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- Chak De (General, 2007)
- Don (General, 2006)
- Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Romance, 2006)
- Paheli (General, 2005)
- Main Hoon Na (General, 2004)
- Swades (General, 2004)
- Veer Zaara (Romance ,2004)
- Main Hoon Na (General,2004)
- Kal Ho Na Ho (General,2003)
- Chalte Chalte (Romance ,2003)
- Devdaas (Romance ,2002)
- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (General ,2001)
- Mohabbatein (Romance ,2000)
- Josh (General ,2000)
- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Romance ,1998)
- Dil To Pagal Hai (General ,1997)
- Pardes (General ,1997)
- Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (Romance ,1995)
review by Apun Ka Choice
Chak De (General, 2007)
The film starts with a Hockey match between India and Pakistan. Indian Captain Kabir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) misses a penalty at the end of the match which causes the team to lose the game. The Indian media make out that Khan was responsible, this leads him to quit the team for good. He leaves his home and community, finding it un-bearable for everyone to call him a traitor.
Seven years later, Kabir returns with a proposal to coach the Indian Women's Hockey team. The Hockey Association members re-buff his proposal and declare that they will not help him in his cause. Kabir takes the challenge and goes to the National Hockey Camp where he is introduced to the 16 young girls who played for their respective states. Kabir starts coaching them with a dream that the team will win the Hockey World Cup for India and he will finally be free of any conviction put against him.
Some members of the team resent him but he finally gets through to them. The team rally and convince the Association to go for the World Cup held in Australia who also happen to be the defending champions. In their first match, they lose to the defending champions but slowly the team grow momentum and start winning matches. Finally the team gets to the final and they beat Australia in a tie-breaker.
The players and Kabir are ecstatic at their victory and are welcomed back as heroes. More importantly, Kabir returns to his home after seven years where the residents greet him with love and affection.
Don (General, 2006)
In 2006, the drug trade is booming. The Malaysian Intelligence and Anti-Narcotic Department are called upon for assistance by their Indian counterparts. There are rumours that a drug gang has recently moved their headquarters to Kuala Lumpur.
The Indian team is headed by DCP DeSilva (Boman Irani) who wants to break the back of the drug operations of a drug lord named Singhania. Also helping him is Malik (Om Puri). He believes that capturing Singania's dangerous and elusive lieutenant, Don, (Shah Rukh Khan), will be the most effective way of accomplishing this. Don's gang consist of Narang (Pawan Malhotra) and Anita (Ishaa Koppikar). Soon, Roma (Priyanka Chopra) joins them but she has other plans - kill Don. Don was responsible for killing her brother Ramesh as well as his fiancee, Kamini (Kareena Kapoor).
During a chase with the police the real Don is seriously injured and is captured by DeSilva. He keeps it a secret that he has captured Don, even from his fellow officers, and tracks down a look-alike called Vijay, a lowly singer (also played by Shah Rukh Khan). He asks Vijay to infiltrate Don's gang by pretending to be Don. In return he will make sure that the child Vijay found and adopted, Deepu (who is the son of Jasjit played by Arjun Rampal) gets a proper education. Meanwhile Jasjit who has just been released from prison sets out in search for his son, Deepu, and to get his revenge on DSP DeSilva who arrested him and prevented him from rescuing his wife and child from black mailers, this in turn killed his wife and left his son missing.
DeSilva trains Vijay and admits him in a hospital (in which Don is also admitted and supposedly in coma) to surgically give him all the scars and birthmarks the real Don has on his body. However Don dies of heart failure suddenly in front of DeSilva and the doctors, who are unable to save him. While Vijay is infiltrating Don's gang, DeSilva is captured and killed in a fire blast; and Vijay is forced to run from the police as well as Don's gang members -- pursuing the last piece of evidence (a disc) which has all of Don's criminal activities loaded on it, a disc which can get him out of this mess. The disc looks much like Sony's UMD disc.
Through various plot twists, Vijay recovers the disc. Eventually, it surfaces that DeSilva is alive and is actually Vardhan, a notorious underground criminal with a grudge against Singhania, Don's boss, and eventually ends up killing him. Vijay arranges a meeting with Vardhan and assists in his capture.
In a final twist, it emerges that the real Don is still alive, and was pretending to be Vijay who he killed and replaced while in the hospital. It was actually Vijay who had died in the hospital of heart failure in front of Vardhan. In the end both Don and his girlfriend Anita (Ishaa Koppikar) escape, bewildering the police and Roma.
