Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) User Reviews

the reality hurts

[aamir2727 · 6/10 · 29 January 2007]

all of u who gave it low ratings, what is wrong with u? it is simply a story about the reality within a society, it is the truth, these things are happening every day yet we run away from the truth.

brilliant film, brilliant scenes, gr8 dialogues, fantastic acting and fabulous direction. im not an overkeen fan but i appreciate good cinema and this is brilliant cinema, bitter yet leaves an impact

shahrukh is wonderful. those who think that he went over the top, well it was his character! the only downfall of the movies is probably amitabh bachchan who did some overacting!

recommended to all who love international and hard hitting cinema!

Regular Bandwagon at Public Expense

[danzs · 6/10 · 12 August 2006]

Dear Karan,

When one goes for your movie, by now he knows what to expect. There are emotions and more emotions coming his way, vibrant and colourful songs with skimpy clad foreign models… good songs though, especially the title track… and the final tsunami of emotion to leave the handkerchief without a square dry inch. Those have been your success mantra till date, but please Karan, give us a break from your regular bandwagon at public expense.

Here's a story of Dev (Shah Rukh) and Maya (Rani Mukherjee). The movie starts out with these two strangers meeting on a bench where the would-be bride Maya is biding her time before tying the knot with childhood pal Rishi (Abhishek). Follows next is a dialogue where Dev raises a question: 'What if a person fell in love after marriage?' After uttering this portent line around which the movie revolves, our promising footballer, married to an ambitious Rhea (Preiti Zinta) is still on the high of getting his team to the next round on a penalty kick and being offered a $5 million contract, till he meets with an accident outside the bride's house. Sure comes across as a promising start. But the rest simply leaves an unfinished taste in the mouth.

The plot thickens as we cut across to the scenario after 4 years… Dev, the frustrated husband with a permanent limp living off his wife's earnings due to his accident injury; Maya a cold turkey in a marriage with Rishi that has borne neither kids nor mental and emotional satisfaction at her end.

So when Dev and Maya meet again, an extra marital affair is on the cards with Amitabh Bachchan as playboy Sam dropping in between scenes to add a shot of adrenaline to dull proceedings and remind the audience of his presence in the script as Dad for Rishi and foster Dad for Maya.

The movie drags on then for its entire runtime of close to three and half hours. However on the positive side the movie showcases: 1)The director's courage to deal with a theme on an extra marital affair for a traditional mindset back home. 2)Good performances by Amitabh, Rani, Preity, Kiron Kher (playing Mom for Dev), and Abhishek who thrives in his role of a faithful and caring husband. He sure has earned his award for 'Best Supporting Actor.' Purely for the performances extracted, this movie gets a 6 out of 10 from me. 3)Handling with flair the emotive moments. 4)Catchy musical numbers especially the title track that should make for good listening while driving down in your car.

Alas, the negatives outweigh the positives, them namely being:

1)A plot that tastes like gum after losing its flavour in the first 20 minutes but one is forced to chew on it for the next 3 hours. 2)Shahrukh who is the main actor but gets on the viewers nerve with an extra effort at his end which an actor of his talent does not require. 3)We could do without your clichés: including your lucky mascot Kajol for a 10 sec cameo. That has become quite commonplace. Now you add insult to injury by giving a cameo to John Abraham and Arjun Rampal. -Getting Amitabh again to lie down on the hospital bed in a critical condition; -Making Abhishek wear the famous lapel coat worn by his dad Amitabh for the movie Silsila and trying to titillate an educated movie audience of the 80s. -Your camera focus which should start showing something else besides Rani's eyes, Preiti's dimples and exhibiting your preference for mini skirts, chiffon saris and miniscule cholis. 4)Please Karan … Give us a break! Why do you have to include these phirang models dressed to the bare minimum in all your dance and party songs? We Indians are not that starved after the adequate doses you and your ilk have fed us over the past. 5)How hypocritical to portray Amitabh as a flamboyant playboy and then have him deliver a speech on the virtues of a good marriage and his love for his expired wife. 6)Making a movie that caters more for an urban educated class that visits the multiplexes but would leave the masses at towns and villages with a movie that is hard to identify with.

Well Karan, perhaps you are under the impression that you can use all your usual ingredients and come up with a winner. You sure do deserve credit for coming up once again with a theme that is different for Indian cinema since you talk of falling in love after marriage.

But why give it a 'Tea Break Treatment' while shooting for 'Koffee with Karan.'

Yours faithfully, A Disappointed Fan.

large step in the right direction .. (yet more needed)

[ram-solo · 7/10 · 18 August 2006]

On the very outset, whether it be all the publicity, interviews, to some degree even the music (mitwaa in particular), we have been well informed that this film is a love story about 2 people which is set outside the realms of their own marriages & this in itself is a daring stride on the producers part.

How so? You might ask. Well, partially it burns down to films being a HUGE part of people's lives in the Indian culture. If this is your first experience of Bollywood I should probably point out that in the Indian film industry we have lagged behind the rest of the world, for one reason only that I can put a finger on, and it has nothing to do with the song-and-dance as many may suggest, but it is the fact that they have been aimed specifically at the Indian audience for decades. Perhaps it shouldn't be, but it is considered a benchmark within Indians even to the extent of it being used as a tool by the elder generation to give guidance & set morals in their children, almost like the way many of us from early childhood are taught about God & religion.

Easily done, as the people of India are surrounded by our films far more than they are here in the UK, it is almost frowned upon if you haven't seen the latest Bollywood blockbuster on the weekend of its release. The people are more in touch with the latest & greatest in films than they are in the politics of the country, in fact politics probably comes 3rd place after Films & Cricket. An example is probably if you asked a kid who the Prime Minister of the country was they are less likely to know than who Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan is.

Plot Summary: KANK narrates the story of two families. There are the Sarans: Dev, his wife Rhea, their son Arjun - played by Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and child artiste Ahsaas Channa respectively, & there are the Talwars: Rishi, his wife Maya & his father Samarjit (though after watching the film you're more likely to remember him as Sexy Sam) - played by Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji & Dr. Amitabh Bachchan respectively. Both marriages are steadily moving forward but clearly unstable from the very moment we meet the characters. Dev & Maya's paths cross and they find friends in each other when they realise & find a little comfort in sharing thoughts with each other as they are both in the same situation of weak on the verge of breaking marriages. Through many a cup of coffee** and conversation regarding their respective marriages, they find themselves falling for each other. The crux of the story is how the two & their families deal with this (once they admit it to themselves & each other). A simple story, a concept far from novel you might think, & not wrongly, but as the case always is with Karan Johar films (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham & Kal Ho Naa Ho), its the way he portrays the characters, the way the plots & subplots & climax are unveiled upon the silver screen that makes the film far more than the on paper, simple, straight out of life stories.

