Kaanchi

By far, Subhash Ghai's worst movie. Very poor story and screenplay. Performances of seasoned actors like Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty very average. The lead actress Mishti brought down the entire movie - very poor actress, below average in looks; dialogue delivery extremely poor. What was Subhash Ghai thinking when he casted her. Not sure if people will cast her in sitcoms. One of the bigbest mistakes in careers of Kartik Aryan, Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty. No wonder the movie was a washout in theatres.

The Showman of the 80's & 90's, Subhash Ghai, delivers a rather ordinary film with 'Kaanchi'. Though Ghai manages to churn out impressive performances & even a fairly engaging first-hour, he fails by delivering a dull second-hour, which completely under-whelms.

'Kaanchi' Synopsis: A rebellious girl seeks revenge of her lover's death, but faces opposition from a strong political family.

'Kaanchi' begins well & has a few sparkling moments in the first-hour. The romance is nicely build-up. The second-hour is problematic. The track involving Rishi Kapoor falling for Mishti, the protagonist, is plain ridiculous. Also, the excessive running-time over a 145-minutes, needed some sharp trimming.

Ghai is not in command this time around. His Direction, though lavish, has an outdated vibe to it. The Screenplay loses pace in the second-hour completely. Cinematography is good. Editing needed to be sharper. Music by Ismail Darbar is super.

Performance-Wise: Mishti as Kaanchi, has the intensity & the fire, this character demands. However, she needs to work strongly on her voice. Kartik does a decent job. Rishi Kapoor, in an ill-written role, is over-the-top. Mithun Chakraborty is excellent as the wicked politician. Chandan Roy Sanyal is effortless. Rishabh Sinha is impressive.

On the whole, 'Kaanchi' is an half-baked effort from Subhash Ghai.

Kaanchi review:

Dear Subhash Ghai Sir,

I write my review in form of an open letter to you only for the nostalgic feel of your past blockbusters (Karz, Meri Jung, Ram Lakhan and Saudagar are my personal faves) I have grown up on.

Moving on to your latest offering, sorry Sir but Kaanchi is a sitting duck. The plot somewhat reminiscent of 1985 Raj Kapoor film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' (minus the waterfall scene) is totally outdated in 2014. Sirji, you should enrol your new find Mishti in your own acting school pronto. And pray, how could you get veterans like Rishi Kapoor and Mithunda to ham so outrageously? The new boy Karthik Aaryan has no role to speak of while Chandan Roy Sanyal is made to imitate Anil Kapoor's Lakhan.

As your ardent fan, I can tell you sir that though Kaanchi will fail, you should not. Please take your time and come back recharged with an entertainer which will equal, if not better ur past glory. With this hope, I end my open letter cum review sirji, still ilu ilu.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

The showman re-creates his magic of powerful cinema again. But this time with issue of women-empowerment.

Beautifully captured scenes.

Songs, especially Tu Hi Sab Kuch Re are melodious.

Debut performances are excellent. Mishti's varied spectrum of acting is just worth applauds.

Chandan Roy Sanyal again shines and its good that he gets a meaty role especially in 2nd half, almost of a 2nd lead.

Rishi Kapoor and Mithun are decent. Rishi Kapoor is uninhibited in his Vijay Mallya inspired corrupt businessman character. Mithun Chakrobarthy again shines. Beautiful cinematography. Crisp editing.

Worth watching for sake of old times!

As a woman and sometimes feeling the need to gain that all too often missing feeling of confidence, especially with so many men trying to control and dismiss me, this movie helps to reassert and give confidence back, especially the performance of the Kaanchi, who is played newcomer actress Mishti. I won't go into the details of the story so much and other actors as this movie importantly for me goes beyond the story and shows that a woman can if willing make a difference where it counts. Lets be honest here, for too long half the population of women are taken for granted, patronized and only given credence when it is in the interests of men. Kaanchi for me expresses some kind of example of hope that change not just for the world of injustices to us all, but to women can be addressed. It is important for me that each generation feel like they are on the cusp of a revolution so go and see Kaanchi and do it without the need for anyone else's permission. Thoroughly entertaining.