Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Although it is my least favorite Karan Johar film, I can't hate Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham because it gave us the bangle scene and "Suraj Hua Madam."



I could really write this whole post on how much I love that song. Yes, it's a bit over the top (Shahrukh and Kajol overdo some of their caresses and fake necking simulations), but it's also very hot. There's just something about it...The scorching Egyptian sun, the pulsating beat of the music, Kajol's smoldering eyeliner...



But I digress. K3G is not at the top of my list because it is way too long and the story isn't all that captivating. However, there are some memorable moments in the film worth mentioning--I'll get to that later.

The movie is pretty dragged out, particularly in the second half. Not a surprise, as Karan Johar is known for this. But while it irritated me in some of his other films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, I forgave him because I loved those movies so much. In Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, I was a lot less understanding.




What's strange about this film is that I can't figure out why it didn't grab me; I kept feeling like I should have loved it. Because while I think it ran an hour and half too long, there were some moments throughout that I would consider classic in my journey through Bollywood:

1)An all star cast, with Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan as Mommy and Daddy and Hrithik and Shahrukh as brothers. What could top that happy family? Try Kajol and Kareena as love interests for the boys, and even Rani in a cameo. What's next, Aishwayra as the visiting cousin? Anyways, everyone worked well together and seemed to have fun.

2)The music! "You Are My Soniya" was sweet and the title song was catchy. "Bole Chudiyan" left me starstruck when the three leading men were onscreen together. I wish I could have been an extra in this song! Also, I love "Suraj Hua Madam." Did I mention that?

3)Shahrukh and Kajol's courtship. As far I'm concerned, after they got together, the film could have ended. While Kajol annoyed me at times in this role (a first for me because I love me some Kajol), I really liked the way Shahrukh pursued her. It was also cool when her braid kept getting stuck on his wrist and clothing. My only complaint is the scene where Rahul(Shahrukh) touches Anjali(Kajol)'s forehead as a symbol of their forthcoming marriage. This coupled with flashes of the actual wedding was effective and unique, but it would have been kind of cool to see Shahrukh and Kajol get married onscreen since they're such a popular couple (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai doesn't count because it was so impromptu--Shahrukh wasn't even dressed properly for it!).



4)Shahrukh's look. I like him best in his "mid-career" days, where he doesn't have the mullet from his earlier films and isn't quite as thin as he is now. This is my favorite way to watch King Khan...charming, fresh faced, and lip syncing to Udit Narayan.

5)The scene when Shahrukh's Rahul and Hrithik's Rohan lay eyes on one another for the first time in ten years. Although Rahul doesn't know it's his brother, he senses something familiar, and Rohan is moved to tears. It gave me chills.

6)The Infamous Bangle Scene.

7)**Possible Spoiler**The end credits, where all is well and we see the family together at Rohan and Pooja's wedding. Wish I could have seen this on full screen instead of a small box. And wish it would have lasted a teensy bit longer.

I'm not going to go on a tangent about Kareena looking like Paris Hilton because I already apologized to her in my Jab We Met post.



Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham never really won my heart, but I guess it was worthwhile for these special moments. I'm glad I saw it, but it doesn't come close to Johar's classic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Had I been a Bollywood watcher when these two movies came out, I would have been greatly disappointed walking out of the theater after seeing K3G. However, I'll still watch this again...any excuse to spend time with Amitabh, Shahrukh, and friends!

Text © Nida Nazir 2008

Silsila

I have a confession to make.

It was probably the real-life rumors surrounding Silsila that peaked my curiosity over the actual movie itself. Whether there is any truth to them or not remains unknown(and quite irrelevant when judging the film), but it certainly made things a bit more interesting to watch.



I promise not to go on a tangent about the real life drama, because I want to give a productive review on this film (and I'm sure everyone's tired of hearing about it already), but there is just one thing I'm insanely curious about...If Amitabh and Rekha's alleged real life affair was such a hot rumor in Bollywood at this time, why on earth would Jaya agree to do this film? Was she proving to everybody that she was confident in her husband's faithfulness? Or did the rumors start going around after the release of the film? And for that matter, why would Amitabh agree to it? Almost makes the rumors seem ridiculous, doesn't it? If those of you who grew up on Bollywood can shed some light on this, I'd really like to know!

But let's talk about Silsila. I'm trying to branch out and slowly roll back into the Bollywood films from decades past, so I really haven't seen many, and I'm still not sure Silsila was a very good place to start. It wasn't an amazing story, but it was still likeable due to the performances, some of the music, and the way the script seemed to flow (I probably don't know much about what constitutes a tight script, but if I had to guess, I would say this one delivers since it stuck to the point and was easy to follow).



As Carla's post states in much more accurate detail, Rekha was the one disappointment in the group. I was surprised because I had been so impressed with her in Umrao Jaan and was expecting another memorable performance. Instead we get Chandni, which she still played with her classic sensuality, but who came across as doing little more than clinging desperately to Amitabh Bachchan. Don't get me wrong, though...I still find the woman's allure to be absolutely fascinating. There's just something bewitching about her, and I can imagine she was the fantasy of many a men in her day.

On the other hand, one of my favorite performances of the film came from Jaya Bachchan, in the scene where her husband tells her about the affair. She did this twisty thing with her mouth like she was going to cry, and I thought it was very believable.

The songs in Silsila were entertaining, especially since I found Amitabh and Rekha to be almost picturesque onscreen together. They looked like the Barbie and Ken of 80's Bollywood.



However, the shining point in the film was its ending. Kudos to the writers for trying to make the point about affairs that I feel is so often the glaring truth: Everything is exciting when its forbidden, but once you actually get what you think you want, you realize its not as perfect as you thought it would be (as opposed to a movie like KANK, which got that part all wrong).



And, last but not least, here comes the makeup artist in me (because I just couldn't hold it in any longer). If you want to duplicate Rekha's to-die-for lips in Silsila, try Desire lipglass from MAC with Vino or Currant lipliner.

You can thank me later.

Text © Copyright 2008 Nida Nazir

Bitten By Bollywood