Music: The 60's theme "Rock n Roll, Soniye", The EuroVision-like "Where's the party tonight?", or typical mushy variety "Tumhi Dekho Na" the choreography of Farah Khan deserves all the praise it gets as it simply can't be faulted. The above songs I found do take a little getting used to & can sound a tad cheesy but you can't help but tap your feet to them by the end.

A notch above the rest however are definitely the songs "Mitwaa" which actually does convince you that these two (SRK & Rani) are slowly falling for each other, and the title song "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" is simply beautiful, pleasant on the ears & conveys the pain of separation & the time that passes through the change in seasons superbly.

Overall Impressions: A top notch film from the writing, performance and execution point of view. It is stylish, has substance, has kept the conventional modes of entertainment value for the typical audience in mind (Light hearted moments, Song-n-Dance, Lavish costumes, A-list actors) but at the same time has daringly broken the conventions in content, handling a sensitive subject with élan & total dignity, which will certainly earn it a lot of respect points. The screenplay balances the two extremes of sweet light moments and sour showers of emotion with a familiar breeze. The relationship between the couples or even those between the parents and children are handled with respect. If there are moments that move you to tears, there are ample moments that bring a smile to your face too. The film is quite talky, but in a smart way. You never feel that the characters are talking to hear their own words or to fill up screen time. Definitely worth a watch for the overall sweet-n-sour flavour you get from a typical chick flick. From the people that do them best, you can't really go wrong, with a sharp twist, a hidden message passed subtly through the first line in the theatrical trailer and the final line in the film: "The foundation of a marriage should be an unconditional love for your partner & nothing else, for if the foundation is flawed then relationships break"

And the Turkey goes to.......

[Cuttingcha · 15 August 2006]

....Karan Johar for KANK!

I was waiting with so much excitement for this movie only to have my hopes dashed in the biggest way possible. I have loved some of Karan Johar's earlier films and thoroughly enjoyed them. However, I think this time around, he has completely got it wrong! (Which is OK because we are all humans and we make mistakes). This being a Rs500 million one.

This movie dragged on endlessly. The only salvation to all this... Amitabh Bachchan and Abishek Bachchan, who stole the show with their on-screen chemistry.

Is this movie worth a watch? No...not unless you have absolutely nothing better to do. Even then, I'd recommend chewing or biting your arm off as a better option.

Neither a superlative piece of cinema nor the abysmal film tagged by its hypercritical detractors.

[xpics · 6/10 · 13 August 2006]

• Magnificent sets

• Intricate art design

• Designer costumes

• Eye-pleasing visuals

• Loads of celebrations

• A Punjabi track with bikini babes

• Feel-good factor

• Trademark Shahrukh Khan

• Complimentary Kajol fluttering sari for a 5 second song appearance

• Predicted houseful openings

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna has all the regular contents of a Karan Johar extravaganza. Plus a story this time!

In 1981, Yash Chopra made Silsila on extra-marital affairs that was considered ahead of its times. The culmination of its theme, however, was as per the Indian sensibilities of those times. 25 years later, Karan Johar makes a film on extra-marital affairs (am not drawing any parallels between the two films whatsoever) and the culmination of the plot makes it the so called 'different' or a 'bold' film.

A bold film is not about sex, skin or sleaze. It's about matured mindsets and moving ahead with times. Karan also moves ahead with KANK. In terms of its plot outlines, while Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was an overrated triangular love story and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum was just another conventional family drama, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna has a comparatively sensible and substantial story to back the candy floss on the screen.

The story, as everybody and their second cousin by now know, is about an extra marital affair.

The visual appeal in a Karan Johar film is, like always, intricate and immaculate. Be it Anil Mehta's eye-pleasing camera-work, Sharmista Roy's appealing art design, Manish Malhotra's fashion fiesta or Farah Khan's cosmic choreography, everyone is just perfect in their department.

But as I earlier said, apart from the visual dazzlery, the movie clicks because it has something to say in which it succeeds. Karan always had heart in his films; here he puts in a lot of soul too. Shibani Bhatija who earlier wrote the overrated Fanaa this year, co-writes a more cohesive, convincing and a satisfying screenplay for KANK with Karan Johar. The comic scenes are very well written while the emotional ones are deftly acted and executed. Dialogues vary from the tongue-in-cheek lines in the lighthearted scenes to the regular ones in the emotional outbursts. Niranjan Iyenger's witty one-liners compliment the funny scenes without a glitch.

Also the screenplay balances the bittersweet act and maintains the equilibrium. While a Karan Johar film is broadly envisaged as a compulsive tearjerker, KANK has sufficient light-hearted frivolous relief in the first half. The scene where Rani Mukherjee tries to impersonate a BDSM girl is outrageously hilarious. If you go to compare KANK with Karan's earlier works, the tone of the film is more like a Kal Ho Naa Ho (which was written by Karan) as compared to his over-dramatic first two directions. In fact what sets the film apart from the daily soaps on the idiot box (each one of which is based on an extra-marital affair) is that the performances never get overtly melodramatic even in the emotional outbursts.

The pace is slow and the movie does get stretched in the second half. The conclusion could have been impermeable to the audiences' mentality but the screenplay has enough conviction to make it digestible. And while Karan took excuses of the bhartiya sanskriti and parampara in his first two films, here thankfully he stays free from the culture crap and sanskaar endorsements. On the contrary, KANK strides against the clichés in culture to make its own way. And the best part is that it doesn't do this blatantly.

Of course while going off-route, there are some elements where he arguably takes the fast-forward path. Like Amitabh Bachchan's characterization of a philandering sexagenarian might not gel well with the Indian sensibilities. But since his character adds a comic angle to the film and isn't the central focus either, one doesn't take it quite seriously. Still, the idea of imagining Amitabh Bachchan and his character sleeping with a new whore every night, without a trace of repentance and with the full knowledge of his son, isn't easily digestible.

What's notable in this film is that rather than just being the usual Chopra-Johar escapist cinema, it has a lot of realism too. For instance Shahrukh in KANK is not just the regular lover-boy. Though he continues his legacy of wooing the female species and taking away a woman from his initial partner in the film (he has been doing this since ever), he still isn't that man who makes things happen for others. The Dev Saran of KANK has a lot of vulnerability in him that makes him much human rather than the regular perfectionist SRK (of films like Main Hoon Na, Mohobbatien or Kal Ho Naa Ho) who plays the peacemaker and makes things happen for others. Imperfection makes Dev Saran real rather than starry.

