Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye
Director: Raj Kanwar
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu, Vivek Shauq, Manoj Joshi, Neena Kulkarni, Anju Mahendroo, Delnaz Paul, Ranjeet, Puneet Issar, Upasna Singh, Salman Khan, Bhagyashree, Helen, Uttara Bavkar, Gurpreet Guggi
Music Dir: Anu Malik
Raj Kanwar is struggling to make a name in Hindi Cinema, it is because he never trusted his guts. He heavily rested on stars and that is the only reason that his career never shone after ’Deewana’, except in ’Daag --The Fire’ though.
This time when he gets the biggest music company like T- Series to back his project, he not only lifts an oft-repeated idea but also copies the most important scenes from foreign films, frame by frame. The reason may be only one that Raj Kanwar is not interested in art; he wants to earn more and more money and for this he even stakes his reputation.
Akshay Kumar becomes the latest companion of Raj Kanwar in his long list of search for success at box office and he teams up with Katrina Kaif in ’Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’. Incidentally, it was Katrina’s film ’Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya’ that was released when Salman was having trouble with law last time.
Again, this time he has just come out of jail when Katrina starrer ’Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ has released. Katrina plays Jia in the film who is engaged to an industry baron Karan Oberoi (Anil Kapoor).
Jia visits Canada for her marriage shopping and meets there with Casanova Aditya (Akshay Kumar). Aditya is handsome, decent and workaholic who is in Canada to study new automobile techniques. He too is engaged and his fiancée Sonia (Bipasha Basu) is an established fashion designer.
The two different sides of the quadrangle love meet in Canada because Aditya does not stay at his sister Simran’s (Bhagyashree) place. Jia and Aditya meet first by chance and then by choice. The intimacy grows into friendship and the friendship gives place to love.
But the storywriter creates a tussle between the two and they come back to India one after the other to marry their fiancées. Had it happened, the film could have ended much earlier.
So, the director throws in a situation like ’Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. And, when even a front bencher is able to make out what the climax is going to be, the director tries to befool viewers and weaves such a long climax that whatever impact the story had so far fades away soon.
As a storyteller, director Raj Kanwar (who also happens to be script writer) is downgrading himself film by film. This is visible at least on two counts : one, because he gives more importance to technicalities than acting and two, he is continuously moving around in one particular genre that is a love story amalgamated in some sort of drama or mystery. Raj Kanwar is not progressing with the time and that is the biggest hurdle in his growth.
In ’Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’, despite getting some good music from Anu Malik and wonderful title track from Himesh Reshamiya, Raj fails to get a good initial for his film because he does not have a strong fan following and believers in his story narration. ’Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ excels not only in music but showcases various beautiful locales in outdoor shoots and song sequences.
Full credit for this goes to Vikas Shivraman, the cinematographer. But even then the movie falls flat because the story and screenplay are faulty. The music, which could have been a big boost , turns out to be a hurdle because songs are thrown in the narration without any reason.
Among the actors, Akshay Kumar tries his best to rise to expectations but looks like he is no more suitable for romantic roles. The comedy tag is taking its turn now and Akshay looks uncomfortable romancing a girl much younger to him. Even in scenes where he is with Bipasha, the chemistry lacks.
Anil Kapoor has come to a point in his career where he should seriously look for character roles or else he will soon be out of job. Katrina Kaif sizzles with her full glory and glamour and tries to capture as much attraction of the viewers as she can.
She is a talented girl and if cast in good roles, she may pose a big challenger for even Aishwarya Rai in coming days! Bipasha is okay in a short role.
Other artists like Upasana, Puneet Issar, Delnaaz, and Bhagyashree are there just to add to the number but fail to lift the spirit of the film. On the whole, ’Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ is not a kind of film that the people were looking for. So, it will face the music from viewers from day one at box office.