Feb 20, 2012 01:05 PM
5771 Views
(Updated Feb 24, 2012 11:25 AM)
'Sab kuch wahi hai, par kuch kami hai'-this line from a song of this movie stands true for the movie: while the controlling ideas are from good movies like'Jab We Met' and'Annie Hall', this movie is not so intense as the former and not so deep nor well worked out as the latter.
Rahul Kapoor(Imran Khan) is a dysfunctional product created by his dysfunctional parents-they did function enough to create him though. His well-tracked, melancholic, unfulfilling and self-defeating life is narrated by him in intermittent voice-over. The movie starts with 4 lights of the operation theater where he is delivered. As a grown up in Las Vegas, two weeks, and a vivacious Riana Breganza(Kareena Kapoor) is all that takes to turn his life. The sexless, jobless life still remains the same but he learns to relish it with the help of Riana. A marriage in haste, helped by Bacchus, doesn't lead to repenting in leisure though, because they are as fast as Britney Spears in realizing that marriage wasn't meant to be. Mommy's obedient boy does go through a psychological overhaul, goaded by Riana. Backbone develops, people are told their places and life is much better. Perfectly average, as Riana says, but better. The square is still one, but the soul that was sitting on the same bum is different. I don't mind the end, except that the director didn't take the risk of making them take hold of their own lives after it has not worked out. So you don't feel very happy nor very sad. And still it is not decided.
Upto the interval, the ironic, dry narration and fast cutting-editing help retain the interest and keep it funny. Otherwise, a different presentation would have been boring. After the love interest develops, there is a little emotional tinge, some long duration shots too, but dry humour, witty dialogue and comic situations abound. Not much farcical or slapstick. The two weeks are shown day by day and after that, faster, like flipping the pages of a book, upto the 123rd day. Voice over and point of view of Rahul guides the direction of the movie. The relationship is never too emotionally intense, is controlled by sensibility. It is largely a discussion movie.
Dances and songs are integrated well with the story. I liked'Sab kuch vahi hai' song.'Aunty Ji' is ok. I generally don't like such fusion pops. However, the song'Ek main aur ek tu' filmed on Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh was ten times better than all the songs combined of this movie.
The movie is based mostly in Las Vegas, America. Not much of the famous Las Vegas life is shown in it though. In fact, the focus is mostly on the relationship so that America doesn't look much like America, and of course, there is so little of India shown, that too, walled in by the high-society, that it doesn't look like India. So don't expect spectacular scenes or something.
Imran-Kareena chemistry is good. Imran is good in low-keyed part, he looks cool. He may need to develop himself for a dramatic and intense role and a little on his accents too. Kareena has shown good acting. No scope for powerful acting in the script, I guess. Boman Irani and Rdiganta_b Shah Pathak have done a good job and their presence is noticed wherever they are. The other minor characters also have also done well. The failed-sex-in-the-toilet scene, the scene with Riana's gandma, and the showdown scene at dinner are quite funny. This shows that the direction is well-done.
A certain section of Indian audience won't relate well to certain things —pre-marital sex life and attiMr_customtakeouter of Riana towards it, marrying while intoxicated at night and annulling the marriage in morning thing, the dysfunctional parents and the son-parents relationship, the high-society people's lives and their casual and shallow attiMr_customtakeouters(they are not worried that Riana is not a Hindu like them but are worried about class, that she's a hairdresser). And above all, there is this relationship that develops but leads nowhere(in conventional terms of marriage, divorce, murder etc). Also, some people may expect a lot of gorgeous scenes, outdoor atmosphere, emotional drama.An expectant spectator may cry out in anguish: "Gaya paisa pani mein. Kya matlab nikla is sab ka?" My sympathies.
The movie should appeal to NRIs. However, it is not overloaded with English. In India, I expect it is doing better in metros.