In an age of breaking marriages and failing relationships, the movie's portrayal of the incompatibility in marital bonding is something that a contemporary audience can relate to. In a film that demands a lot of emotional play, the performances are as natural as it can get. Preity Zinta has the spunk to carry off the career woman character, Abhishek has a melting intensity, Rani only gets better like an old wine and Shahrukh, despite indulging in his trademark antiques, is acceptable for his character's vulnerability.

I am not a hardcore Karan Johar fan, neither am I cynical about his flamboyant films. I watched KANK with an open mind and without preconceived notions. So on the credit of its content, KANK ended up being neither a superlative piece of cinema nor the abysmal film tagged by its hypercritical detractors. It's just the perfect balance of entertainment.

Maturity, sensibility and entertainment increased in direct proportion from Karan Johar's K2H2 to K3G to KHNH. KANK continues the trend.

Heavy comedy turns into heavy melodrama in a highly unconvincing film

[Peter_Young · 4/10 · 7 July 2009]

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was promoted as Karan Johar's most mature work. It's not, and it's actually rather childish in the way it addresses marriage. Look, the combination of comedy and drama, laughs and tears is common in Hindi films, and I like it, but it doesn't work here. The banality of the story couldn't be more contrived or transparent: two couples (Shahrukh and Preity; Abhishek and Rani), in two troubled, unsuccessful relationships; Shahrukh befriends Rani and Preity befriends Abhishek; while Abhishek and Preity become good friends, Shahrukh and Rani clearly want more, which later on grows as expected. The film has a great share of loopholes. First, it is so exhaustingly long, especially for the story it tells. Almost four hours. And considering two hours were just trashy jokes and loud songs, I would've deleted at least one hour of it. While the combination of comedy and drama was handled quite well in Kal Ho Naa Ho, it was overdone here: the comedy was more of a parody, the drama was more of a soap opera. Most of the time the comedy is ridiculous and consistently unfunny. Amitabh Bachchan's affairs with young prostitutes and his pathetic behaviour are not funny at all and are actually very embarrassing. The "Black Beast" sequence should have been deleted, it's one of the most redundant, pathetic and pointless sequences I can imagine. It's just one of many sequences which didn't contribute to the film in any way.

Towards the end of a hardly amusing first half, the comedy ends. And all of a sudden starts the drama. The couples start fighting and insulting each other intensively in what resembles the cheapest of soap operas or sometimes even a very bad school play. An overblown scenery is filled with cheap and cliché "family situations", which are totally unconvincing and everything about them strains credulity. And this supposedly brings to the so-called extramarital affair. Many ask, does Karan Johar really know what marriage is all about? The answer is a definite no, and he's not even smart enough to be able to guess. His approach to the idea or concept of a marriage is shallow and lacking in any depth or critical thinking. As a result, the film in those portions where marital life is put to test, is unrealistic, hard to believe, and just never rings true. Johar's cheesy, theatrical and overly emotional dialogue could be forgiven if the characters weren't wealthy people living in New York 2006 - for your information, they don't speak like this. The music in the background is just completely distracting. I do know people like Hindi films also for their escapist and larger-than-life melodramas, but even in such films, the context is always clear, as opposed to this film which pretends to be a portrait of a marriage which never gels.

Those were the specifics, but what about the basics, like, for instance, the fact that the main characters always bump into each other "coincidentally" in the streets of New York as if it was as small as Chandni Chowk. Moreover, the setting is ridiculously exaggerated - the lavish houses and interiors make no sense, sorry but they don't look like people who could afford them and their financial and social background hasn't been set up well enough to make any of their lifestyle credible. I just kept wondering who are these people! Are they American citizens, or Indians living in America? They speak Hindi and heavily accented English, so they haven't been in the US for long, so what made them move to America? How come recent immigrants are so financially successful? If they were successful back in India, why did they move to the US in the first place? Even the little boy, supposedly US-born, speaks English with a Hindi accent. Does Johar even know that no kid speaks a heritage language better than a dominant societal language, especially English? More than anything, this tendency to choose foreign countries to tell stories of Indians is really getting pathetic. India is such a wonderful, culturally rich country, why go elsewhere?

The acting in this film is roundly average, but no one is to be blamed in particular since the direction, writing and editing are so weak, and the setting and dialogue just keep reducing the desired seriousness of the situations. Shah Rukh Khan, in one of his most unpleasant performances, is irritating for the most part. He can be a great actor when given the right opportunity, but this role is not for him as, worse than just not being good enough, he fails to register its complexity and mostly overacts. There are some scenes where he manages to retrieve his trademark witty style here for a few minutes, but his character is too exaggerated and underwritten to work, and strangely even his charisma is missing! At points one is even left wondering why anyone would fall for him here in the first place. Rani Mukherjee is similarly a major letdown. First, she does not really act, she mostly cries. I mean, she is a waterfall. I think she should learn that displaying grief is not all about tears. And there are far too many tears there. I wonder how much glycerin she used in this film. She seems to not have a clue what it really takes to play her character's inner struggle which is never brought out well; hers is overall a weak act.

Those who really do well are the supporting actors, particularly Preity Zinta, who is excellent as Rhea. Despite a relatively small role (which Johar must be slapped for), she comes across as a strong, serious career woman and is always credible and dignified. She convincingly displays Rhea's tough outside and soft inside, and her gestures and line delivery are spot on. When given the right chance, Abhishek is a revelation, but the chance is limited. His romantic and loving Rishi is a lovely character on paper, much less so within the film's context, but the actor does it relatively well. His dramatic scenes are difficult to play and he partly delivers. As expected, Kirron Kher is spectacular in a brief part. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is visually pleasing, partly watchable, and only occasionally entertaining. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's soundtrack is fantastic and the songs are beautifully pictured, especially "Tumhi Dekho Naa". The film's ending is overlong, could have been shortened, but worse than that, it shows how morally damaged the entire outlook of the writers is - a story of infidelity is romanticised in a way that really looks peculiar. KANK is a poor film, it is poorly executed, but it does have glipses of Bollywood's unique style, colour and beauty, and that's why I do understand people who are willing to forgive its flaws.

I rate 7/10 for this movie

[gsuresh22 · 7/10 · 13 August 2006]

I felt that the movie is OK and would be able to hit the box office.

+ of this movie in priority:

Story,Songs (Good Job Shankar,Ehsaan,Loy), BGM (Back Ground Music), Big B,Sharukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee, Rest of the actors

• of this movie in priority:

Deepest Love at first meeting itself (hard to digest), Stretched and lengthened scenes, Repeatedly touching the emotions in all the scenes, Film centered around only two actors Shahrukh and Rani Mukherjee

For details read my review at my blog - http://sureshspeaksout.blogspot.com/ -Suresh Gangadharan

Glorifies lying and cheating rather than...

