Reviews
Main Hoon Na (2004)
Pass the popcorn, please!
Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) is a straight-laced military man walking in the footsteps of his father, General Shekar Sharma (Naseerudin Shah). When the General is killed by terrorists, he reveals on his deathbed that Major Ram has a half-brother, and gives him a dual mission: to protect a fragile peace initiative with Pakistan, called Project Milap, and to find his estranged brother and heal his fractured family.
Major Ram is assigned to protect the daughter of General Bakshi, the commander in charge of Project Milap, which takes him undercover to St. Paul's College in Darjeeling. By an amazing coincidence that only a true Bollywood fan could swallow, the Major's younger brother Lakshman Prasad (Lucky) Sharma studies at the same college.
After having his career emasculated by Karan Johar, I am happy to see that first time director Farah Khan has made a man of SRK again. How ironic that it took a woman director to give Khan a role he could finally get down and dirty with, after playing the teary-eyed lover-boy for so long.
Main Hoon Naa is a great summer time masala entertainer. It has dollops of action, romance, family angst, and a little medicinal dose of patriotic preaching about peace (estranged brothers Ram and Lakshman neatly symbolize India and Pakistan, separated by the folly of their leaders and elders).
But its greatest strength is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The action could best be described as The Matrix meets Jackie Chan, with special effects that are one minute thrilling and the next minute laughable. But it's such fun to see SRK back in action, after his much publicized neck troubles, and encouraging to see Hindi filmmakers experimenting with cutting edge special effects technology.
The comedy revolves around the obviously over-aged Major Ram as a returning college student. Shah Rukh plays it just right, and not only neatly parodies his college role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, but also does a fantastic job of remaining in character and keeping his ram-rod straight military bearing whether he's doing comedy, drama or action.
Newcomer Zayed Khan (Lucky) has a way to go with his acting craft, but I found that he grew on me as the movie progressed, and he just sort of meshed with the elder Khan. They have a nice chemistry together. Amrita Rao (the general's daughter) is talented and gorgeous, and a great dancer. See her in Masti, where she also sparkles. Suniel Shetty does an excellent job underplaying the villain, and resists the urge to go overboard in his scenes. I loved the way Farah emphasizes his sexy badness by blaring heavy metal music whenever he makes an entrance. It made me chuckle every time.
Unfortunately the classy and sexy Sushmita Sen has little to do, but she and Shah Rukh fairly set the screen on fire in their few scenes together. Her seductive chemistry teacher is the perfect foil for his shy, sexually naive character. I'd love to see them in another film together, where she gets full screen time. She has a strength and maturity about her that plays very well off of his vulnerability and boyishness.
First time director Farah Khan takes the skills and creative genius she has displayed in her choreography (the Chaiyya Chaiyya dance atop a moving train in Dil Se alone has earned her a place in Bollywood legend) and demonstrates an exuberant love for the films of her youth. Main Hoon Naa either parodies or pays tribute to dozens of other Bollywood films, from Sholay to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The running gag where Major Ram bursts into uncontrollable singing whenever he sees Ms. Chandni, the chemistry teacher, is hilarious and endearing. And the outrageous chase scene with Ram on a rickshaw in hot pursuit of a jeep is just great. As a relative new-comer to Bollywood myself, I know that a lot of the references were lost on me, but I got a lot of them, too.
If you prefer Karan Johar three hanky tear-jerkers, this isn't for you. But if you want some thrills and comedy and family drama with your romance, then see Main Hoon Naa! Even the closing credits are fun. And Farah's director's commentary in the DVD special features is one of the best I've ever heard.
Chalte Chalte (2003)
Shah Rukh's shining moment!
Chalte Chalte (`Walk Along') is a mainstream Bollywood romance that goes one better. Instead of leaving you at the altar to assume that `they lived happily ever after', Chalte Chalte takes you inside the marriage after Boy meets Girl, Boy wins Girl, to experience Man faces the realities of life with Woman.
