Movie Mania: Kal Ho Naa Ho *Must read and watch*

Just so you know, this doesn’t come easy. But the movie’s worth it. Read on to find out more.

Most of must have been acquainted by my love obsession for Shah Rukh Khan. Because he just happens to be the best and the most versatile actor of all times in B’wood. The movie that I am going to review today is one of my favorite SRK movie of all times. And was released way back in 2003. But it so happens that this movie touched not just hearts but souls and has tested perfectly the functioning of my tear glands.

Director: Nikhil Advani

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth, Dara Singh, Reema Lagoo, Delnaaz Paul, Lilette Dubey

Running Time: 188 minutes

*spoilers ahead*

This is a movie that I hadn’t expected from Karan Johar, whose expertise lies in typical commercial movies for the Indian mindset. KHNH is an artistically crafted movie with a deep message conveyed brilliantly. It is right on top of my must-watch-movies of all times.

KHNH is a movie about a Punjabi family consisting of a mother, her three children and her mother-in-law who have settled in New York after the death of the husband. Naina-Preity Zinta- is a single some twenty-ish girl who is perpetually unhappy. The only people in in her life apart from her family are her friends Sweetu, who is a terrible boy chaser and has a gigantic appetite, and Rohit, her Guju friend. Her mother and her grandma don’t along, because of the latter blaming the former for her son’s death.

One day when everything spins out of control, an angel comes into their life, in form of Aman- Shah Rukh Khan. He moves into their neighbour’s house and merges into their life like water salt in water. Aman, who is a breath of fresh air, and believes in the mantra of Kal Ho Na Ho- there may or may not be a tomorrow, is hated by Naina for his over participation in their lives. But soon, when he sets some small things aside, Naina sees the good in him, and voila! Fall in love with him. Aman falls for her too, but as is revealed later in the movie, he suffers from a fatal disease and has a very short time to live. In that time, unknown to anyone but Aman’s family, he makes Rohit fall in love with Naina.

Just before her wedding to Rohit, Naina finds out that Aman actually loved her so much that he wanted to leave love for her even after he dies. The rest of the movie is so emotional, that you can’t just sit and watch. You’ll wet your cheeks before you realize it. Aman makes Naina and Rohit marry. The scene is so realistic and everyone’s acting is so spot on that I can not relate the emotions I feel whenever I see the movie. And I know it sounds very dramatic when you read it, but when you are watching the movie, you just can;t help not being in love with the entire story.

KHNH has a beautiful music collection. The title track, sung by my favorite Hindi artist, Sonu Nigam, makes me want to take his vocal cards and listen to them at will. His voice is like dripping honey and the emotions he so beautifully conveys just through some inflictions of his voice is applaudable.

Today, let me share one more smile.
Today, let me pray once more.
Today, let me drink some more of my tears.
Today, let me live my life once again.
Today, let me dream one more dream. Today.
Who knows, there may be no tomorrow.

The comic timing when SRK and Saif Ali Khan are together is impeccable as always. When you are not crying from the emotions, you are laughing with the comedy and these guys stupidity. Preity Zinta plays Naina perfectly. You can see her irritated self fading and a happy person replacing her, the emotions are so palpable in the air. Saif Ali doesn’t have as major a role as SRK or Preity, but he gets his screen time and utilizes it fully. There is not a flaw in his performance, probably the best I’ve seen from him. SRK, though, and I say that unbiasedly here, is the person who the movie revolves and rotates around and he doesn’t let a single moment be lifeless. He imbibes the character of Aman flawlessly and there is grace in his performance. Every emotion he delves into is written on his face, and he gets every emotion and feel across to the audience very effortlessly. One of his best performances till date.

Jaya Bachchan does a great job as a depressed mother who has to work hard for their children. Delnaaz Paul tickles your funny bone effortlessly. Sushma Seth’s acting is powerful and her metamorphosis from a heartless, blood sucking mother in law to one who understands the strength of her daughter in law and vows to support her onwards is beautiful.

KHNH comes with an important message. But I think I’ll let the movie teach you that.

All in all, without any bias to SRK or anything, I conclude by saying that it’d be a big mistake if you miss this movie. It’s beautiful and tragic and hysterical at the same time. Despite it’s length, it’s a masterpiece and it’d be a shame to miss it.

Trailer @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVMAQAsjsOU

Watch movie online @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl0Ap4mUSO8

Buy KHNH @ http://www.amazon.com/Kal-naa-Shah-Rukh-Khan/dp/B0016GOMZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437414374&sr=8-1&keywords=kal+ho+na+ho

AUTHOR’S NOTE: She wants you to watch the movie so much that she is sharing the links with you for your convenience. Who else does that? She also broke he own rules of titling and made use of A/N etc. She begs you to watch it right now.

Movie Mania: Dil Dhadakne Do

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar in a cameo, Aamir Khan in voiceover.

Running Time: 167 minutes

*spoilers ahead*

Zoya Akhtar makes movies that are beautifully crafted, original, entertaining yet meaningful. The multi-starrer movie Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD) is another one from the kitty.

DDD is a story of the Mehra family, with Kamal Mehra, portrayed by Anil Kapoor, as the CEO of his company Ayka, his wife Neelam, portrayed by Shefali Shah and their two children, Ayesha-Priyanka Chopra and Kabir-Ranveer Singh. They are highly dysfunctional, with Kamal and Neelam having a tumultuous relationship, Kamal’s rumoured affairs, Kamal’s condescending attitude towards Kabir and his business relationship with Ayesha. The story begins when, on their thirtieth anniversary, Kamal and Neelam invite their guests to a ten day cruise party, where they are forced to interact, introspect and reflect upon their lives.