[persian-belle · 1/10 · 4 November 2012]

Here I will comment on the content rather than the filmmaking techniques or acting: I'm not of Indian decent and don't understand any Hindi, except what I have learned from watching subtitled Bollywood... Yes, I'm a big fan. I used to like Shahrukh Khan and watched KANK just because he was in it. I assumed it would be a great film. I was VERY DISAPPOINTED :( Talking to many Indian friends, they seemed to share my feeling that Shahrukh lost many fans after this movie.

I just read some of the positive reviews and to me it seems as though many people consider anything unconventional or defiant as "artsy" and therefore valuable. Especially in Europe, many so-called educated people still confuse "immoral" with "open-minded". According to these people, if you cheat on your spouse, you are no longer bound by the traditional, maybe even religion-based, institution of marriage. For many Indians who have felt the pressures of culture, religion and society, this film may feel like a whiff of fresh air just because it seems to break free from those strings... and indeed it does. This reminds me of those repressed youngsters whose parents force religion on them, only to see them revolting with sometimes becoming delinquent once they become independent.

To break free from the negative aspects of tradition (i.e. even arranged or forced marriage), one doesn't need to lie and cheat or to do the opposite of ALL that's traditional or religious. One can question tradition and religion and take what's valuable and throw away what's not fair (sexism, homophobia, etc.) I am personally not affiliated with any religion. Nevertheless, I believe that morality is needed to make the wheels of a society run. Otherwise, there would be total anarchy. Trust is needed so people can get along peacefully. Everyone has the right to the truth, especially when it involves someone that they have trusted their life, love, emotions and body with. A person with a good social understanding realizes that if everyone acts selfishly, the society falls apart and there won't be anything anymore to hang on to.

Cheating on someone, deceiving, lying to, hiding from someone, especially a spouse, is not being progressive, open-minded and modern. A successful modern society survives on basic human values such as empathy, trust and a sense of morality in its laws as well as among its people. Deceit is simply immoral and unfair. Do onto others what you like done to you. Problems arise in almost every marriage, but should first be solved by good communication. If both parties reach a solution where it seems the only way out is a divorce (so sad), so be it. At least it gives both people the respect of their time and knowing the truth and having the freedom to live their life however they want without deceiving someone else to do it.

KANK may have wanted to hint at some things that may cause marital problems... or maybe not. It doesn't even vilify the spouses that were cheated on and doesn't make the viewer hate them (even if it did, I'd still stick to what I said above about cheating).

KANK pretends to be a "realistic" film about things that can happen in everyday life. Well, do they? No, unless your average Joe is a sociopath. Someone who can carry on an affair must be a sociopath, someone with no feelings, no guilt, no remorse, no empathy, no respect for other people's rights and no sense of fairness.

Then there are those who claim that one should not be offended as this is just a (realistic) story. It's not. Then why glorify an extra-marital relationship? Even if this happened with a couple, this film could have turned it on its head and use it as a teachable moment... show that actually people who cheat once, are capable on cheating again (no empathy, remember?!!), so they are very likely to cheat on that new person with someone else, and again, and again, and again...

Instead, the ending romanticises this extra-marital affair and gives it a seemingly happy ending (that may have been the intention but I felt reallky appalled). Have the makers of this film not looked at any statistics? Don't they know that "once a cheater, always a cheater" is true (because someone with no soul, empathy or morality doesn't suddenly achieve them!)? Have they no values, no respect for integrity? Maybe one of them had an affair and this film was made to justify it, to no avail. In any case, this huge mistake was made at the expense of millions of Bollywood viewers. I found the ending disgusting and not at all romantic. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the duped spouses and thinking they deserved better than having been married to such low scums. The filmmaker's attempt to make these two cheaters likable totally fails... miserably.

I'm happily married and I met my spouse myself. Even if I had had an arranged marriage like some traditional Indian people, I would still treat that spouse with respect and honesty and would either try to work things out or separate with dignity.

p.s. As for being someone's soul mate, if you give yourself the right and the permission to look outside your marriage, you would find a potential soul mate with many people, as you will have things in common with many people. What makes you think the next person will be any different? THE IMPORTANT CHALLENGE IS TO KEEP THE ONE SOULMATE THAT YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE.

Realistic and wonderful movie

[gundugumblock · 10/10 · 6 September 2006]

This movie was excellent. It was a truly adult theme and very realistically made. This genre of movies has not been explored in India because of social taboos but it happens all the time. People fall in & out of love, they may never be 'in-love' with their spouse but think they do and keep looking for a deep romantic love. This movie explored all this with tenderness & dignity as the dominant themes. What's more, it was not primitive in it's treatment of the story i.e. the previous tone for movies would have been to kill these people who fall in love outside of marriage or suddenly turn their spouses into abusing monsters - to justify the people falling in love - who die and bless the new couple in the dying scene to be together! The movie had a realistic and logical conclusion. The only thing is that it could have been shorter. Nevertheless, it was not boring. All the actors have given it their best shot.

A Hindi movie worth seeing

[benandorsqueaks · 7/10 · 1 December 2006]

I'm an American that's been living in India for four months. KANK is the only Hindi movie I've seen with subtitles (that is, where I've known what's going on). I liked it. It was definitely a bit melodramatic and cheesy, but I've come to expect that from Indian cinema. Relative to US movies, I would rate it as a pretty run-of-the-mill, cheesy drama/chick-flick.

I've seen a lot of responses to the movie that are really negative, saying the story didn't make sense or the characters didn't make sense, and I don't really understand what they're talking about. I would say the characters were relatively well-formed. They were consistent, and although they didn't necessarily have a full depth, it was easy as a viewer to fill the gaps, to imagine the kind of person they were. An example of this is the tension in both marriages. The tension and the reasons for it were well-established, and that gave insight into the characters' personalities. I was surprised by how decent the acting was (decent, but not great). Compared to what I've seen on TV and movie clips here, the acting in KANK was far more realistic. It was hard to believe Maya sometimes under all the makeup, but I thought she did a pretty good job beneath that mask.

The story wasn't bad. It had a lot of pretty extreme (but predictable) coincidences, but I applaud their creativity in coming up with so many ways to prolong the problem. Speaking of which, this movie was very, very long. If it was a US movie, it could have ended right after the intermission - they love each other, get together, bam, it's over. The song and dance numbers were not something I'm used to (well, there's Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and The Producers, but I'm not used Hindi song and dance numbers). However, I had heard the songs played all the time here, and it was cool to see how they fit into the movie, and what they really were about.

Comments I've seen about how it glorifies adultery and such are hogwash. It's a story about people. People aren't perfect. These things happen, and drama is about reflecting real life. Go watch Sideways or Crash to understand how flawed people can be the subject of a movie. As I said, relative to US movies, I would rate it as a pretty run-of-the-mill, cheesy drama/chick-flick. However, I give it a 7/10 (higher than I would a US movie of this quality) because I think it's a Hindi film worth a viewing, at the very least to understand a little bit of the culture here.