Start with Raj (Shah Rukh Khan), a middle class guy who owns a small transport company. Raj is messy, impulsive, quick tempered: a guy who acts in haste and repents at leisure. One day he bumps into Priya (Rani Mukerjee), a beautiful, sophisticated upper-class fashion designer born in Greece and raised in luxury. Priya is organized and efficient; passionate, but always proper. Also a bit of a snob, she assumes Raj is merely a truck driver and snubs him accordingly.
Love blossoms, but the road to happiness is never smooth in Bollywood: Priya becomes engaged to her childhood friend, Sameer, a wealthy businessman from Priya's world of money and privilege. Raj, not wanting to spend the rest of his life regretting `if only' follows Priya to Greece to convince her that he, not Sameer, is the man of her dreams. Not so amazingly, he manages to succeed.
Your typical Bolly romance would be running the end credits about now, but we're just at the interval. The rest of the film switches from sun and sea drenched beauty of Greece to the mundane colors of Mumbai, and Raj's messy apartment. Now daily life intrudes, and Raj is left trying to keep the grand promises he so easily made when Priya was a prize to be obtained.
Chalte Chalte provides a mature look into a marriage, not of two movie stars, but of Mr. and Mrs. Anybody. The charm, or the drawback, depending on how you view it, is that the film has no real plot, no villains, no heros. Just real people doing the best they can with what they have, and with whom they've chosen. The problems Raj and Priya face are problems that all married people the world over face every day: disapproving in-laws, money problems, personality clashes, and on and on. The film works best for me on its most mundane level: arguments over wet towels on the bed, shoes on the floor, appointments missed, arguments about anything and everything, and then the making up, the kissing and cooing and apologies before starting another round.
Most of the performances in Chalte are solid. The supporting players, including Satish Shah and Lilette Dubay are wonderful, and though a handful of new-comers intrude on the flow of the film from time to time, their presence helps develop the story and provide narration and a bit of comic relief. The usually shrill and obnoxious Johnny Lever shows some welcome restraint this time, and creates an endearingly poignant character who helps tell the story in yet another way.
Rani Mukerjee, in my opinion one of India's best actresses, is stunning, both in appearance and in her acting. She exudes a warmth, a naturalness and a realness that makes you want to be her best friend, or her lover. With her exotic amber eyes and husky voice she is spellbinding in all her scenes, an intriguing mixture of sexy sophistication and little girl charm rolled into one.
But this movie belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, and no mistake. Coming after the opulent success of Devdas, and the larger than life Asoka, Raj is Everyman, a regular guy with money problems, wife problems, ego problems, problems, problems, problems. Khan is brilliant, and totally believable as a middle class business owner, struggling to keep up with everyday life. Usually prone to bursts of hammy over-acting, in Chalte Chalte he is restrained and controlled in every scene. Even in those moments when Raj is rampaging over his wife's well-intentioned betrayal, or on his knees humiliating himself in a crowded airport in front of Priya's snooty relatives, begging her not to leave him, Khan never goes over the top in his acting. Gone is the bratty charmer of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: this Raj is a mature, sensitive lover, and a bumbling husband, willing in the end to sacrifice even his male Indian pride for his love. Shah Rukh Khan has a definite gift for creating complex characters who don't fall easily into good-guy, bad-guy categories, and Chalte Chalte's Raj is one of those characters. The story has a definite (and intentional) been-there-done-that feel, but Khan is the reason to watch it all one more time.
There are those who say the movie has no ending, no resolution, and at first viewing I was one of them. But on second viewing I came away feeling that both Raj and Priya had in fact learned important lessons about each other and themselves. Priya, coming from the upper classes does not at first understand the inner demons Raj has to grapple with, knowing he is from a lower class, and that however successful he might become, to Priya's snobbish Anna Aunty he will never be more than a truck driver. Raj has to learn to put aside his ego if he wishes to remain with Priya, and respect her feelings and attachments, even though they are uncomfortable for him. In the end they both realize that life goes on, you do your best and forgive each other's flaws and mistakes, and love will get you through. Chalte Chalte.
