Well...I Liked It!. Review on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

The first thing you will notice about my review is probably the elusive 5-star rating I awarded this movie – BUT WAIT! Before you squeal with disgust at my apparent bad taste and rush off to hastily add me to your distrust list, allow me to justify my rating at the conclusion of my review.

By this stage in time, I will simply assume that everyone has seen this ‘classic.’ If you have not had the pleasure, I strongly recommend you read some reviews by other esteemed members of this site to find the basic plot before coming straight back to this page and RRC’ing my review!

!!!THE STORY!!!

Pure genius was the mastermind behind this storyline. Would you call this a dubious claim? Consider this – not every person has the ability to create one creation almost identical to their previous creation, and still make a vast profit out of it, as is the manner of Yash Raj. The story line is as follows:

Rich boy. Poor girl. (No prizes for guessing what happens next). Rich boy elopes with poor girl. Rich boy’s father finds out and disowns rich boy and his poor wife. Rich boy’s mother watches everything and weeps. Relatively minor character in the story takes on the role of reuniting the family. He succeeds. Everything is hunky dory.

Throw in a couple of songs and dances, a few very attractive and overdone sets, some moderate acting and random appearances by Govindar and you have the masterpiece that is Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham!

!!!THE ACTORS!!!

Shrukie:(Rich boy) As is typical Mr Khan, he falls in love and then he cries. And when I say cries, I mean ‘bawls like a baby.’ I strongly support men getting in touch with their feelings, however, when it gets to a stage when a person (male or female) starts shaking uncontrollably and stuttering, it seems ridiculous. I believe finding a movie in which Shrukie doesn’t start sobbing half way through is about as difficult as finding a Salman Khan movie where he keeps his shirt on. Nonetheless, that peculiar sweet charm that Shrukie displays seeped into this movie too.

Kajol:(Poor girl) I love this chick. I know she gets accused of overacting, but I think she is just vivacious and it is this vivacity that brings the screen alive when she enters the scene. She is naturally beautiful and I enjoy the strange faces that she pulls. Many good-looking people don’t use their face much because they want every to admire their pristine features, but thankfully, Kajol lacks this self-consciousness and brightens up the drab scenes in this movie with her animation.

Amitab Bachan:(Rich boy’s ‘angered father’, who learns the ‘error of his ways’) Rigid and tall.

Jaya Bachan: (Rich boy’s mother – who weeps) I would like to comment on her acting; alas I find I can’t because I don’t recall a moment when she did any acting. She gave several unnerved looks that were accompanied by sharp head twists (though it is commendable that she did twist her head at such speeds without doing damage to her neck), and stared benignly at Shrukie. But I don’t believe this constitutes acting in the strictest sense of the meaning.

Hrithic Roshan:(the ‘reuniter’) With his strong jaw line, beautiful eyes and fluid body, I fear I can’t fault him. To be completely honest, I only like him when he’s dancing. Though it must be noted, he does know how to string a few sentences together coherently. I feel this must be classified as ‘acting,’ and it is something he can to adequately.

Kareena Kapoor:(love interest of the ‘reuniter’ and sister of ‘poor girl’) Alas, this is a sore point for me. The opinion I give you of her will be extremely biased. This is largely due to the fact I believe her to be a terrible actress with little talent, fundamentally unattractive (excluding her excellent body) and just plain irritating. (sorry Raj, but it’s the truth). Clearly Kareena’s unfortunate episode as Poo has hardly done anything to increase my affection for her.

!!!MY SAY!!!

I love this movie. Despite the terribly predictable and clichéd plot, the moderate acting and Kareena Kapoor, I found this movie to be very enjoyable. Most Bollywood movies are whimsical and its predictability is reassuring. They bring to life the fantasies of ordinary folk and transport you to a world where the wildest of dreams do come true. I don’t doubt that several people have attempted to master the moves of Shava Shava and You Are My Sonia in the privacy of their own lounge rooms (in the manner my sister and I have), while I have witnessed my love-struck cousin serenading his reflection to the tunes of Suraj Hua Madham, (it was a frightening experience, I assure you).

K3G embraces everything Bollywood with its bright lights, gaudy costumes, Amitab Batchan and Shrukie. (I’ve come to a conclusion that a Bollywood movie isn’t a Bollywood movie unless it stars either one or both of these men). It follows the conventional ‘Bollywood’ love story plot, though I’m confidant in saying that most woman (openly) and most men (secretly) were still left praying for a happy ending. A feel good, popcorn movie with no unnerving twists and a satisfactory ending, this movie won’t change your life, but it will fill in 3 hours of your day!!

Disclaimer: It is Highly likely that several names, facts and ideas in my review are entirely incorrect. I blame this on not watching enough Bollywood films and I endevour to rectify this situation as soon as possible. I n the meantime, just point out my mistakes in the comments section!