Most overrated film

[shikhasinghi · 1/10 · 12 August 2006]

Saddest take on extra marital relationships. No justification for anything. Why SRK falls for Rani? How is she so different from Preity? Why is Rani angry with Abhishek? What does SRK give her? There is no justification and as a viewer I do not get interested in any relationship whatsoever. Because nothing looks real. One does not feel any emotions and the stars are crying all the time! Everything looks artificial and concocted. The director does not seem to have any depth and any understanding of the sensitivities. One should have a look at Arth and Silsila to see how this kind of cinema should be attempted. Good locations and costumes do not make up for an atrocious film.

Sensitive portrayal of a difficult subject

[HeadleyLamarr · 9/10 · 13 August 2006]

Just saw KANK and was blown away by the sensitive portrayal of love and betrayal in marriage. Why did I like this movie? First of all, I believe movies are here to entertain us, not to provide us with lessons in life. Having said that, does this movie tell us it is okay to go out and cheat on your spouse? I don't think so. If there is a lesson one can learn it is to not tie the knot for the wrong reasons, to hold out for that one person who could be your soul mate.

This was not the usual Karan Johar fare, but it was also much hyped to not be, so why are we disappointed that this is not another mushy romance? Thank God there is no boy meets girl and romances her, falls in love, marries her, the usual Karwa Chauth, the contrived ups and downs. This story seems very real, the characters are caught in inexplicable situations as is usual in life, they are flawed, they appealed to me as people I see around me every day.

This movie was beautiful in its look and locales, the maturity of plot and character development took this several steps beyond KKHH, K3G and even Kal Ho Naa Ho (which I liked very much except for the excruciating SRK heart problem line).

KJ is to be applauded for several things - The comedy (and there were a lot of laughs) came from deft writing and situations, not hammy comedians The sensitive, tasteful portrayal of marriage and infidelity The music was exquisite in Mitwa and the title number, catchy in the dance numbers The acting - SRK gave a smoldering performance, channeling both his bad boy image (Darr, Baazigar etc.) and his diffident romantic hero (DDLJ). A few scenes are esp noteworthy, his declaration at the dinner table that he loves Maya, him looking at Rani and Abhishek at the ballet, his reaction to Preity telling him she wears the pants in the house. He was very mature and restrained and back in the acting groove again. Rani was good most of the time, but did tend to weep a lot in a wooden way. Priety was very deft in her role and will no longer be type cast as the bubbly type. Abhishek has never been a great favorite of mine - I find him too wooden, but he did channel the big B in his angry young man moment when he was trashing the apartment. The big B was very funny but will probably offend many who want to learn from the movies. Just be entertained yaar! I really did like this movie - for all its length I sat there mesmerized by these characters and their flawed troubled lives.

Mr. Johar please do not go back to the romantic comedies with the Karwa Chauths and estranged parents or siblings, please continue to give us bold cinema that is still very tasteful and entertaining.

Karan Johar has done it again!!!!!

[punjabipete · 7/10 · 10 August 2006]

Well Karan Johar has done it again. i just come back from the cinema and i watched the first showing of this film it was better than i expected it to be. It was not a rip off of closer but the theme was used about the relationships. All the actors had done a traffic job especially Amithabh Bachan and Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherji. also special appearances from Arjun Rampal, Kajol, and John Abraham. The music of the film was terrific especially rock n roll Sonya Amithabh and Abhishek dance wonderfully and Mitwa. Preity Zinta looks stunning in the movie and Abhishek looks better. A film to watch this august. the trailer of don and dhoom 2 were shown the next two films to go and watch on my list definitely 3 block busters of the year.

Experiment gone awry

[Arunirvana · 4/10 · 12 August 2006]

I make onion poha for breakfast thrice a week, with the bare minimum ingredients possible. One day I tried to experiment some (inspired by the stalls outside my Engineering college) and tried some sugar (caramelized onions anyone?), extra turmeric and some red chilli powder. The result was anything but edible but I humbly gulped it down.

KANK is an honest attempt to break away from the mauled of sugary romances by the new age love guru Karan Johar. An honest attempt, huh? Its the result that speaks volumes in the age of fast-food and fast-love. What we get to witness this time is not the time tested elaborate shaadis, karwa chauths or the big fat Indian family reunions, reminiscent of his and Yash "uncle's" earlier movies. This time its the bold subject of infidelity - the sensitive (ahem!) portrayal of seeking love outside a loveless (???) marriage. How far does Karan succeed? Lets check it out through the eyes of a neutral, unassuming viewer.

KANK is the story about Dev (Shahrukh), a footballer whose career dreams are broken along with his leg when he meets with a freak accident, which makes him a recluse. His ever complaining ways puts his marriage with Rhea (Priety), a successful woman, on the rocks. In another part of New York city, there is marital tension between Rishi (Abhishek), & Maya (Rani) for reasons only known to Karan dude. Maya is a cleanliness freak and doesn't know why she is married to Rishi even after 4 years being together. She thinks that she is trapped in a loveless marriage, whereas her hubby still goes ga-ga over her. In the midst of all this mayhem, we have the swinging sexagenarian Sam (Big B) who could be the poster boy for Viagra and Dev's endearing mom played by Kirron Kher.

Its baffling to comprehend the first meeting between the protagonists Dev & Maya on the latter's wedding day and the subsequent exchange of words between total strangers. She is confused about the marriage right from the word go due to godforsaken reasons. Cut to the present times and the duo meet up under similarly make-belief circumstances. The sequences revolving around a bizarre character "Black Beast" is corny to the core (now I wish I had seen Krrish!). The first half is laced with incoherent scenes like these, barring a few. The screen lights up whenever Big B is there, he provides the much desired light-hearted moments. His tete-a-tete with Kirron Kher is quite funny.

Well, coming back to the crux of the movie, the protagonists become pally, meet up regularly and discuss ways to save their crumbling marriages. At this point, Karan dude goes over the top again and gives us the work which resembles that of an overzealous amateur. The scenes where Maya teaches Dev the art of giving a good massage in a furniture store and Karan trying it on his wife and Maya metamorphosing into a seductive hunterwaali clearly takes the movie to abysmal levels. Then the inevitable happens, the duo become too close for comfort and decide to cheat on their respective spouses - what set out as mending work created a bigger monster.