The music of Chalte Chalte is a good mix. There are a couple of catchy tunes that will grab you immediately, a couple of ballads that might have to grow on you, and a couple of poignant numbers that I found to be hauntingly evocative during the sadder moments of the film. At times the background score does become a bit loud and intrusive, but on the whole I found it to be quite beautiful. The choreography was nice, if not overly exuberant (perhaps due to Khan's highly publicized back problems), the cinematography is gorgeous, and there are some dialogues and scenes that will stay with you long after the film has ended.
There are a couple of scenes that I would have trimmed, most notably the climax which starts out very movingly, but then lags a bit because of length, and the fact that the entire cast are in danger of drowning in glycerine. But Chalte Chalte is a thoughtful offering that will leave you pondering after the closing credits.
One 2 Ka 4 (2001)
Good performances, dodgy plot
One Two Ka Four starts out as a rather unoriginal, Hollywood inspired buddy-cop picture, but is saved from being totally mundane by the performances of its stars, and a couple of nice story twists. Just don't think too hard about the plot, or you might fall through some of the gigantic holes. Shah Rukh Khan is perfect as a kid-hating, shoot-first-ask-questions-later cop, and Jackie Shroff is excellent (as always) as his older partner. Juhi Chawla provides most of the comedy with her character.
Just when I started getting bored with the cliche'd Hollywood-style action, the story turned into a neat little family drama, with Shah Rukh and Juhi playing nursemaid to a bunch of bratty kids. I thought it was entertaining and charming.
The A.R. Rahman music is trite in places, but features some really outstanding numbers, too, especially the comic "I'm Sorry" number with SRK and Juhi and the kids, and the lovely and romantic "Sona Nahi Nah Sahi."
This isn't a great film, it's true, but it entertained me for two and a half hours. I can't ask for more than that!
Deewana (1992)
Rishi Kapoor?! Leading man?!
Warning, this review contains plot spoilers!
Deewana is the story of beautiful young Kajal (Divya Bharati), who falls in love with a famous pop singer, Ravi (Rishi Kapoor). They marry and are happy, but their dreams are shattered when Ravi's scheming uncle, (Amrish Puri) sends his henchmen to beat Ravi and throw him off a cliff to his certain death.
Kajal, now a widow, lives with Ravi's mother; one day, while crossing the street, Kajal's mother-in-law is knocked down by the reckless, spoiled son of a rich industrialist, speeding on his motor-bike. Raja (Shah Rukh Khan) is at once smitten by the lovely young widow and begins to single-mindedly pursue her until he wins her mother-in-law's approval to marry the reluctant Kajal, who still grieves for her beloved Ravi. Raja, determined to earn Kajal's love, becomes a responsible husband and eventually wins her love.
But wait...this is Bollywood!! Who should return now but the unfortunate Ravi, searching for his lost family. Now Kajal is torn between her first love and her new one.who will she choose?
Deewana is the film that catapulted Shah Rukh Khan to filmi stardom in India, so being the huge SRK fan that I am, I was excited to see it. Being rather new to Hindi films at the time, I spent the first 15 minutes or so waiting for the leading man to come onscreen.then it dawned on me; I was already looking at him: Rishi Kapoor. After about 2 hours of the middle-aged, pudgy, personality-deprived Rishi, the villain, Amrish Puri, was starting to look pretty hot to me. So you can imagine how good Shah Rukh looked when he finally burst on to the screen. No wonder Indian audiences loved him, for rescuing them from such an awful film!
The fact that Rishi Kapoor was ever a romantic leading man is still a mystery to me. The guy has the looks and personality of a wet sponge. That his scenes as a pop star were laugh-out-loud ridiculous isn't entirely his fault, however.this film has some really stupid songs and even worse choreography that makes everyone's dancing look like some kind of spastic fits. This is a silly film with lousy directing that has only one redeeming quality.you guessed it.Shah Rukh Khan. He's fresh and bursting with energy and charm, and he completely steals the last 45 minutes or so of the film. If you don't die of boredom during the first 2 hours, you'll be well rewarded with his charismatic performance.
Duplicate (1998)
Good, mindless entertainment
Duplicate is a lame-brained comedy that cheerfully showcases the manic over-acting of Shah Rukh Khan and the ditsy charm of Juhi Chawla. Check your brain at the door and just enjoy.
