Jan 20, 2004 02:45 AM
1893 Views
(Updated Jan 20, 2004 02:51 AM)
Finally, a movie that actually improved on the Hollywood original. I have seen Patch Adams and found it a bit too sappy for my taste. The second half in particular was quite hard to sit through.
This adaptation (call it loose copy), actually cuts out on most (if not all) of the sappiness.
I have come to a realization that it is important to watch a movie without preconceived notions, and if possible, without having seen promos and TV advertisements. I had slammed KHNH primarily because everyone had set such high expectations which were throughly dashed within the first 5 minutes.
Anyway, back to the movie at hand : Watch this movie as a time-pass entertainment and you will find it worth your time. Yes there is no logic in most of it and I find the whole glorified cheating business quite appalling (somehow, I keep thinking about the one deserving student who was denied a medical seat because of our precious hero - still its only a movie, so lighten up !!!). There is a sucker in me who does not mind seeing some good hearted tough guys.
For all its failings, the movie does have a heart. We can nit-pick all we want about the hero's antics, but one thing is sure that he is good at heart. I like the scenes when he willfully joins the ragging and another one where he leaves his classroom so that others do not suffer. After his final appearance in front of the 3 person panel, I was dreading a sanctimonious speech from him or Gracy, but that too was handled well by the director.
The chemistry between the real life father and son was less than what I had expected. I am sure they are much closer in real life than they appeared on screen. Boman Irani did a commendable job as Dr. Asthana. In the past those roles were always done by Anupam Kher, and I think he would have made a mess of it by overacting. Jimmy Shergil was very good.
Overall, the movie did a good enough job for me. There was no unnecessary toilet humor or double-meaning dialogs to generate cheap laughs and that in itself is an achievement in my book.