Now lets talk about the performances, which forms the most important aspect of a Karan Johar movie as he employs the best in the industry. Shahrukh plays the role of Dev with conviction and nobody else could have bettered him here, but hey wait a minute, haven't I seen the same expressions in half a dozen of his earlier movies? Rani is competent but one hardly tends to sympathize with her character inspite of crying a bucketful. Abhishek Bachchan is the surprise packet, he goes through a range of emotions as if he is already a veteran, great acting from the junior. Priety looks glamorous and in a couple of scenes manages to overshadow king Khan too, but was that cleavage show necessary? Kirron Kher too does a great job but its Big B who again proves yet again that he is the real king and this time he gives a certain Mr.Hashmi a run for his money. He is ice cool in the first half and philanthropic towards the latter stages.

All said and done, the stellar cast raises the bar of the movie but then to what extent? A movie with such a half baked plot and treatment can't be saved from the obvious, it disappoints. The screenplay leaves a lot to be desired and that poses a question in front of Karan dude - Is it really worth to break away from the mauled? An ardent fan of his movies would be satisfied watching the protagonists running around trees and mustard fields and elaborate traditional celebrations of filthy rich families.

Nowadays I make onion pohas with a dash of lemon and they taste just fine. I guess I've learnt that the right way of making it by pondering over my mistakes, without going overboard with experimentation. Good luck Mr Johar!

Karan Johar's Soap Opera Travesty

[Chrysanthepop · 23 February 2010]

Like an Expensive Melodramatic Indian Soap Opera In New York Karan Johar attempts to make a 'so-called mature' movie but the handling of the themes and the storytelling is very amateur. Many of the comedic sequences, especially the silly ones like 'black beast' (racist?) were cringe inducing. Much of the dialogues are the kind you would hear in soap operas.

The characters are poorly written. Rhea is supposed to be a strong woman who loves her job and family and while her quality time with family is limited, her excuse to Dev is that she's 'forced' to be the 'man' of the family? This is not the kind of thing one would hear a strong independent woman say. Then there's Maya, who is also a strong character and yet she lets herself be treated so harshly by Dev. Sexy Sam is quite a pathetic caricature blend of a sleazy Casanova-type old hag (who only seems to sleep with white girls that are about 40 years younger than him) and the loving father who's there for his son and whatever.

The last hour is so laughable because of the sheer awfulness in execution, acting and writing. Johar's direction lacks aim and focus while his script seriously lacks consistency. The overall soundtrack is far from memorable but two songs are quite beautiful: 'Tumhi Dekho Na' (artistically shot) and 'Mitwa'. Not surprisingly, the background score is heavily intrusive.

Shahrukh Khan pretty much overacts in every single one of his scenes. Dev isn't supposed to be likable nor sympathetic but the way Khan plays him is frustrating to the viewer especially with his overdone expressions and measured tone of voice. In my opinion, this is perhaps Rani Mukherjee's worst performance to date. She fails to demonstrate the complexity and depth of Maya and could someone ask Rani or Johar why Maya keeps crying so much? Abhishek Bachchan tries to be funny and charming but he's not entirely convincing which, unintentionally, makes it easy to understand why Maya doesn't want him. Amitabh Bachchan is incredibly irritating as Sexy Sam (though he is not as bad as Khan) but otherwise he does a fine job in a number of sequences, especially the ones with Kiron Kher. Kher is quite superb as the grounded mother and Sam's confidant. Preity Zinta stands out as she delivers an impressively restrained performance with grace and élan. She easily steals the show from Bachchan, Khan and Mukherjee.

It's interesting that Johar has attempted to tackle a mature contemporary theme and even though he failed, I think his intentions were sincere. Perhaps, this is a path Johar shouldn't tread yet.

Okay.

[mseclectic · 7/10 · 13 August 2006]

I'm gonna keep this short and simple. The movie is OK. Not too great, not too bad. Flaws: Too long-3.5 hrs, not to mention too stretched. Storyline doesn't make all that much sense. Boring at many times, ESPECIALLY after the interval. Too much repetition of certain things. Overacting by many of the actors at times in the movie.

Good: songs, and cinematography is very very good. Well executed humor, and jokes. Entertaining in the first part of the movie. Acting is good by Shah Rukh Khan, Rani, and Abhishek, although at times, they tend to overact a bit. bold, and different type of story. likable by some who like change.

Overall: Good for ONE and ONLY ONE viewing. If you view it more than once, you will start to get a huge headache.

very disappointing

[vani_mehra2003 · 1/10 · 15 August 2006]

Karan,I wait for your new releases anxiously but this one was disappointing.It was not that the whole concept was bad,but it could have been better.There were very negative elements in the movie which i think were not taken care off.Dev had been shown as a bad father because he is always found his son scolding and even at the end he prefer his selfishness instead of his child.If Maya could not be happy with such a good husband then she will be never satisfied with anyone else,cos there is not a single reason shown in the movie which shows that Dev can love her more than Rishi.I feel that Riya and Rishi were very good pair for two of them and still they wanted something more.Till the end of the movie Maya and Dev have not realized their mistake.Dev's mother preferred living with Riya ,his son is happy with his mom and doesn't miss his father anymore,Rishi compromised marrying again to fill the emptiness in his life and these two selfish characters are happy in the end disturbing so many lives.If end would have been shown as realizing what blunder they did and would have shown cared for their family,it could have win audience applause,Rishi and Riya were not at all wrong instead both of them were so lovable then why they had to undergo from such a pain?It could have been a hit if the story line would have been better.

More misses than hits in Karan Johar's overlong, overwrought third outing...

[SoldierOfTheDarkSide · 6/10 · 14 August 2006]

The problem with reviewing a Bollywood movie, more so a Karan Johar movie, is that you never know whether you should review it on your terms or it's own terms.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna ("KANK", of course), is a film that doesn't do much, but does what it does pretty well for the most part. I say "for the most part" because by the final third, it becomes an endurance test.

This is a Karan Johar film that begins where most Karan Johar films end. Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan)is married to Rhea (Priety Zinta). One morning he meets Maya (Rani Mukherjee), sitting at a bench, hesitant to go into her own wedding with Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan). Dev talks her into taking the plunge and they go their separate ways. A few years later, Rhea is successful, Dev isn't. Rishi's in love with Maya, Maya loves Rishi but isn't *in* love with him. When Maya and Dev reconnect, infidelity ensues.

So is this a film about marriage, love, following your heart, the difference between love and being in love? Well, yes and no. Johar flirts tantilizingly with all those issues, but never really gets a grip on any of them. You could argue that I'm being a bit lofty in my ambition for a Karan Johar movie, but I'm only disappointed because the opportunities for dealing with these issues all present themselves repeatedly during the film's mammoth three and a half hour runtime, but Johar never does them justice. This is definitely his most mature film yet, but the maturity feels token and isn't enough.

