The most adventurous part of watching Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was not the movie itself. It was what happened till we (me and my friend) got there.
1. The Chennai skies opened up in all their splendor (which, if you did not know, is a rarity)
- The auto-guys were making the most of the situation (which, if you are not from Chennai, is a very common sight). So, we decided to take the scooter anyway.
3. By the time we reached the traffic-jam in front of the theatre, we were drenched to our underwear. 4. The movie started forty-five minutes late and so, by the time it ended, it was close to three in the morning.
5. Because we would catch pneumonia or similar such diseases, we stripped down to our banians (the pants had to stay) not too bothered about how the conservative chennaiites would react .
Now, why did we do this? Because we are die hard Johar fans and missing this one on its first week would be sacrilege. Was the movie worth it? Did Mr. Johar warm up our souls to make up for our freezing bodies? Read on….
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Aao Sunaoon Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani…Ek Tha Ladka Ek Thi Ladki Diwani…
Now, one would be happy at such a situation. But wait! The Ladka (Shah Rukh as Dev Saran) and Ladki (Rani as Maya) are already married to another Ladki (Preity as Rhea) and Ladka (Abhishek as Rishi) respectively. Then why do Dev and Maya fall in love? There has to be a reason right? Wrong! According to Mr. Johar, it is okay to fall in love outside marriage if you are destined to, whatever that means. Never mind if your spouse is extremely considerate, great in bed, not gay, and willing to pardon you if you are not all that and still live with you.
Except for a lame Maya lamenting before her marriage to an even more lamenting Dev about how dosti mohabbat ki jagah le leti hai aur mohabbat ke liye jagah nahin rehti, one is never given any reason as to why Dev and Maya fall in love with each other. The audience finally sympathizes more with Rhea and Rishi than with the lead pair.
Mr. Johar’s story is more like what would have happened if Simran and Rahul had parted ways at the airport in DDLJ and got married to different people. Just cripple Rahul a little and make him an embittered man and turn Simran’s hubby into a not-so-bad person. Then make Rahul and Simran fall in love all over again and you have KANK! Voila! Am I a genius or what?
Main Silsila Banana Chahta hun
If Johar had concentrated more on developing the romance between Dev and Maya instead of extending the clichéd climax and deleting some corny Amitabh scenes, the movie would have still worked. KHNH had a far better balancing act, courtesy Nikhil?
Not that the movie does not have its redeeming points. Some comedy sequences are extremely well handled. Also, the scene in which Rhea and Maya cross the street, while Dev is expecting to meet Maya, is brilliantly executed. The first half of the movie is extremely watch-worthy but in the second half, things fall apart and how!
Nach Baliye
Another strong point of Mr. Johar’s movies comes undone. None of the songs have any imaginative choreography and if you have seen K3G, and KHNH, you have seen them all. Farah Khan disappoints big time. Most song sequences seem forced and out-of-sync with the movie.
Main Actor badnaam...
Abhishek and Preity walk away with all the honors. They bring much believability to their ill-sketched characters. Shah Rukh Khan is his usual self-arching eyebrows, flailing arms, and sobby sobby persona. Rani, poor thing, rises above Maya, to lend dignity to an ill-conceived and ill-executed role. Amitabh and Kiron Kher are their usual efficient selves, doing just enough of what is required of them.
Sa re ga ma pa pa....
Ho-Hum, Ho-Ho…hummable but nothing that you have not heard before. Read my music review on KANK for more.
Dekho maine dekha hai...
Brilliant! The richness of the people in the movie is enhanced by its cinematography. Although I have never been to Manhattan, this movie has fueled my desire to make that visit although why this movie is set in New York, when it could have used any place from Mumbai to Shanghai is beyond me.
Jhoot bole, Kawwa kaate...
Surprisingly, the editing is much better than K3G and KHNH. Hope it had extended all the way till the climax.
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Yaaro sun lo zara, apna yeh kehna... It is wonderful to see Mr. Johar make a departure from his candy-floss movies but wish he does his homework better next time. I would recommend Silsila, Maya Memsaab, Aastha, and Ijaazat as the first set of exercises. Despite all its flaws, the movie is still watchable for some memorable scenes and performances.
I am not worried about the misery I went through to watch this movie as long as Karan makes up with a more polished understanding of human relationships in his next venture. He has come some way here. He has a long way to go.