a parent sees their children as loving & i think it was genius & definitely intentional that it initially appeared this way. Reality then hits them as the children are just making use of their father as a resource.

Many in the crowd watching this will relate to this, either the father or even the children. My case was definitely the latter. It hits a guilt chord of whether or not we have treated our parents with the respect they deserved.

Amitabh & Hema definitely deliver with conviction the love between them & their love for the children. Their pain of being treated like trash again convincing on both parts. Songs were placed with some though & dont seem to just fill gaps as is the case many times in Bollywood.

The children don't need much scope for acting however do play the brats quite nicely, if that could be possible.

Though the events in the 2nd half do make you wonder how so many coincidences occur in a span of a week in their lives. We feel that they deserved this change for the better & more than this being a loophole in the script i see it as an uplifting moral story.

Good comes to those who are good, & like k3g of a couple of years back told us: "It's all about loving your parents!"