Well, there are already quite a few reviews on this topic and covering most of the aspects of the movie like the artist performances, music, photography and what not.
So let me keep this as brief as I can and touch upon only those points that I’m afraid have not been delved upon in the other reviews. Hope you find this useful.
The story is simple and well rendered. Except that a lot of time has been spent in unnecessary details in the former part of the movie and the latter half has been rushed through, especially the climax which I felt could have been better. The real reason for Shah Rukh deciding to return to India is debatable. Was it the zeal to do something for his country or was it his lady love?
Shah Rukh Khan for once has not over acted and not demonstrated his exaggerated histrionic abilities. He has kept his act simple, mature and subtle. I am glad he is finally maturing as an actor and beginning to use his ’’acting’’ abilities sensibly and to his advantage. Look forward to similar performances from him in future.
Gayatri as the lead lady is very promising. It’s a refreshingly brilliant debut indeed. There’s no vulgar exposure and no item number which is so typical of any successful female lead these days. One aspect of her role I found a little out of the place was that she was a trifle too overly made up for the village settings she lived in. Her make up and costumes were a little too gaudy for the humble environs the movie is shot in. Maybe it would have made sense to keep her make up and costumes subtler. I don’t think she needed it anyways as she I suspect is a natural beauty and would have looked pretty without the obvious layer of cosmetics. Look forward to seeing her more often on screen.
AR Rahaman has no doubt done a fantastic job with the music and it’s great to see some original melodies from the composer after a series of releases with music borrowed from his older films down south.
One scene which could have been definitely avoided: Shah Rukh Khan wrestling with a professional wrestler and defeating him at it towards the end of the movie.