I had been warned.
When I went and booked 6 tickets for me and friends, one among them said: ’’Yaar, do we really have to watch this? I will give u an equation, which is applicable for SRK movies:’’
Ma(overdose)+beta(legitimate)+beta(illegitimate)+colors+designer clothes+designer college+designer everything+aaloo parathas+judaai+milan+chicks+hunks+
emotions (that look like an overstuffed citybus)+bang-dishum-boom+pyaar+rona-dhona+silly jokes+over-hyped songs+glycerine(barrels of it)+india+pakistan+desi+ videshi+everything else the director can lay his/her hands on+the exasperation u feel while sitting in the theater = A typical Shah Rukh Khan movie.
He was right.
Really guys, this is not my idea of an entertainer. for gods sake, we have seen the same stuff hundreds of times! The phrase ’’old wine in a new bottle’’ says it all.
I wanted to see something different. Not the ridiculous choked up emotions of SRK, (which somehow has become his trademark) and the stupid old theme of ’MA’. Why arent there any people with ideas left in bollywood? ’Being Inspired’ by a thousand of old movies (from Yash Chopa flicks to The Matrix) doesnt make an entertainer. Neither do ladies in chiffon sarees and cycle rickshaws named ’Dhanno’. If thats what I wanted to see, I would visit the nearest Video library and get myself a VCD or DVD. And the original Matrix type slo-mo-360-degree-pans which were used to show genuine talent, are now aped by all and sundry. But I dont mind the action. I leave my mind at home when I go to watch hindi flicks.
But something should be said about the action. even if its copying, the matrix pans were filmed beautifully. and the only saving grace in this dreary 3 hr routine is the cinematography. Cycle rickshaws chasing Scorpios, grenades exploding 10 minutes after the pin was pulled (or rather when SRK wants them to explode. after all, its bollywood). chee.
Also, everything in this movie seems artificial. Staring with Project Milaap. seems like Farah Khan mixed together everything she could lay her hands upon and came up with this crazy cocktail.
The Designer colleges and everything designer and otherwise in it comes from Karan Johar. Since Farah Khan and all the group are pals, thats no surprise. But the college scenes are the only scenes in the movie which one does find interesting. the colors, and jokes are well handled. So are, the smooth movements of the actors.
Lets get into the details.
Plot....
Shah Rukh is a major in the army (commando division). His father (Nazeruddin Shah) gets killed by Suniel Shetty in an encounter, trying to save Kabir Bedi who is the CEO of project Milaap. (a join venture by India and Pakistan to exchange prisoners)(now its Indo-Pak bhai-bhai) Bedi, afraid that his daughter, Amrita Rao, who is studying in college in Darjeeling might get targeted, sends SRK to protect her. SRK learns from his dying father that he has a wife and legitimate son (Kiron Kher and Zayed Khan) who are in Darjeeling. SRK sets on his mission to save amrita and find Zayed and ma, joins the college, gets buddy-buddy with zayed and amrita, and gets involved in the usual KKHH style college hocus-pocus. Suniel Shetty comes to Darjeeling, gets in as a physics professor, while SRK falls for the chiffon saree clad teacher Susmita Sen. Then after litres of glycerine and tons of DTS dishum-dishums, everything is well.
yawn.
Farah Khan has good directorial talents, but if she thinks she can dish out the same stuff all over again, she may be wrong.
Characters:
SRK: Looms high above everything else in the movie. He does have an enormous screen presence. Laughs his usual laugh, walks his usual walk, gets choked up on his tears, smiles bobbing his head, bites his lips and does everything he has done from DDLJ to KHNH. also he becomes superman, empties uncountable catridges of bullets and gets booed.
Suniel Shetty: Has matured in his villain role, but one wishes there was more of him
Sush: Brilliant. Her expressions are great, and she does her small role with gait.
Amrita: is ok, looks cute.
Zayed: is getting better and better, but theres something about his voice.
Boman: not so cool.
Satish: the spitting prof is funny, but his spitting looks gross sometimes.
Music:
Nothing to write home or anywhere else about.
Cinematography:
Deftly handled, sharp. the song scenes are superbly picturised.
Ok, thats about it. If u place King Khan next to god, havent had ur fill on the usual bollywood trash yet, this film is for u. That is, If u want to see an ’entertaining’ movie, with mandir-going-ma, dance-and-sing-colleges and main-tumhara-khoon-peejaunga-villains.
Come on yaar, Gimme a break!
cheers!
vadakkus