MOVIE REVIEW September 2004
Kyun! Ho Gaya Na?
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Vivek Oberoi
Director: Samir Karnik
Music Directors: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi might share a great chemistry off-screen but it doesn't show on screen. In fact, they make an insipid pair on celluloid and so this love story is exactly that ? insipid!
The story takes shape only around the far end of the film and is reminiscent of the kind of plot Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to build his films on. But Mukherjee infused his work with delightful humor and touching moments, both of which are missing here. The result is a soulless journey that takes you aimlessly through discos, bowling alleys, coffee plantations and a Mr India-style orphanage, confusing you to the point of irritation.
The protagonist Arjun (Vivek Oberoi) is a happy-go-lucky prankster who is struck dumb when love calls. In fact, a good chunk of the story of KHGN? reminds you of the Tusshar-Kareena starrer Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, where the guy just doesn't muster enough courage to express his love to the girl of his dreams. In this case Diya (Aishwarya).
The script of the film, rather the lack of it, is its biggest drawback. Yes, there are a few interesting emotional moments, but a handful of well executed sequences do not make up for a shoddy screenplay. Nothing, simply nothing, happens in the first half except a string of pranks.
You expect things to get better post-intermission when Amitabh Bachchan steps in. Instead, they only get worse. The love story is shoved aside and you are left watching some more puerile stuff, albeit of another kind. Playing a wickedly benign uncle to a brood of kids (including Aishwarya), the mega-actor's role in the plot is merely peripheral.
In an attempt to create a youthful and idyllic look, the movie ends up with only a look and no feel. The director's biggest flaw ? making someone like Amitabh Bachchan look like an absolute fool as modern day Cupid. On the whole, a waste of a great star cast.
Kyun, got the message?
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
