....is love. And Indian movies in their 57 year old history have centered their existence upon this one emotion which is as old as creation. Innumerable music directors have given their best to this emotion and have made icons of many actors and actresses with questionable histrionic capacity.
Since their inception, movies in India have represented love in some form, and have concocted various formulae of commercial success from this very feeling, in fact the essence of escapist cinema in Indian cinema are the sugar coated romances which are made week in and week out. Be it, the rich vs poor divide or the ethnicity divide or even the caste divide, decades of cinema have been dedicated to each and every one facet of opposition to prove that the path of true love, alas does not run smoothly.
However more often than not, true love in all its splendor, does triumph if only in the movies. It has been my belief that the subliminal impression that it leaves on viewers regarding love and its purity not to mention given the emotional nature of most Indians and Pakistanis, the euphoria and temporary high it gives them upon seeing the successful culmination to a tale of two lovers facing difficulty has been the main contributor and modus operandi of making love stories.
At first love at first sight was in vogue with thunder claps and birds starting to sing when the prospective romeo and juliet would set eyes upon one another for the first time. But with differing tastes and sensibilities, the trend shifted towards the more practical idea of love growing gradually with companionship, albeit with quite a pinch of the larger than life quality that marks most movies. That idea in its full form is basically what Kunal Kohli's Hum Tum projects, that love is something that requires companionship and time, for it to bloom in full. Having said that lets go on to the review of this recent hit.
Plot:
This adaptation of ''When Harry met Sally'' has a story which for Indian viewers is new and as you all know I dont like to delve much into the plot of any movie, so lets say that its a a very thin premise, which is built upon the repeated encounters of a cartoonist Karan(Saif Ali Khan) and a fashion designer Rhea(Rani Mukherji) over various stages in their lives, starting from their college days. Basically trying to highlight the differences of the two sexes and how they complement one another, the cartoon characters of Karan, called Hum (guys) and Tum (girls) punctuate each meeting with their own versions of them, done in animation.
Pros:
The biggest advantage that this movie has is that for Indian audiences it is almost entirely a new concept, the date movie, and the fresh treatment that is given to it (it is essentially character driven and is divided into various episodes ) accentuates this novelty all the more for the movie going public. While the first half is quite lighthearted, the interval point brings with it an air of seriousness and a little subtlety, so even then the emotional and the romantic buffs are satisfied as the protagonists slowly but surely start getting drawn towards one another. I guess a lot of people will relate to the movie in some way because the treatment has been for the most part such that the characters seems like everyday normal people and their bantering is not much more different from that of how the normal public would interact with friends. Various sequences are handled quite well, such as :
The first meeting in Amsterdam and the comedy that follows.
The sequences where Saif is helping his mother organise a wedding.
The introduction of Rishi Kapoor and his various interactions with Kiron Kher, and most notably those with Saif.
Cons:
The main problem that I did have in this movie was that the proceedings did start to drag towards the end of the second half, which in my opinion shouldve been around 10 minutes shorter. Other than that, I had gone in with the mindset that not much logic would be found in this escapist fare, so I didnt mind much in the name of artistic license. It?s an Indian movie after all, will have some share of irrationality.
Performances:
Saif Ali Khan: Saif Ali Khan has become of the most bankable actors in India right now and with this film he sheds the label of being an actor who cannot solely carry a film. While his impeccable comic timing comes to the fore in the first half, he believably changes from the character of that of a rogue to that of a friend and caring man. He plays to the gallery, is quite effective in the serious portions, indeed its hard to percieve any other actor from the current crop who couldve carried this role with the same panache and easy going style that Khan has. Truly a great performance from an excellent actor.
Rani Mukherji: It is after a long time that I saw an Indian movie with such a well defined role for the female protagonist, and it must be said that Rani acts extremely well in both the comic and dramatic portions not once getting overshadowed by
Mr.Khan. She has improved her looks considerably and looks quite beautiful throughout the movie, in addition to carrying her role off quite gracefully.
It is to be noted that the lead actors do complement each other at every step and have good chemistry in all respects which is always an asset in a romantic comedy.
Rishi Kapoor: I for one thought that Rishi Kapoor was one of the best actors of his time and after a spate of indifferent performances he rises to the occasion with the material given to him. He is quite suave and charming, giving a certain charm and sheen to the role which only veterans can bring, and would evoke nostalgia aplenty with his references to Dimple and in his songs from Bobby. Hope to see more such performances in the future from this fine actor.
Kiron Kher: Although she is quite irritating and over the top towards the start of the movie, she too lifts her performance during the course of the movie and is quite funny and sweet in her role. She is a fine actress and she does extremely well in her interactions with all the lead players not once being outdone.
Of the rest, Abhishek Bachchan and Jimmy Shergill stand out in their cameos.
Direction:
After watching ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge'' I realized it?s quite easy to criticize something but doing it is altogether a different matter (Kohli was a well known critic earlier). In this movie though he seems much more comfortable as is seen in the novelty of approach that he employs and for the most art does pull it off. He manages to get great performances from the cast and does provide the public with quite a bit of entertainment.
As a side note, the dialogs are quite witty and are not over the top. The music too is tuneful and is well integrated into the narrative, which is more than can be said for most movies.
Overall, I did enjoy the movie and more so the second time, maybe that is in keeping with the theme of familiarity begetting comfort I guess. I recommend it, if for nothing then for the fact that it is entertaining and has good performances by the cast. Overall, a pleasant and novel watch for the public, lets take it as a new and interesting way to play the ever present game of love in cinema.
I know I have given you a major migraine by writing all this, but now that you have reached here, do leave your comments. Praise or criticism, honesty would be a step towards me improving.
Until next time
Have Fun
Faraz