Khan has a double role this time, in case one of him is not enough for you: as Manu the escaped psychotic criminal and Babloo the lovable (but not too bright) mama's boy whose dream is to become head chef at a five star hotel. Normally the hardest working actor in Bollywood, SRK really outdoes himself this time: he's so over the top in both roles that I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. Throw in the fact that at one point Manu pretends to be Babloo and Babloo pretends to be Manu, and the results are chaotic fun. Juhi Chawla is sweet and endearing as always, and makes the perfect foil for Khan's silliness, even adding a bit of her own. And if you've ever wondered what SRK looks like in drag, here's your chance to see (I'll give you a hint: it's not a pretty sight.)
Also involved is Sonali Bendre as Manu's showgirl mistress, who ends up falling unknowingly for Babloo. She's beautiful and classy. I like most of the musical numbers in Duplicate, except the gratingly stupid Waji Wa song performed by Shah Rukh/Babloo with a chorus of aproned chefs and waitresses. I've developed a pretty high goofy-tolerance level since becoming interested in Hindi films, but this dance exceeded my limit. However, Waji Wa is more than balanced out by the delightful Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam dance number performed by Sonali, Juhi and Shah Rukh.
If you're in the mood for some mindless entertainment and good music, give Duplicate a try.
Anjaam (1994)
If sadistic violence against women is your thing....
then Anjaam will be a winning experience. This film features Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's favorite lover-boy, in his third role as a villain. First he was the psychotic-but-lovable stalker in Darr, and then the vengeful-but-lovable wife-killer in Baazigar, and then the anything-but-lovable murderer in Anjaam.
This time around his character has no redeeming qualities at all, other than being kind of cute in the first 20 minutes or so of the film, before it devolves into a sick marathon of seeing how many sadistic beatings the heroine can endure before she turns and exacts her equally sadistic revenge.
I must say that it was somewhat satisfying to see Madhuri Dixit in yet another strong, heroic role, which she excells at, but it took her two excruciating, gratuitously violent hours to finally stand up for herself. And I'll admit, with a little guilt, that after all the torture that this film had put her (and me) through, I was looking forward to seeing exactly how Shivani (Dixit) would get even with Vikram (Khan), so I was disappointed that she didn't take better advantage of her opportunities at the end when Viki was helpless in a wheelchair after the car accident that had taken her child's life. If it had been me in her place, I could have thought of dozens of creative ways to do him in. If fact, by the time this film was over, I was ready to exact a little revenge of my own...on the director.
Anjaam is another example of Bollywood run amok with excessive violence and gore. Sometimes they just don't know when to say "enough!" Not my cup of chai, I'm afraid.
Chamatkar (1992)
Fun fantasy
It's unfortunate for non-Hindi speakers like me that this film in unavailable with subtitles, because it's a fun little movie. Here's what I was able to figure out from watching:
Sundar (Shahrukh Khan) is a village schoolteacher who is tricked out of his property by an old "friend" who promises him a job in Dubai. The minute he gets off the train in Dubai, he is conned out of all his luggage, and then robbed of all his money. Arriving at his new job, he finds instead that his "friend" has sent a letter explaining that there is no job.
Broke and feeling sorry for himself, he winds up that night in a cemetary, where he inadvertently awakens the ghost of a murdered criminal named Marco (Naseerudin Shah) who engages his help to pay back the traitorous thugs who executed him 20 years before. Guided by Marco's ghost (whom no one but Sundar can see) Sundar gets a job at the college that is headed by Marco's father-in-law, and helps Marco settle all his old scores and earn the right to go to heaven. But that's not all! This being a Hindi film, there is of course plenty of music and romance involved, when Sundar falls in love with Marco's daughter.
Naseerudin Shah and Shah Rukh Khan are wonderful together, in any language, and this movie has some nifty songs and dances (including a really enjoyable one when Sundar, with the help of the invisible Marco, does "magic" tricks for a crowd of people to raise money for a poor widow and her daughters), a cute story (as far as I can tell) and forgivably bad special effects. There's a little bit of everything: drama, comedy, romance, action, mystery, but none of it is excessively overdone as is so often the case with Bollywood.
