MOVIE UPDATE & MOVIE REVIEW
MOVIE UPDATE
Amitabh Bachchan and Dimple Kapadia are coming together on the big screen after more than a decade in a film titled Hum Kaun Hain. The movie also sees the return of the dynamic duo of Amitabh and Dharmendra after 23 years. Meanwhile, Big B will also be seen in Kyun? Ho Gaya Na.. which brings together the hot pair of Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi. The film is slated for a July 2 release.
The trio of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal get together again to work in the sequel of Hera Pheri, aptly titled Phir Hera Pheri. Produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, the sequel will not be directed by Priyadarshan but by Satish Kaushik. Another change is that Tabu will not be part of it. Instead models turned actresses Neha Dhupia, Lara Dutta and Gauhar Khan are the female leads.
Pritish Nandy Communications' (PNC) Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi which was the closing film at the Indian Film Festival held at Los Angeles in April has won wide critical acclaim. After the screening of the film, Oscar winning actress Vanessa Redgrave reportedly personally walked up to director Sudhir Mishra and described the film as "a masterpiece".
After his hugely successful Hyderabad Blues, Nagesh Kukunoor is ready with Hyderabad Blues 2: Rearranged Marriage, a disarming mix of humour and everyday life in middle class life in India -- with eclectic music to match.
Kamal Haasan is set to return to Bollywood with a bang in a bilingual Hindi-Tamil venture tentatively titled Kumar Sambhavam, which will see him pairing up with Madhuri Dixit. Her nod is almost certain, the negotiations are in the final stages.
Shekhar Kapur has joined hands with Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings producer Barrie Osbourne to make Paani (Water), a $20 million epic set in Mumbai 20 years hence, when the water wars are beginning. Kapur believes it will be Hindi cinema's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
MOVIE REVIEW
Hum Tum
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee
Director: Kunal Kohli
Music Director: Jatin-Lalit
If you had dismissed Kunal Kohli after Mujhse Dosti Karoge, you will now look at the young director with new eyes. Yes, Hum Tum does have shades of the Meg Ryan-Billy Crystal hit When Harry Met Sally, but what the heck! What is original these days? This urban romance, which spawns seven years and many cities ? Amsterdam, New York, Paris, Delhi and Mumbai ? is an easy watch, its highlight being the fantastic performances not only by Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee but by the entire cast.
After his snarling devil act in Ek Hasina Thi, this time round Saif makes the naughty guy lovable, all on his own steam.
He plays Karan, a cartoonist with a leading daily, who is the complete antithesis of Rhea (Rani). The two meet on a flight to the US, but their budding friendship ends in disaster when Karan tries to seal it with a kiss. After this, they keep bumping into each other all over the world. The script etches Karan's transformation from an irresponsible 22-year-old guy to a sensitive, caring man. Through it all, the story is interspersed with the animated characters of Hum and Tum which Karan has created, who constantly argue about gender device.
Perfect as the traditional at heart, no-nonsense, sensible Rhea, Rani is terrific as always, blending effervescence effortlessly with a tinge of vulnerability. Saif and Rani's interaction has a charm and warmth that is quite endearing. A special mention to Kiron Kher. After playing a great mom to Zayed Khan in Main Hoon Na, she delights again as Rani's Mummy in Hum Tum.
Knitting animation with the storyline is a novel concept, but as a narrative device, it adds little. Nevertheless, Kohli should be lauded for the experiment.
On the whole, Hum Tum is wholesome, good looking entertainment with good music to boot. You only wish it had ended ten minutes earlier! And disappointingly, the climax is clich�d.
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