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Romance, 2006)
Dev Saran (Shahrukh Khan), a formerly successful, now injured soccer player, is unhappily married to Rhea (Preity Zinta), who has a high-flying job with a fashion magazine. They have a son named Arjun. Maya (Rani Mukerji) is about to marry her childhood friend Rishi Talwar (Abhishek Bachchan). Samarjit a.k.a "Sexy Sam" (Amitabh Bachchan) is Rishi's dad, and Kamaljit (Kirron Kher) plays the peppy mom to Dev.
Dev happens to meet Maya before her wedding and despite being strangers, they connect instantly. It could be that the two are unhappy with their partners, it could be that Dev was only too happy to talk of his uncomfortable marriage or it could be that Maya just could not love Rishi and so, found Dev attractive. Whatever the case, the connection between the two remains a glowing spark that re-ignites when they meet four years later.
During those four years, Maya has married Rishi and Dev has met with an accident that leaves him crippled and ends his football career. So when Maya meets Dev the next time, he is bitter - his failed career and failing marriage are festering wounds to which his wife Rhea's professional success is salt. In the Talwar home, things are no better - Maya still does not feel any love for Rishi and feels guilty for her inability to have children.
Dev and Maya realize that their situations are similar and decide to help each other repair their breaking marriages. Things don't work quite as expected however, and they become more and more drawn to each other. At the same time, Rishi and Rhea are working to keep their marriages afloat and are willing to see hope in even the smallest, most innocuous signs from their partners. However, their efforts are insignificant in the face of Maya and Dev's intense unhappiness in their marriages and their growing love for each other.
Dev and Maya give in to a dreamy, coffee-drenched romance and realize they have fallen in love. However, when Dev is about to give flowers to Maya, he sees Rhea and gives them to her so she doesn't see Maya. He saves one rose for Maya. She takes the rose home and Rishi sees it and Maya gives it to him. Rhea and Rishi now think that their partners really love them and are happy. But after an incident at the ballet that makes Dev intensely jealous, they realize they now feel like they are cheating on each other with their own spouses. This realization brings them to a dramatic point of no return. Shortly afterward, they are caught in an embrace outside the train station by Sam and Kamaljeet.
Sam, having lived the good life for a long, long time ultimately has to bear the punishment of all his excesses - he has a fatal heart attack and as he lies on his death bed, he gives Maya some unconventional advice: he tells her to leave his son Rishi since neither of them are happy in their marriage.
Things come to a head and Dev and Maya decide to leave each other and return to their partners. But this re-union will not be without honesty, so they come clean and confess their extra-marital affair. Rishi and Rhea decide that enough is enough and end their marriages - this doesn't mean that Maya and Dev come together however. They only speak to each other on the phone, and lie to each other, saying that all is well in their marriages.
Three years later, Rishi goes to meet Maya and invites her to his wedding. There Rhea sees Maya for the first time in three years and realizes that she and Rishi weren't together as she thought. The news that Dev is still alone, combined with some prodding from Rishi and Rhea convinces Maya to run after Dev. Dev is about to catch a train to Canada when he sees Maya. He hides from her because he has told Maya earlier than he was happy with Rhea and he thinks that she is happily married to Rishi. However, Maya finds him in his seat a few seconds before his train leaves the station. He uses the emergency brakes to get out to meet her. Realising how alone the two have been, Dev proposes to Maya and she accepts.
Paheli (General, 2005)
The movie is narrated by two puppets, voiced by Naseeruddin Shah and his real-life wife Ratna Pathak Shah. Enthusiastic young Lachchi (Rani Mukerji) is to be married to Kishen (Shahrukh Khan), the son of the rich merchant Bhanwarlal (Anupam Kher). Kishen is a dutiful son who honors his father's wish to start a new, far-away business on a predetermined auspicious date -- which happens to be the day after the wedding ceremony. On the wedding night, Kishen turns away from his wife to finish his bookkeeping, and in the early morning hours he sets off on a business trip that is to last five years. Lachchi is devastated; Gajrobai (Juhi Chawla), her husband's sister-in-law, consoles her, since Gajrobai's husband (Sunil Shetty) has also disappeared. The next day, a ghost appears to her, having taken Kishen's shape and voice because of his own attachment to Lachchi.
