A must see. Review on Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

KANK is not the usual candy floss entertainer that Bollywood is used to. Karan portrays some solid stuff and the film dares to speak what it believes in. It’s a story about two couples but let’s get some facts straight that it doesn’t resemble any other movie of similar genre. And that should put all the speculations to a stop. Karan’s perspective on the relationships is courageous and novel. It will astonish you and shock you at the same time.

The subject matter required it to be dealt very carefully so as to avoid backfiring and get the right impact and Karan’s professional talent ensures that it has bee handled delicately. The film eventually progresses to a bolder level. The film only goes to prove once again that Karan Johar is an expert at storyteller as he improves his skills further.

KANK is a story about the Sarans and the Talwars, who are remotely connected until the circumstances bring them together. Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan) and wife Rhea (Preity Zinta) are going through a rocky phase in their married life. They have a son, Arjun (child artist Ahsaas). His wife’s career graph is soaring and he resents her success due to which all the anguish is directed towards his near and dear ones.

Maya Talwar (Rani Mukherji) and hubby Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan) share a relationship full of self-doubt and questions. She fails to be passionate enough for Rishi and her very belief that her love for him does not match her own expectations of what it should be upsets her. Due to this, she gets further away from Rishi injuring her married life all the more.

Finally, Dev and Maya cross each other one day…and the drama unfolds from then on.

The film begins like a sweet romantic drama with Abhishek tying the knot with his childhood sweetheart and Shah Rukh talking casually about a big deal to his wife after a game of soccer. But, within minutes, the film takes a somersault and establishes resistance between the couples.

Nevertheless, it is not a tense film overall. Amitabh Bachchan provides light moments of laughter in the first hour and a half. The infidelities appear, betrayals are discovered and the couples’ worlds are tossed upside down in the later part of the movie. Some scenes are excellent from the writing and execution point of view. The end has a powerful impact and the twists and turns occur just when you think the plot has reached the climax.

Directorially, Karan has improved his skills to a great level with Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Where the storytelling is perfect on one hand, you can identify with the characters on eth other. The screenplay shows immense balance between two extreme emotions. While some sequences will bring tears in your eyes, others will get a smile on your face too. Besides, the dialogues by Niranjan Iyengar seem to be taken straight from real life.

The cinematography by Anil Mehta is excellent. Being shot in New York, the director of photography has captured the place with all its hues and colours. The music of the film is melodious. Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy’s compositions and Farah Khan’s choreography make a wonderful combination. 'Mitwa', 'Rock N Roll Soniye' and 'Where's The Party Tonite' especially appeal to the masses. As for editing, only if it would have been a little crisp in the first half, it would have only added to the entire quotient of the movie.

As for the acting by the stars, there is little doubt that everybody gave brilliant performance. Shah Rukh Khan was as usual awesome in his role. His scenes with Rani and Preity prove once again that he is one of the finest actors in the industry. Rani Mukherjee too delivered a fantastic performance in the film. Her look and the appearance were as appealing as ever.

If SRK and Rani were excellent, Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta are not far behind. Abhishek has greatly improved with this film and was equally good in the latter part of the film. Preity looks gorgeous and also got into the character quite well. She has also managed to give an amazing performance in the movie.

Amitabh Bachchan proved his fabulous talents by playing a naughty streak in the first half and a serious character in the second half. Only he could have portrayed such two extreme emotions with such ease. Kirron Kher was good on her part. Arjun Rampal was ok but was not that necessary. Child artist Ahsaas looks cute and has had a good beginning.