Not at all a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
Baadshah (1999)
Just gotta love it
Only a complete curmudgeon could dislike this film. It's a brilliant slapstick parody of the spy/private eye genres with the Baadshah of Bollywood himself, Shahrukh Khan, hamming it up gloriously as a slightly dim-witted private detective who is innocently drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate the prime minister of India. The hilariously complex plot of mistaken identities and spy/counter spy is so twisted it took me several viewings to actually make it all out. (The fact that I was having to read subtitles didn't help) Surprisingly, the story holds together much better than it seemed to at first.
Bollywood is notorious for stealing from Hollywood, and Baadshah is no exception. (For all you other non-Hindi speakers, "Baadshah" means King, like the one in a deck of cards) The opening dance number, Main Te Hoon Pagal, is clearly inspired by the "Cuban Pete" song from "The Mask", and later on whole scenes are copied nearly frame for frame from a couple of Jackie Chan movies: Mr. Nice Guy and Rush Hour. The results are just great good fun.
The high point has to be the campy, outrageous "Baadshah, O Baadshah" nightclub number with Khan strutting his stuff amid a huge chorus of dancers in a whirl of silver lame and pyrotechnics. For a guy who claims to be a very bad dancer, he has an easy grace and agility that makes him a joy to watch.
Khan's performance in Baadshah is perfect. The comedy is fantastic, and there isn't a dull moment. The supporting cast, including Twinkle Khanna, Johnny Lever (if you can stand him), and the ever-essential villain, Amrish Puri, are wonderful. Like most Hindi films, there's a mish-mash of everything you can imagine: drama, slapstick comedy, teary-eyed pathos (gotta see the Khan cry at least once in every film), romance (gotta see the hero dance around trees at least once in every film) high-tech James Bond gadgets, hilariously bad special effects; Baadshah has it all!
Mohabbatein (2000)
A westerners first glimpse of Bollywood
Mohabattein was the first Hindi movie I ever saw. It was sent to me by a friend who is crazy for Shahrukh Khan.
My first impressions were, `WOW, this Shahrukh guy has a tremendous screen presence (but, yikes, what a profile!)' and `I love the old guy with the black hair and the white beard. He's too cool.' As for the movie itself, I wondered how in god's name anybody could enjoy that horrid cat-in-heat screeching which issued forth whenever that gorgeous young woman (Aishwarya Rai) opened her mouth to sing. And I found the interminable love stories of the three young couples to be boring, boring, boring. I spent all my time waiting for Mr. Aryan and Mr. Shankar to come back onscreen.
As for the story, I was completely out of sympathy for the silly idea that it's more important to spend your college years running around trees and going to dance parties with scantily clad girls than to be studying or going to prayer. As a westerner who has watched my own treasured Catholic traditions thrown overboard one by one for every goofy, modern idea that comes down the pike (clown Masses, anyone?) I was firmly on the side of Mr. Shankar: `I don't like change, Mr. Aryan!'
I've since learned that Amitabh Bachchan is like the Sean Connery of Indian cinema, and that Shahrukh Khan is known better for his manic, over-the-top performances than the quiet, mature act I saw in Mohabattein. (I cringe whenever he is referred to as `The Tom Cruise of India'
Tom Cruise can only wish he had Shahrukh's talent and screen presence. Sharhukh definitely would win that contest by a nose.)
But to be honest, I didn't like this movie much, and after seeing about 50 Hindi films since then, I still don't like it much. It has some great songs that are almost completely destroyed by the ancient, crackling voice of Lata Mangreshkar (sorry if I spelled it wrong), and I still can't sit through the endless love stories of the three young couples. ONE couple would have been plenty to get the point across, and it would have cut the movie by 45 minutes or so, which it badly needs.
As a person who grew up on the MGM musicals of the 40s and 50s, I have eagerly embraced Bollywood (but no kissing). And although I get bored pretty easily with the dancing around trees (it all starts to look the same), I just can't get enough of those Holi celebrations! Bring em on.