Lachchi is thus presented a riddle (hence the title "paheli") between the representation of all of her desires in the form of the ghost and her real husband. She takes this new, fond, sexual, magical, social, self-confident version of Kishen as her own choice. Lachchi's bliss goes on until four years later, when she is pregnant and the real Kishen realizes he misses his wife. He returns only to find the ghost in his own form. Kishen's family is unable to determine which one the real Kishen is, therefore they decide to visit the king, so he can decide.
On the way to the king they meet an old shepherd (Amitabh Bachchan) who helps them out. He asks the real son of Bhanwarlal to pick up hot coals; asks the real husband to gather the sheep; and asks Lachchi's real paramour to enter a water-bottle. The real Kishen is found out and everyone returns home. Lachchi is devastated over the loss of the Ghost; in the very end it is revealed, that the Ghost has escaped the bottle and taken control of Kishen's body in order to live with her. Kishen has therefore become a "gebbeth"; a host person that has become possessed by a personality not its own.
Main Hoon Na (General, 2004)
Main Hoon Na tells the story of Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shahrukh Khan) and his efforts to foil the terrorist Raghavan (Sunil Shetty). Major Sharma is simultaneously attempting to mend relations with his father's estranged first wife and his half-brother Lakshman; complications ensue.
Raghavan wants to sabotage a military project called Milaap (Unity), a first step towards friendship between India and Pakistan. India will release fifty Pakistanis imprisoned for crossing the border into India -- most of them illiterate villagers who wandered over the border by mistake. Raghavan doesn't want the state of war between India and Pakistan to end; he lost his son in the Indo-Pak wars in Kashmir and cherishes an abiding hatred for Pakistan and all Pakistanis.
First he tries to stop Project Milaap by killing the general in charge, General Bakshi (Kabir Bedi) during a national television interview. This fails, though he does succeed in killing Brigadier Sharma (Naseeruddin Shah), Major Sharma's (Ram's) father.
As the father dies, he tells Ram about his stepmother (Kiron Kher) and half-brother Lakshman (Zayed Khan) and begs Ram to re-establish relations with them, who are to be found at a college town in the Himalayas (Darjeeling). Both brothers should cast their father's ashes into the Ganges.
Raghavan again tries to stop Project Milaap, this time by threatening to kill General Bakshi's daughter Sanjana (Amrita Rao). The General asks Major Sharma to protect Sanjana; Ram pleads that he has family responsibilities. The General points out that, by a strange coincidence, Sanjana attends school in the same town where Lakshman lives, so Ram can protect Sanjana and look for Lakshman at the same time. Ram must go under cover, as Sanjana is estranged from her father and will not accept any military escort.
So Ram pretends to be a college student, returning to college after many years away. He is much older than the other students, who at first make fun of him because of his lack of new-generation styles. He soon proves his worth and becomes a big man on campus.
He finds Lucky Lakshman (later revealed to be his brother), who has failed term thrice, befriends Sanjana, and succeeds in foiling Raghavan. He also falls in love with a beautiful chemistry teacher (Sushmita Sen).
The film is notable for lively music and dance sequences (the director got her start as a choreographer) and for thrilling action scenes featuring Matrix-style slow motion effects -- such as the car-chase sequence involving a flaming cycle rickshaw.
Swades (General ,2004)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Mohan Bhargava
Gayatri Joshi .... Gita
Kishori Ballal .... Kaveriamma
Master Smit Sheth .... Chikku
Director : Ashutosh Gowarikar
Musician : A R Rahman
Despite the noble intention that underscores the theme of Swades, and despite the presence of a superstar who, for the first time, comes forth as an actor rather than a star, Ashutosh Gowarikar’s film turns out to be a preachy discourse rather than an entertaining and thought provoking film.
The trouble with Swades is that the same point is driven home so many times from different ways that the movie becomes an exposition on morality and the need for the ‘educated, modern and privileged’ to do their bit for those still living in complete ignorance at the grassroot level in Indian villages.
Highlighting the contradictions of modern India, the movie tells the tale of a NASA project manager who comes to India to find his nanny. His nostalgic trip soon turns for him into the discovery of the colors and contradictions of rural India in which people live in poor conditions, practice their traditions, follow age-old customs and are ignorant and gullible. But still, these people carry a heart of gold and a desire for self-change and better tomorrow.
