Sometimes, we fall short of words to describe a certain thing. In case of KANK and talking about how much expectations this most awaited release of the year had generated, I am speechless. There is no way you can express how much expectations were created, and then again, it is even harder to put into words the disappointment a lot of us have had to suffer after watching this "most awaited release".
When Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan last came on screen together as father and son in SARKAR, they created magic. The chemistry between them was fantastic. But let’s not forget, that movie (even though inspired from GODFATHER) was wonderfully made by a very sensible director: RGV. If Karan Johar is the director, one can be assured that the movie will be far less REAL than a movie made by RGV. And the Bachchans are all about realism; that is, the more naturally they are portrayed, the better the effect.
But unfortunately, Karan Johar, despite acquiring the services of both these greats, failed to utilize their magical talents and rather opted to stick to his stupid, senseless, and hard-to-believe kind of cinema. After the long long reels of KANK have stopped rolling, one can feel a lot of bad things and think of a lot of negative expressions. But none of these bad expressions does justice to the fact that Karan Johar disappointed endlessly this time. Fine, with SRK as his lead actor and not to mention (a very close friend), Karan ignored the talent he had in the powerful Bachchans as well as the very talented Arjun Rampal. Too bad, with SRK getting extra footage in a terribly written role, Karan and his close buddy seemed to have commited career suicide.
Let’s forget everything and talk about the story. Now let me think. On second thought, I think there isn’t any that I know of. There are two families, totally missing any connections. Yet, Karan makes them meet and mix up. What a terrible idea this terrible director had: two families meet and get closer and the result is that two marriages break in the process. Now how can anyone enjoy such a disgusting plot. First of all, why would SRK and Rani get the sympathy when Abhishek and Preity are not anywhere at fault. Why? I keep asking myself and believe me I am not the only one thinking this way. There are many others who think that Karan should rather have focused on making the reasons for SRK and Ranis to gain the sympathy over their partners. Rather, what Karan does is express his bias towards his closer friends and clearly shows in a foolish way that SRK needs no believable character (in Karan’s own opinion) to gain sympathy over a better character (Abhishek’s Rishi).
Given, I am an Abhishek Bachchan fan. But there is no denying that Abhishek’s character deserved more sympathy than that of SRK. Ditto for Preity in her divorce with SRK. So, one feels why the climax favors the thankless, useless, and characterless lovers so much when they are the ones actually at fault! According to Karan, such a move makes a bold statement. According to me, such a climax is a pure disaster! No way anyone is ready to buy such a crappy idea. But at the end of the day, Karan is lucky that with such a massive starcast at his disposal, at least everyone was ready to buy the tickets! So yes, in that respect, KANK is a big blockbuster or whatever. But as far as making a landmark in terms of movie making is concerned, I feel KANK totally missed the bus.
With all the cons being talked about, an optimistic person like me shouldn’t forget that the movie has some plusses. Shafqat Amanat Ali delivers one of the best sung tracks in recent times with "Mitwa". Sadly the song had to be picturized on an old, wrinkled, SRK. The song’s youthful feel is totally lost in the video. Yes, Rani looks stunning, and that also all through the second half particularly, but the fact is that nothing can make up for a lame overall feel when the lead actor has totally lost it. I am sorry, but I have to consider the truth. For SRK fans, I have to say this truth definitely hurts. But yes, at the end of the day it is the truth and it has to stand. But weren’t we discussing the pros? I don’t think any major pro remains apart from the performances. After watching an unbearable climax, I am short of ideas. So let’s quickly get to the performances.
KANK belongs to two people mostly: Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta. In a role that offers Abhishek not a lot of footage, yet the chance to show is increasing maturity as an actor, Abhishek Bachchan outshines his contemporaries all the way. Whenever he needed the youthful feel to be conveyed to the viewer, he delivered. For instance, in the song "Where’s the part tonight", his energetic performance leaves everyone miles behind--take the example of the overshadowed John Abraham. Where he excels most, however, is the scene where he gets frustrated and questions why Rani deceived him. Undoubtedly the best scene (performance-wise) in the movie. Preity Zinta has finally achieved a very controlled level of performance. After getting mixed response for KAL HO NAA HO and SALAAM NAMASTE, Preity might’ve possibly silenced a majority of her critics by giving a controlled, expressive performance.
Next in line is Rani Mukherji, who is totally lost due to solely her character, which is ultra weak. Rani on her own tries a great deal to get some life into the role, but the role itself is nowhere near giving her a chance to create histrionics. To reiterate, she looks stunning, especially in the second half, and even more particularly in the scene when she walks parallel to Preity on the sidewalk when both are standing infront of SRK. That is another scene that deserves mention due to good execution. SRK himself is stuck with a terrible role. With DON lined up, SRK needed to come up with a great performance to give people a reason to notice DON. But unfortunately, the role is so lifeless that Khan baba completely fails to deliver. Besides, old age has become a major obstacle for SRK and one gets the feeling that even in these roles he is finished. Sorry, but again that is the truth. How can such an actor deliver when he competes with actors such as Akshay-Salman (JAANEMAN) and Abhishek-Hrithik (DHOOM 2).
Amitabh Bachchan and Kirron Kher certainly deserved more footage. Above all, one feels Big B wasn’t provided with a character that does justice to him. The fact is that this awesome legendary actor can automatically do justice to all the roles; now it is the role that should do justice to this amazingly gifted actor. Unfortunately, Karan gets beaten badly in that department too. True, AB Senior carries of the role of Sam in the most fanastic of ways, yet as I said, Bachchan deserves so much better. Arjun Rampal too deserved more.
At the end of the way, KANK is a total disappointment. Wait, I remembered a few more pros: good cinematography, good choreography, good lyrics for songs. Yet, these are all a producer’s purchases. A true film relies not on its maker’s budget, but his genius. Unfortunately KANK is directed by a person who lacks any sort of intelligence. So yeah no critical acclaim was a given. But when will we all stop supporting such films to financial success as well?