International Khiladi (1999)
A Guilty Pleasure
Akshay Kumar is my guilty pleasure. He's an atrociously bad actor, and he dances like...well, like a body-builder, but he's so pretty to look at, and he can seriously kick butt, which I do enjoy from time to time.
Twinkle Khanna isn't much better an actor than Kumar, and she's not as pretty as he is either, but she was good enough for a stinker of a film like this.
International Khiladi is one of those really good bad films: funny for all the wrong reasons. It uses every cheap trick known to Hindi cinema, throwing red herrings at you left and right, showing scenes that later turn out never to have happened. And it pulls no punches going for the cheap tear-jerk reaction, or the cheap laugh, or the cheap thrill.
The story, if I remember, revolves around an international crime lord who is accused of murdering an undercover policeman, and of raping the policeman's sister. The plot unfolds as the story is re-told from the different points of view of several of the characters, kind of like Kirusawa's Roshomon. The uneven mix of slapstick comedy and brutal violence is par for Hindi films, but unfortunately a lot of the humor is just lame. It does have one or two nice songs, set to some of Kumar's endearingly klutzy dancing.
But I have to say, it kept my attention, and I was never bored.
Asoka (2001)
It's a love story, not a history lesson.
If this had been my first Bollywood movie I'm not certain how I would have reacted to it. Judged against films like Gladiator and Braveheart (the DVD cover invites the comparison) I think Asoka would look a bit...odd. It's a Bollywood film through and through, and should be judged as one, IMO. If you don't like musicals, avoid it, because like virtually all Bollywood films, it has musical numbers. Since the Hollywood musical died out in the late 50s-early 60s, Americans don't quite know how to handle music numbers that aren't in a staged setting (like Moulin Rouge).
I think this is simply a great film. It deals with a historical character about whom very little is known, except the fact that he was one of India's most powerful kings, and he conquered the kingdom of Kalinga in a bloody massacre, and afterwards became a Buddhist. This film deals with the period of his life about which virtually nothing is known: what were the events that turned him from a ruthless bloody tyrant into a pacifist?
Asoka isn't meant to be a history lesson, nor is it a how-to manual in the art of war. It's primarily a love story, and the battle scenes, although excellently filmed and staged, lack the scope and grandeur of Braveheart or Gladiator. It was made, after all, on a Bollywood-sized budget, not a Hollywood sized one.
Shahrukh Khan does a magnificent job of portraying all the facets of Asoka's character; from a wandering adventurer, to a sincere lover, to a bloodthirsty warrior to a humbled pacifist, without missing a step. I have to also grudgingly admit that the usually obnoxious Kareena Kapoor was perfectly cast as the warrior princess Kaurwaki and turned in a fine performance. Asoka is beautifully filmed and has a hauntingly beautiful music score, and an excellent supporting cast, particularly Ajit Kumar as Asoka's scheming half-brother Susima.
I think it is a sensitive, artistic film and it's a pity that Indian audiences weren't able to accept it for what it is: a love story, not a history text.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)
A pleasant diversion
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham is the story of Rahul (Shahrukh Khan), the adopted son of multi-millionaire Yashovardhan Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan). When Rahul disappoints his father by marrying the wrong girl, Anjali (Kajol) he is disowned. Rahul and Anjali move to London where 10 years later Rahul's younger brother, Rohan (Hrithik Roshan) tracks them down in an attempt to re-unite the family. Along the way a romance buds between Rohan and Anjali's younger sister, Pooja (Kareena Kapoor).
The story breaks no new ground here, but I have to admit I was drawn in, probably because of the actors. With a star cast like this one, you have to be entertained...Khan/Bachchan/Roshan have a wonderful three way chemistry in my opinion, and the presence of the bubbly Kajol is icing on the cake. Also admirable is Jaya Bachchan as the family matriarch who never stops longing for her elder son's return...she and Shahrukh Khan share a screen relationship that is authentically warm and completely believable.
The films weaknesses (and there are many) start off first of all with the odiously conceited Kareena Kapoor, who in spite of the costume designer's self-proclaimed "sophisticated" wardrobe looks and acts like a cheap tramp throughout the film (note to Bollywood costume designers: in England and America the only women who dress in skin-tight cleavage-revealing sequined mini-dresses when they go to the mall are PROSTITUES. Get it right!)