Ranveer Singh’s performance is commendable. Easily the person on whom the film relies. The ease with which he plays Kabir, spunky, witty, romantic and protective of his sister is flawless. He has channelized his energy perfectly and there is finesse in the way he has portrayed emotions onscreen. He’s a one to look out for. Also, his relationship as shown with Priyanka is sweet and true.

Priyanka’s character is that of a strong sturdy independent entrepreneur, having a troubled marriage with her husband Manav- Rahul Bose. She plays the character of Ayesha with ease, but there could have been a little more depth to her character because she came across as average, not a person who would be remembered so much.

Anil Kapoor, with his grey hair and moustache, is good. He plays Kamal with ease and perfection. But there are times when questioned his conviction, lie the one time when he immediately changed his heart after Neelam says, “Tum toh mujhe bhool gaye.” There are times when I felt like laughing at his overacting too. But that was bearable.

Anushka’s character is also one of a strong woman who left her home to purse a life of her own and fulfill her dreams. She is shown as an independent, free spirited woman and there is not one minute when I questioned her identity. My only disappointment- she didn’t get enough screen time.

There are many side characters too- Vikrant Massey, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Parmeet Sethi and Ridhima Sud, each of whom add substantially to making the movie workable. The dialogues, the comic scenes all attribute in making this movie beautiful. Like a scene where Manav’s mother is threatening to kill her herf with a butter knife, or when Kabir jumps from the ship, and when Kamal, who collapses and faints turns out to be extreme gas, and when an underage cousin of Ayesha’s says that after her mom’s horrific dancing, she had to come to the bar. There are heavy moments and there are light moments which make it interesting. The song collection complements the film. My only complaint, it should have a more conclusive ending, like what happens between Ayesha and Sunny, or what happens when they got of the cruise.

Movie Mania: Shamitabh

Shamitabh is a bad concoction of a superb voice and a lifeless face. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and introducing Akshara Hassan, the movie is for anyone who likes good acting which fall short because of a weak script.

*spoilers ahead*

The story revolves around Danish, a mute boy who aspires to become an actor and Amitabh, a drunkard, who also wanted to become an actor in his days, but failed. Danish moves to Mumbai, meets Akshara, an assistant director who tries to help him, seeing his acting sense. With the help of some transfer technology, Danish is able to speak if he has a speaker or a voice transfer. This is where Amitabh Bachchan comes in. Danish assumes the voice of Amitabh, an together, they are a successful duo, but nobody except Akshara knows that. All goes well until ego problems arise as to who’s contribution is bigger in ‘Shamitabh’ as he is known to the masses. Akshara sorts it all out and then tragedy strikes, and Danish dies.

Needless to say, the most obvious problems with Shamitabh is the name of the movie “Lifeboy” , one who cleans the nation. Also the idea of voice transfer is not convincing.

 

The saving grace of the movie is the strong acting delivered by the threesome. The movie is slow paced, and some parts get extremely boring, but then again, Amitabh Bachchan’s acting at those times is admirable, proving his flawless performances are not to be missed. And Akshara’s hairstyle is good.

The message the films delivers is very clear. That ego is the root of all problems. But I feel that it could have been better delivered if the script was heavier, stronger. And I’m still not over the fact that the movie doesn’t have a happy ending. Amitabh Bachchan’s acting, when he realizes that Danish is dead can reduce you to tears. It did to me.

All in all, it’s a good movie if you are a Amitabh or Dhanush fan or a fan of good acting in particular. Else, you should wait for it, or even skip it!

Movie Mania- Mary Kom

Priyanka Chopra has certainly outdone herself on this one. For all the people, it is a must watch, not just because of Priyanka, but because of Mary, her story one that needs to be told. From misogynist officials, to her father’s hatred of the game, to her pregnancy, and the superb comeback, she is a lady to salute. Priyanka adapts the character with ease and simplicity and does justice to the role. Darshan Kumar, who portrays Onler Kom, Mary’s extremely supportive husband, has acted perfectly going from the lovestruck puppy to the caring father and the supportive husband convincingly. The story is easy to follow and synchronized to perfection, ending right with Mary winning the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, where Priyanka blends her emotions of happiness, sadness, and relief flawlessly. Sunil Thapa’s supporting role as Mary’s coach is okay, but I feel it could have been stronger. The energy filled first half gives way to a more soft and a warming second one. (Warning: Contains spoilers.)

There are many strong and defining scenes: one where Mary comes out with a shaved face saying, “Sar bhari ho gaya tha. Ab gala to nahi kaat sakti thi.” Also a scene where she is asked to present five reasons why she wants to learn boxing, “I love boxing. I love boxing. I love boxing. I love boxing. Ab pachvah bhi batana pageda?” Then there’s a scene where she asks her retired coach to start training her again where he ties both her children on her back and says, “Ab hum double mehnat karenge.” And it’s absolutely wonderful to watch the entire crowd in the hall stand up in attention when the Indian Nation Anthem plays in the end. A thrilling and a goose-bumping experience, which shows Omung Kumar, the movie director couldn’t have done better.

For me, it was not just a biopic. It was a film with a clear and a defining message. You have to struggle, take risks, work hard, persevere, never give up hope, and most of all, you need to have a direction in life to excel in what you do. You need to have a path, one that takes you towards success, fame and popularity because of what you do, and you have to be proud of what you do.

This movie, for me is a must watch, not just because of Priyanka’s performance or the story, but because it is a story that needs to be told to every Indian, making them proud of their country, because Onler Kom deserves it and because K. Kosana Meitei, her coach deserves it and  because Mary Kom deserves it. Mary certainly couldn’t have better.