Swades shows the gradual transition in this ambitious, NASA-returned Indian from an indifferent yuppie to a man who begins to genuinely feel for the simple people in villages and eventually leads them into making a dam that would provide electricity to their village.
Coming from a filmmaker whose previous flick was nominated in the Oscars (for Best Foreign Film), Swades is a bit disappointing. The problem is not with movie’s theme, but the way it has been approached and presented. Many times the characters in the movie are made to verbally say the things that might have made more impact if shown subtly with visuals.
However, it is Shahrukh’s ‘smaller-than-his-usual-self’ acting that makes the film watchable. For the first time he has genuinely got under the skin of his character and not overplayed it, as he normally does.
Gayatri Joshi is certainly commendable, considering that this is her first film. Kishori Ballal is delightful and Makrand Deshpande’s presence is too marginal.
What mars Swades is its continuous preachy tone that only trivializes that noble message that the movie aimed at giving. The three-hour-plus movie, punctuated with melodious songs by A.R. Rahman, is worth watching once only. You will guaranteed be bored the second time.
Synopsis
Steering away from the usual jingoism often depicted in Bollywood patriotic films, Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades invokes the feeling of love for one’s country by telling the story of an India-born NASA scientist who returns to his country to find his roots.
The movie takes a viewer through the heartland of rural India, revealing its beauty and the diversity of its people. A part of the movie was also shot inside the NASA research center at the Launch Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, newcomer Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Makrand Deshpande and a good number of other actors. Music for the film is given by A R Rahman.
Story
Mohan Bhargava (Shahrukh) is a bright, young, India-born scientist working in NASA as the project manager on a rainfall monitoring satellite known as the Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM. (It is in reality a NASA mission expected to be launched in 2007).
Working in the world’s most hi-tech and sophisticated place, Mohan often relishes seeing India on globe.
Filled with nostalgic memories of his nanny Kaveriamma, Mohan makes a journey to India to trace the woman he associates with motherly love.
For Mohan, what begins as a nostalgic trip soon turns into a journey filled with revelations as he travels into the heartland of rural India, meeting people and seeing in reality the country he had only imagined in his dreams.
Mohan finds his nanny, Kaveriamma (Kishori Ballal) in a village called Charanpur. The old woman is in care of an adorable young girl named Gita (Gayatri Joshi) who works as a schoolteacher. Also part of the family is Gita’s younger brother Chikku (Master Smit Sheth).
As Mohan spends time in village he comes across many people and age-old customs that reveal to him a new side of India. He discovers that although people are poor and ignorant, but still they carry immense riches in their hearts.
Mohan vows to do everything he can to bring awareness among people and inspire them to uplift themselves.
Veer Zaara (Romance ,2004)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Veer Pratap Singh
Preity Zinta .... Zaara Hayaat Khan
Rani Mukherjee .... Saamiya Siddiqui
Director : Yash Chopra
While going to watch a Yash Chopra movie, one can almost predict what one is going to see. Two people fall in love, but then separate because the girl is going to marry the man of her parent’s choice. Like any true-blooded lover, the hero goes to the girl’s place and tries to win over her parents.
However, if you go to watch Veer Zaara, expect a little surprise from the master of romantic films.
Chopra sticks to his generic style in Veer Zaara, and what we have is a touching love story strewn with drama and songs against the backdrop of mustard fields and snow-clad mountains.
What’s new in Veer Zaara is that its story moves across two nations. It is not just a love legend but also a human drama in which the protagonist Veer is transmuted from a buoyant and chivalrous man in the first half into a silent and retrospective prisoner languishing in Pakistani jails for 22 years in the second half.
It is a novel (and noble) idea to make a love story between an Indian man and a Pakistani girl and only few attempts have been made in the past to make such films. But Veer Zaara goes a little overboard in harping on the ‘love beyond borders’ theme.
The movie begins like any other Yash Chopra flick with the slow love happening between Veer and Zaara after their accidental meeting as Veer goes about showing her his hometown Punjab and takes her to visit his uncle and aunt (Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini) who fostered him like their own son.
As expected, the viewer is subject to not less than half a dozen songs in the first half. In fact, a few songs could easily have been done away with, particularly the courtroom song Tere Liye that looks simply ridiculous.
Yash Chopra keeps the audience interest alive with regular twists in the story – the sudden appearance of Zaara’s groom-to-be Raza (Manoj Bajpai) who takes her back to Lahore. And then Veer flying to Pak to meet Zaara and confronting her in the presence of her entire family only to be turned down and later arrested on the charges of spying and thrown into jail for 22 years.
