STICKY USED CHEWING GHAM. Review on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Review : This comes a bit late in the day,in fact, a bit too late-more than 18 months after the film's release.I suppose,by now, all of you might have seen & endured the hopelessly ordinary,slumber-inducing movie.Anyway, consider this review a warning for those who still intend to watch it on T.V. or V.C.D. I was myself left wondering how someone could rope in as many as six stars,give them roles that school play actors would have found unchallenging & then churn out a mahabore film like this.

For one,the crepe-thin plot could have been conceived by Mr.Johar in less time than it takes to say 'Chandni Chowk'. A U.K.-learnt boy comes home to India(or is it the U.K. again?) only to find that his adopted elder brother left their house ten years back after marrying against his father's wishes.Expectedly,he goes back with the sole intention of finding his long-lost brother.Does he find him?Of course,he does!Does Big Bro return to stay with them?That he does,after 3 and a half hours of mindless song-&-dance & gallons of glycerine.

That's not all!To top the proceedings, there are half-baked Johnny Lever jokes forcefully added.And highly predictable scenes(tell me, who did not predict that Kajol would knock off the flower vase a second time?)do not do the movie any good.Mr.Johar must have,as Dubya would put it,greatly 'misunderestimated'the intellectual capability of the audience.How else does one explain the evolution of an overweight,blackberry-eyed boy to a beefy,tall & handsome,light-eyed hunk?And will Mr.Johar please care to explain why he actually expected to have the audience at the edge of their seats during the moronic cricket match sequence in the beginning of the movie,an effect that was achieved beautifully by the magical Lagaan?

And now for the performances!Here's the good news.No one has acted too badly.But it is rather strange that Mrs.Big B walked away with the Best Supporting Actress Award for a role shorter than the tops worn by the gorgeous Miss Kapoor in the movie.And whatever prompted the Big B to accept a role unworthy of his abilities?Kareena,inspite of her supreme talent,is reduced to a mere titillating factor!And Hrithik Roshan oscillates between being expressionless and being over-expressive.Kajol & SRK are good-they both do justice to their roles,but are certainly not at their best.

The music is okey-dokey,but a brilliantly composed & shot modern version of 'Vande Mataram' stands out.

Don't fall for the catchline-the movie is as much about loving your parents as Dubya's concern is for the hapless Iraqis.The film,however,sends out a message-''If your girlfriend's father dies,marry her immediately.''

Here is the bottomline-''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' was a silly- but-sweet,fresh bubblegum movie.K3G is about as fresh as used chewing gum.