The second weakness is the overdone splendor of the sets. I felt the story and the cast were enough to hold the viewer's attention. We simply didn't need every scene to look like it was shot in Buckingham Palace or an interior designer's showroom.
The third weakness (and Hrithik/Kareena fans will disagree) was all the disco look-at-Hrithik's-muscles look-at-Kareena-shake-her-butt dances. I fast forwarded them after a few minutes. Tasteless and boring, IMO. Hrithik is not a bad actor, he is more than just a bulging-biceped pretty boy, but you'd never know it from these scenes. Also, again, the fact that all the NRI women in the film are dressed like hookers is just WRONG.
And last of all, although I love all the emotional exaggeration in Hindi films MOST of the time, I thought there was just a bit too much weeping in this one...a little less snivelling from Shahrukh and Hrithik would given the remaining scenes a bit more punch, I think. (But Khan is the King of snivellers, so I guess Karan Johar had to let him do his "thing")
Overall I think this is an enjoyable film, mainly because of the cast, and a pleasant diversion. I recommend it.
Devdas (2002)
Stunning
I was lucky enough to see this in the theater in the United States when it first came out. I had seen a few Shahrukh Khan films on tape (thanks to a friend), and when I noticed "Devdas" in the online movie listings, I decided to go have a look at what would be my first Hindi film in a theater. I was the only Anglo in a packed house and I aroused as much curiosity as I felt.
I was completely blown away by Devdas, from the first moment of the opening credits to the last bitter tear on Paro's cheek. Every shot, every frame of this film is like an artist's canvas. Aishwarya Rai is breathtakingly gorgeous, Madhuri Dixit's quiet beauty increases with each scene, and Shahrukh has never looked so good. All the supporting actors are incredible, particularly Jackie Shroff as Chuni-babu and Kiron Kher as Paro's mother.
The sets and the costumes are fabulously opulent...almost too fabulous, in fact, and at times threaten to overwhelm the story. But I was far too enthralled in the theater to do anything but gasp in open-mouthed wonder, and enjoy.
The story of Devdas, a famous Indian novel written in the 1920's by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, has been made into film numerous times by Bollywood. It is about the spoiled son of a wealthy man, who is loved by Paro, his lower caste neighbor and childhood playmate. Devdas is a weak, aimless sort who is blown about by destiny, never taking action until it is too late. He is unable to recognize his love for Paro until she has been married off to an older man and is lost to him forever. He then turns to the bottle, and to the prostitute Chandramukhi, for comfort and forgetfulness.
This story will probably be hard for westerners to relate to...there is no corresponding literature of the west that I can think of...perhaps Romeo & Juliet is closest. Bhansali's version differs in many respects from previous versions, and from the book, in that Devdas is a more forceful presence who declares his love for Paro, only to be kept apart by scheming family members. In the novel, however, it is Devdas' own flawed character that keep the lovers apart. He is simply too weak and indecisive to know what he wants until it is taken away forever.
Having seen the earlier Dilip Kumar/Bimal Roy version, and read the novel, I can say that Shahrukh Khan truly made the character his own and breathed a new life into Devdas, making him more lovable, and more a victim of fate than of his own tragic weakness. In the novel, and in the earlier Bimal Roy film, Devdas has almost no personality at all...he moves through the story like a mere shadow, and we only see his character reflected in the love of the two women who worship him.
Much attention has been given to Aishwarya Rai for her performance, which I agree was outstanding. She is almost inhumanly beautiful in this film. When I saw this in the theater I was in half love with her myself.
But it was Chandramukhi who haunted me after the film was over. Madhuri Dixit deserves much, much more attention than she has received for her wonderful performance, which has been relegated to a "supporting" role, when actually her role is every bit equal in importance to that of Paro. Chandramukhi is the only character in the film who is completely unselfish in her love...her love is the purest of the three, because she loves with no expectation of being loved in return. While Devdas and Paro are busy destroying each other's chances for happiness, Chandramukhi's love is always uplifting and positive.