The story now becomes more of a human drama and gets new life with the coming of Rani Mukherjee as a Pakistani lawyer determined to find Veer’s truth.
Rani has the best role in the film and she has justified it with a terrific performance that will get her an award. Shahrukh shows flashes of versatility by moving away from his usual repertory of facial expressions while Preity too does a noticeable job with a performance that didn’t demand much histrionics in the first place.
In short, Veer Zaara is a movie that will appeal to many. Although it dabbles in drama at the cost of realism, the movie does pluck a few strings at heart with a story that comes as a refreshing change in these times of sexually explicit flicks.
Synopsis
After a long gap of seven years, Yash Chopra returns to direction with a movie about love and human relationships that cannot be constrained by borders and nationalities. Both actresses in the film – Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee – play Pakistani women and Shah Rukh Khan plays an Indian pilot.
A movie that aims to bridge the distance in the hearts of Indians and Pakistanis, Veer Zaara tells the story of squadron leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh), a rescue pilot with the Indian Air Force. He is a humble man who gives without asking, who loves unconditionally and keeps no prejudice in his heart.
One day, while on duty, Veer meets Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity), daughter of a Pakistani politician who has come to India to fulfill her surrogate mother's death wish. Zaara is stranded because of a bus accident and Veer, true to his nature, helps her. The time Veer and Zaara spend together forms an unshakable bond between them, a bond that flowers into pure love.
But destiny had something else in store for Veer and Zaara.
Twenty-two years later, Veer is a man languishing in Pakistani jails for more than two decades. All this time he has not spoken a word and spent months and years in a dazed state, lost in his memories.
Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani), a Pakistani lawyer is given Veer’s case. Saamiya is an idealist whose mission in life is to uphold justice and fight for women's empowerment. Veer’s case is her first one, and has been purposely given to her to dissuade her from being successful.
Veer’s case is by no degrees an easy case. A man who hasn’t uttered a word for more than twenty years and she has to fight for him. Saamiya takes her time with Veer and slowly he responds. And when she comes to know his story, she is so deeply moved that she decides to fight for his justice against all odds...
Veer Zaara also stars Kiron Kher, Divya Dutta, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Zohra Segal, S. M. Zaheer, Rushad Rana, Tom Alter and Gurdas Mann.
The film has music by late maestro Madan Mohan, whose unused melodies have been reworked by his son for the songs in the film.
Main Hoon Na (General ,2004)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Major Ram Prasad Sharma
Sunil Shetty .... Raghavan
Amrita Rao .... Sanjana
Naseeruddin Shah .... Brigadier Shekhar Sharma
Sushmita Sen .... Chandni
Zayed Khan .... Laxman Prasad Sharma (Lucky)
Director : Farah Khan
What happens when you put too many spices in a single recipe? The result is a stodgy dish which is hard to digest. That is exactly what Main Hoon Na is like. In the times when filmmakers in Bollywood are experimenting with more realistic themes, Farah Khan comes up with a flashy movie conforming to all the stereotypes of an out and out commercial flick.
Main Hoon Na has a little bit of everything in it. It has a youthful setting of a college campus, it has a patriotic angle harping on Indo-Pak relations, it has desi humor, videsi style of filmmaking, it has a good number of songs, it has stunts, action and pyrotechnics for adrenalin rush, it has emotional and romantic moments.
But what Main Hoon Na lacks is logical progression of story and believable presentation of its characters.
For instance, SRK looks out-of-place impersonating as a student in college. He looks too mature to pass off as a student. And it looks absurd to see him indulging in fun and frolic in college when his father (Nasseruddin Shah) has expired just a few days back in the story. Even Sunil Shetty looks odd impersonating as a professor in the same college.
Not everything can be justified in the name of entertainment. The genre of entertainment to which Main Hoon Na belong can be traced to seventies when stories were hyperbolized and then laced with overtly sentimental songs with the inclusion of a special qawwali.
The story of Main Hoon Na couldn’t have been more hyperbolized. A young Major (SRK) in the army has his personal aim of fulfilling his Mission Milaap to join the hearts of people living in India and Pakistan. But there are some anti-national elements (Sunil Shetty) who want to foil this mission. Major’s mission takes him to a college where he indulges in teenage fun and frolic and also falls in love with the chemistry teacher (Sushmita Sen). But terror comes closer after the bad guy too comes into college impersonating as a professor.
