The trouble with candyfloss directors is that they are inept to handle subjects alien to them. Sooraj Barjatya faced this issue when he changed tack from old-fashioned romances and tried to make a so-called modern love story called Main Prem Ki Deewani. Now, Karan Johar faces a similar stumbling block as he leaves honey and sugar romantic capers and tries to handle a complex theme like extra marital affairs. The storyline seems simple enough. Shahrukh and Rani become involved in an extra-marital affair to get rid of their insecurities. All hell breaks loose when their respective spouses (Preity and Abhishek) come to know of it. In the end, however, the lovers are united.
The length of the movie (almost three and half hours) is a major deterrent. Shahrukh is disappointing, so is Rani. The two sport only a monotonous expression throughout, SRK that of frustration and Rani that of pain. Preity is perky but age is catching up with her. And what was Arjun Rampal doing in that blink and you miss me role. The biggest shock is Amitabh’s two-bit role. In the name of comedy, Karan reduces an actor of Amitabh’s stature to a mere caricature who resorts to making love to call girls in his son’s house (appalling!). However, to the veteran’s credit he has salvaged the character to a great extent.
The only two redeeming factors of the movie are:
1) The music-Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy hit the bull’s-eye with their inimitable brand of tunes. Mitwaa and the title track stand out in particular.
2) Abhishek Bachchan- Aby’s baby has finally grown up. As Rani’s long-suffering husband he puts on a fine show. The scenes of his emotional confrontation with Rani are just brilliant.
Star power may carry KANK through the box-office but Karan still has a long way to go before he can handle mature relationships. Maybe, he should take lessons from Sanjay Leela Bhansali whose Black is practically a textbook on how to handle delicate relations.