Besides the award-winning performances (Devdas swept all the Bollywood popular awards in 2003) and the fabulous sets and costumes, Dedas has one of the best music scores I've ever heard, and dance numbers to match. I wished the opening number, Mere Piyar (performed by Rai), could have gone on forever, and toward the end Dola Re Dola (performed by Dixit and Rai) is a treat. Some viewers felt that the up-beat drinking song Chalak Chalak (performed by Khan, Shroff and Dixit) was out of place in such a dramatic story, but it is my favorite number in the movie.
There are so many things to recommend this film, I could go on, but I will just call it a masterpiece of Indian cinema and leave it at that.
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002)
A Jewel in the Rough
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam is a jewel of a film in many ways. Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit turn in a couple of really fine performances. Salman Khan, in spite of having a good chemistry with both Dixit and the other Khan, fails to excite me much, however. He was competent, but I felt that his musical numbers were an unwelcome intrusion into what is otherwise a very mature, realistic look at a married relationship. As in real relationships, it is often the little misunderstandings that fester until they threaten to destroy lives.
In this case, the husband Gopal (Shahrukh), although devotedly in love with his new bride Rhada (Madhuri) is self-centered and short-tempered, and misinterprets the fond affection she feels for her childhood friend Suraj (Salman) as romantic love. In their turn, Suraj and Rhada are too immature and blind to realize how their relationship is tormenting Gopal. Gopal, instead of being honest with Rhada and expressing his frustrations, remains silent until it is nearly too late to save the marriage.
I think this is one of the best performances of Shahrukh Khan's career. Not generally known for restrained performances, he shows here that in the hands of a competent director he is a wonderful actor with a huge range; he goes from subtle to frantic to silly without ever losing the honesty of the character. His performance as Gopal is mature and finely nuanced with a depth of layers not generally common to Hindi films. Madhuri is wonderful, as always.
The two Khans always share a good screen chemistry, in spite of Salman's stilted acting talents, and they share one really well-acted scene together when Gopal, nearly mad with frustration, presses a gun into Suraj's hand and invites Suraj to shoot him, shouting "Don't you know I die each day because of you?"
It's a shame that this film didn't get more attention, but admittedly it has some problems. The sets are often shabby and cheap looking, the story doesn't always flow well, and as mentioned before, Salman's dance numbers are overblown and out of place. On the plus side, however, is the hauntingly beautiful title song, beautifully picturised with Sharukh and Madhuri. But on the whole, the film doesn't quite measure up to the callibre of Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit's performances.
Ram Jaane (1995)
Heroic effort!
This movie has an intriguing story. Two foundling orphans are childhood friends: one turns his misfortune into an opportunity to help others, while the other is unable to rise above his sad beginning and turns to crime. Murli, the good orphan (Vivek Mushran) now runs an orphanage himself, while Ram Jaane (played by Shahrukh Khan, and so named because when he asks a priest what his name is, the priest replies "God knows!" "Ram Jaane!") works for an evil crime lord. Juhi Chawla is Bela, the sweet girl who is loved by both men, but who only has eyes for Murli.
Shahrukh Khan, the undisputed King of Bollywood, is an engaging, riveting, charismatic actor who is unfortunately prone to unprovoked fits of atrocious overracting. Ram Jaane is a case in point. Although he has moments of sheer brilliance in this film (his reading of his goodbye letter to Bella had me in tears) his consistent scenery chewing becomes a distraction in many scenes. Khan is entirely capable of delivering subtle, thoughtful performances, and it's hard to see why the director didn't reign him in a bit here. The character of Ram Jaane has so much potential; he is a tortured soul who longs for love and tries in his own twisted way to be loyal and virtuous, but simply lacks the moral equipment to make the right choices...if played with a bit less hamming this could have been a great film.
Vivek Mushran and Juhi Chawla handle their characters admirably, however, and there are a trio of nice songs: the title song Ram Jaane, another little ditty called Chori Chori that has Juhi and Shahrukh dancing in the fields of Ram Jaane's imagination, and a manic dance number called Pump up the Banghra that's loads of fun. This movie has its moments, but overall fails to live up to its potential.