Call me a dirty old man, if you must, but Khwaish is a lovely film, period.
WHY?
OK here are the reasons:
(1) It is the same old rich boy meets poor girl story, yet made interesting. The treatment is fresh, totally fresh. The hero ain’t a superman, has his vulnerabilities and weaknesses for all to see. The chatterbox heroine has above-average intelligence as compared to Bollywood heroines.
(2) The romance is not mushy – its practical, in-your-face and realistic.
(3) The fight with the boy’s rich parents is not melodramatic. There is a separation, yes, but its very civilized. The boy and the father as it is have a very formal relationship which gets strained due to the rebellious marriage. But that does not prevent them from communicating. The mother even visits the household of the younger couple and exchange RD Burman cassettes with her bahu.
(4) The heroine’s father is a chicken farmer and has a different approach towards life. Slightly over-the-top, but thoroughly informal, he insists on his daughter calling him by name.
(5) The problems encountered by the young couple in their day-to-day life are also very realistically depicted.
(6) The heroine’s illness and subsequent death are brilliantly shown. The director could have gone overboard with the glycerin. But the hero’s first reaction to the shocking news is one of the best that I’ve seen in such a situation in Bollywood.
(7) The comedy scenes are superbly interwoven into the plot. The pyjama-kurta scene, the condoms purchased at the medical store, the unusual relationship between the father-in-law and son-in-law, etc have the funny bits gelled with tenderness.
(8) The dialogues are like day-to-day conversation.
(9) The music is quite innovative and having Asha Bhonsale in almost ever song makes it even better. My favorite is “Jaaneman tujhko jo paaya” sung by KK and Ashaji.
(10) Now comes the best part that you all were waiting for – the nudity and sex. Frankly, if you see all the nudity on TV and item songs, this looks like a children’s film. The smooches are a trifle self-consciously done. The hero shows more skin than the heroine, be it the hostel room scene or the shower at the gym. The finale song has both the protagonists in swimsuits along the beautiful Kovalam beach.
All in all, watch this film for a breathtaking camerawork, nice songs, refreshing treatment of old situations and competent performances.
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Starring: Himanshu Malik, Mallika Sherawat, Shivaji Satam, Mahmud Babai
Direction: Govind Menon
Music: Milind Sagar