Is this a bad film? Nope, not in the least. Johar is still very much melodrama's Michael Bay; KANK is loud, lush, gorgeous and Johar knows how to get his actors to crank the emo factor up all the way to 11. The chemistry between Rani Mukherji and SRK (hamming it up) is palpable, their little gestures saying more than the loud ones (a pity, because little gestures are in short supply here). Abhishek Bachchan is here to stay but lets not forget Amitabh Bachchan. I can't figure out if its a testament to the Big B's ability or an indictment of the other actors (and indeed the script) that in spite of dealing with two complex marriages, the emotional center of the film is the relationship between Amitabh and Kiron Kher. (he plays Abhishek's father, her, Shah Rukh's mother).

The most sorely under-written character is Priety Zinta's. The script does her the disservice of painting her as cold and so focused on her career that her marriage has fallen by the wayside. Why does this bother me? Because it just feels like Johar's trying to force our sympathies towards SRK and Rani's relationship. She's got a thankless job to do, even though her character fleshes itself out a bit more towards the end.

This is a Karan Johar film and so of course the beautiful people are dressed in beautiful brands courtesy Manish Malhotra. The film is dressed in great (if slightly forgettable) music by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. But somewhere along the way, somebody was asleep at two important tables; at the writers' table, both Johar and screenplay writer Shibani Bhatija clearly thought they had an obligation to drag the film across a 200 minute finish line, so the script is flabby and padded. At the one table we could have had a liposuction, the editing table, editor Sanjay Sankla went to sleep.

As a result, in spite of it's ability to make you think in bits, in spite of it's beauty, in spite of some searing performances, the film loses its ability to ever truly touch you, instead leaving you checking your watch, wondering if you're going to make that dinner appointment.

I almost missed mine.

Karan hits a new low

[maxqnzs42 · 1/10 · 24 November 2006]

Kabhi "kank" na dekhnaa!! This movie had the best ending of any BW film I've seen. The only way to improve on the ending of this film would have been to move it 190 minutes closer to the beginning.

I must congratulate KJ on blending unsympathetic, whiny, self-absorbed characters with a convoluted, self-indulgent and incredibly overblown storyline. I should also thank him for making me think kindly of Mother India, which now seems like a 10 minute comic riot when compared to this month-long episode of "Hamare Zindagii ke dinoN". I was easily able to understand how desperation to get out out of it caused Big B to have a heart attack. Talk about life imitating art! Still, it must have been less painful than being stuck in the nightmare of that movie. The guy is well-read, thoughtful and well-spoken off screen, but is painted a sleazy lecher in the first 45 minutes of this film. When Preity says "this marriage is over", my only reaction was "but this movie's still got 40 minutes to go!" Poor Kajol should have avoided this stinker like the plague, opting for classy, high-quality drama like "Girlfriend" instead.

I now have a soft spot for Preity, and hope that starring in this clunker doesn't weigh her down with too much bad karma. Now I'm off to do pooja for whichever deity inspired the FF button, to say thanks for preventing my suicide.

An Excellent story which shows the reality of life

[arhoodbhoy · 10/10 · 4 September 2006]

Went to see KANK and trailer gave the impression that there will be affair between Preity and Abhishek and movie was completely opposite. Karan Johar has presented the fact of life and Rani and Shahrukh has performed excellent despite of having a difficult role which is not accepted by our society.

Amitabh Bachan is superb in role as sexy Sam and One hope that in real life is not the person. Karan Johar direction is flawless although at time one feels the locations remind his earlier movie Kal Ho Na Ho.

Kiron Kher, Abhishek and Preity have given excellent performance. The costume by Manish Malhotra is too good.

Congragulations to Karan for given an another excellent movie.

Karan you have so far kept your word of casting Rani and Kajol in your movie and Kajol entry in a song was surprising. refreshing and excellent.

Indian cinema is indeed growing up

[reachbach · 7/10 · 20 August 2006]

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.

Lack of focus and conviction

[rraj5 · 1/10 · 13 August 2006]

So, how do we make movie.

Step 1: Start from an idea Step 2: ... No point going to this step and onwards because that's where the thinking part ends in this case.

The idea was good, different and definitely unconventional. The execution was flawed and suffered from lack of thinking and complete inability to knit a story around that idea.

Let's start with lack of identity in and relevance of characters: Sam - couldn't figure out why is this character in the movie. He could not resolve anything, could not set an example of any kind. If he is trying to be Hugh Hefner, so be it - don't mix or dilute that character with stints of love for his late wife.

Kamaljit - Such a fine actress - totally wasted because of the same issue as above.

Maya - why is she unhappy? is she very fond of cleaning and Rishi very fond of throwing trash around; she wants to do or achieve something in life that Rishi is not letting her to? is she in love with some other guy before marriage (like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) and she is stuck here? Not explained at all in the movie.

Dev - Why is he so irritated all the time? What does he want in life? Why does he feel bad when Rhea kind of shows her generosity when she declines the promotion but he makes sarcastic remarks when he wins some small time cup in the beginning of the movie but she is unable to make it because of her interview? His love towards Maya all these years (even though he was married) and his waiting or letting the trains go, keeping a close watch at her etc. comes as a big surprise to the audience as well (at least tell us about it so that we can at least appreciate and understand your character and try to defend you.. because ultimately it is going to be your story)? How was he wronged to an extent that he had to leave his son, his mother because of some Maya after more than 5 years of marriage? What led him to pull the chain in the end when he didn't even know that Maya wasn't living with Rishi anymore? Totally confused guy with no sense of life.

Rhea - Understood. She is a career oriented woman and work comes first and family second. That's a personal choice and I appreciate that. She is very successful and took the magazine to No. 1 spot in less than 2 years (she joined when her son was 5yrs old). But her way of dealing with personal situations is very immature - don't believe she played any role in dealing with people issues to make the magazine such a big success. And what was the meaning of - Now we are No. 1 and now let us go back to our husbands and family. Are you saying that leaving husbands and family was part of the project plan to bring the magazine to No. 1 spot and that now there will not be any effort to keep it that way. Trust me, fight for sustenance at No. 1 spot is far more hard than achieving it.

Rishi - The most reasonable character in the movie. Although we don't know what is going on in his mind and how he wants to resolve things than just being totally committed and in love with Maya..but still.. we can grant him some room.

Arjun - A cute little angel with Chicken Little looks. He could have played a significant role in the movie to turnaround things and situations. But he is a kid...he gets to suffer in the end...so let us leave him for now.

In short - if we have so many weak characterizations playing the lead role in the movie, howsoever good the concept is - it is bound to fail.

The only good thing in the movie (that is why 1 star) 1- Music. Great Music!! But the songs, lyrics and the situations were totally out of sync with the storyline.

