Firstly, the director deserves credit for deviating from his cloyingly melodramatic money fetchers like K3G and attempting to address a mature, complex topic. This probably isolates him from his loyal audience who like to shed a tear or get overwhelmed by bold sets or excess of riches usually portrayed in his movies. In fact, such audience might find it hard to digest such a story line. That might adversely effected the revenues of this movie, but is a step in the right direction; its time the India audience grew up. The hope is that reduced returns (if such a thing happens) don't deter the director from continuing on the path of mature, stimulating cinema that he's chosen. There is still the minimum dosage of melodrama and "gripping" finish - in the second half of the movie, the pain that Maya & Dev go through after separation from each other & from their respective families is excruciating. It leaves you begging for a quick reunion/conclusion (that is perhaps the intent). Maya desperately looking for Dev and uniting with him in the railway station (after he is shown departing by the train to Canada) is still in the typical Hindi cinema mould. Overall, definitely a step in the right direction. On the positive front, it would've been disappointing if Dev and Maya had united immediately after the divorce or if their better halves had a rebound affair. But the director has cleverly resisted that story line and has offered something different. The story (and its handling) is ahead of its times and deserves plenty of appreciation. As for individual performances, Rani Mukherjee is brilliant and largely shoulders the movie. She's in a different plane altogether and her performance alone makes the movie worth watching. SRK's performance is on expected lines. Abhishek Bachchan & Preity Zinta turned out to be mediocre. As for the other aspects, the settings are a surreal (as you'd expect in such a movie). The cinematography & the songs are brilliant. Enough to guarantee the minimum returns for the movie makers. The music CD is surely worth a buy. Overall, though this movie doesn't compare favourably to movies like Omkara, Swades or Dil Chahta Hai, it is a step in the direction. Worth a watch.
Review of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