Mr. Johar - I have been a big fan of yours and I am sure you know this but I don't know why you missed it this time - There's a lot that goes into a movie to make it watchable than designer dresses, new york streets, and the most expensive and talented set of actors in Indian film industry. Please take charge of the movie and understand your responsibility and accountability to get the best out of them.

This is not a Karan Johar movie - this is a movie that happens to have Karan Johar's name as the director.

Loved this Movie!

[nitap · 10/10 · 30 October 2006]

If you enjoy watching Bollywood movies about relationships especially real life marital relations, I think this movie is worth watching. At any rate, Karan Johar had courage to make this film and made it intensely serious as well as adding good comedy at the right moments. The songs are enjoyable and the performances by all the main actors were superb. It takes courage to take on the topic of infidelity and Johar does so brilliantly. We can relate to the characters on some level. It was wonderful to see the father-son team of Amitabh and Abishek team up in their mostly comic scenes. Shah Rukh Khan does intensity very well. Even though many Bollywood movies love to play with the idea that the couple that starts out in a movie isn't the couple that will end up together at the end, most Bollywood movies give it a fairy tale type ending where everybody is happy with the end result. But KANK does good by showing that there are repercussions when following your heart, and it doesn't feel good when we break another person's heart. This movie really explores the emotions and dilemmas that are involved in extra-marital affairs which I think is important for people to explore. Keep making these great films Karan!

a ray of sunshine

[ruchira-bhatia · 6/10 · 11 September 2006]

I'm not a bollywood buff, tending to sing praises of oldies like Arth and Gumrah (the Mala Sinha / Ashok Kumar one) and not really into new movies. But KANK had me pleasantly surprised.

Firstly, lets see why everyone is reacting so strongly to it. Obviously its touched some chords SOMEWHERE. That itself shows that there's something special about this film.

Secondly, its a STORY, for God's sake. Why should there be a bloody strong reason for Dev or Maya to do what they did? Life just happens, it doesn't have to have some superior logic all the time. The protagonists are not portrayed as perfect, they're just real people. Don't real people cross boundaries and fall in love? Don't real people make mistakes? Don't real people fall out of love?? Thirdly, i want to thank Karan Johar for making this film. It feels like a huge leap forward has been taken. Even in taking this leap, he's kept middle class sensibilities in mind somewhere....which is why the 3 year gap after the divorce, perhaps for repentance? So here are Dev and Maya, who've made the criminal mistake of falling in love when they're trapped in marriages they don't relate to anymore....would this truth have been more palatable if Rishi and Rhea had been shown to be negative characters? How trite would that be??? Finally - for the FIRST time, i was truly touched by SRK's performance. He was vulnerable and broken and not willing to admit it....hence, all the bitterness. But the vulnerability touched me. Yes, I know, the last scene stuck out like a sore thumb, but still.

A good attempt flawed beyond belief

[shashikrishna · 1/10 · 13 August 2006]

Storyline # 1 - Dev Saran (SRK) is a football champ who breaks his leg in a freak car accident and retains a permanent limp. He is married to Rhea (Zinta) and has a child. His insecurity lies in the fact that he could not achieve what he wanted to in life. But what makes it worse is the fact that he seems to hate that his wife, on the other hand, is the 'man of the house' while he lives off her. This makes him terminally ill with 'male chauvinism syndrome' as it were as he huffs and puffs his way across this 3.5 hour debacle.

Cut to storyline # 2. Maya (Rani) a humble school teacher is married to Rishi (Abhishek) who is a party planner in NYC and a childhood friend of Maya. Maya is shown as someone incapable of having children and a cleanliness freak.

Both marriages are on the rocks thanks to inexplicably unreasonable characters Dev and Maya. Dev is always mad about one thing or another without a break. I was wondering why Rhea stuck it out with as long as she did. On the other hand we have Mrs.Weepy-Eye Maya who never really explains why it is she cant satisfy her honest husband's genuine needs. If he requires a little passion in bed then she would rather 'discuss' it than do anything more. Needless to say the man is patient and puts up with this borderline insane woman.

Then we have Rishi's Playboy dad Sam (Amitabh) who is waltzing around with girls a quarter his age while mouthing sentimental stuff about his dead wife. Yawn! When Dev and Maya meet the first time, being the strangers that they are, Dev actually manages to have a profound conversation with this complete stranger with questions like "Do you love him?" Seems like Johar was so eager to let them get used to each other from the very first frame and realism apparently doesn't matter anymore. A few meaningless lines later off goes Maya into her bridal suite and off goes Dev into a passing car.

4 years pass by. Don't worry. That means nothing.

Takes one to meet and understand one indeed. Dev and Maya meet up again due to some random accident and voila! We have the two couples exchanging greetings with each other. When they both "realize" that they are in the same boat they decide to help each other out with some ridiculous tomfoolery around beautiful NYC. You will have to see these scenes to hate them.

A few songs and hip shakes later we have the couple checking into a suite somewhere as they have just realized that "Hey! We don't need to fix our marriages. Lets fix each other up with one another!' while poor old Abhishek and good old Zinta are gyrating in a night club somewhere oblivious of where exactly the "party is that night".

KANK is about relationships outside marriage and what happens if one were to say 'meet their soul mate' after marriage. Very noble indeed. But the flaw is not with the question but with the answers Johar Inc. provides. Neither are they reasonable nor believable as 3.5 valuable hours of our finite lives are exhausted in this meaningless merry-go-round of 'relationships'.

Performances hands down belong to the Bachchans. If you thought you had seen the last of Big B then you better watch out. Despite being borderline vulgar the legend pulls off an amazingly new and refreshing role of a Casanova. In the same breathe there is his kiddo Abhishek. In the entire cast he seemed the only dude who had any honesty in his performance. If there is anyone to benefit from this Titanic of a movie then that is Abhishek. Rani…hang on. I forget when it was she acted in the movie between all that crying! Good lord woman! Have some integrity for crying out loud! Preity is OK in her very reserved appearance although I felt more sympathetic for her and Abhishek towards the end than these 'love birds'.

I kept SRK for a different paragraph for a couple of reasons. This man needs to start rethinking doing movies for Johar. He has hammed like you have never seen before. If in Kal Ho Na Ho he wouldn't die…then in KANK he doesn't live. Not for one minute. His loud and over the top acting makes me wonder if he indeed was the man who made a classic like Swades. It's a shame his choices have gone downhill again.

Music is truly over rated since it sounds like a lot of tunes you have already heard before. Editing and camera work is more on NYC rather than scenes. How many times will we get to see NYC, Mr. Johar? Some of us live there you know.

All said and done KANK is a good attempt gone very wrong. My advise – skip it and save yourselves a few hours of your mental and physical health.