Farah has taken too much cinematic liberty to tell an overblown story. But the movie will certainly appeal to those who want unadulterated entertainment with a pinch of everything from romance, humor, patriotism, action and songs.
SRK’s portrayal of Major Ram Prasad Sharma is convincing, but the actor appears to be getting straitjacketed in his acting style with every film he does. His facial expressions, his body language and that customary glint in his eye are so much similar to the characters he has played in other films. Even his style of dialogue delivery is predicable. It seems SRK adheres to just one formula of acting – that is flamboyance intermixed with an affected intensity. And this is taking out any surprise element from his acting coz whichever character he plays, he does it in same style, using the limited repertoire of his histrionic skills.
Zayed Khan is better than his previous movie and comes forward as a promising actor. He looks well suited to play the role of a young college going kid who is full of vanities at first but later grows into a matured person. Newcomer Amrita Arora matches Zayed in equal stead.
Sushmita Sen doesn’t get to show much histrionics but she looks resplendent dressed in free-flowing saris.
In marginal roles, Boman Irani and Kiron Kher leave an impact.
In a nutshell, Main Hoon Na contains wholesome entertainment in a glossy package. It has an inflated story strewn with flashy songs shot in stylized way. But it lacks subtle subplots. It is not the kind of a movie that stirs a viewer from inside.
Synopsis
Choreographer Farah Khan’s directorial debut Main Hoon Na is coming at a right time when India-Pakistan relations are on a high not seen in decades.
Contrary to the impression that the movie’s title gives, Main Hoon Na is not a candyfloss love-and-singing fare but a ‘mission film’ aimed to promote love and friendliness among the people of India and Pakistan.
The film’s protagonist Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shahrukh Khan) is on Mission Milaap, a mission to end the hatred between the two countries and to unite the hearts of people.
However, there are some people who don’t want to see Mission Milaap become a reality. Raghavan (Sunil Shetty) is one such guy who would turn every stone to derail Ram Prasad’s mission. To this end he targets Army top shot General Amerjeet Bakshi's daughter Sanjana (Amrita Rao).
A proud Indian to the core, Ram Prasad takes the responsibility of saving Sapna and goes to her school in the guise of a student. And despite the fact that he is bereaving the recent death of his father Brigadier Shekhar Sharma (Naseeruddin Shah), Ram Prasad manages to put up a smiling face and strike rapport with many.
But things begin to get complicated slowly. While Ram Prasad is intent on realizing his Mission Milaap, the forces against him are strong. Will he succeed?
A typical masala film, Main Hoon Na is full of many ingredients like patriotism, youthful love, fun, humor and action.
Kal Ho Na Ho (General ,2003)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Aman Mathur
Preity Zinta .... Naina Catherine Kapur
Saif Ali Khan .... Rohit
Karan Johar-SRK combination works for the third time as the two come up with a film that begins on a lighthearted note but ends with a climax that will reduce viewers to tears. Nikhil Advani deserves all praises for telling the story without making it mushy and yet not compromising on the emotional quotient at the same time.
At the center of the story is a happy-go-luck fellow who spreads happiness and believes in giving to others without demanding anything back. But as is said that behind every smile there lies an unshed tear, so is the case with the film’s protagonist Aman. And then there is a character of a gorgeous girl who seems to be aging before her time until Aman comes into her life. In the sidelines is a jolly guy (Saif) who has a golden heart but cannot impress upon girls.
The proceedings are fine and everything seems hunky-dory until the relationship between the three is tested by the harsh realities of life.
Shahrukh Khan towers over everyone in the film with his kaleidoscopic performance. He brings smiles to many a face in the first half and he is the one two draws them to tears in the latter half of the movie.
Preity Zinta looks stunning throughout the movie and delivers a noteworthy performance. Saif too stands in equal stead and proves his salt as an actor. Jaya Bachchan, as usual, spellbinds the viewers with her histrionics.
On the whole Kal Ho Naa Ho is a healthy entertainer that will appeal to family crowds and viewers of all ages.
Synopsis
Kal Ho Naa Ho is the story of three friends whose relationship is based on unconditional love and emotional empathy with each other.
The setting is New York in present times. Life is quite brooding for Naina Catherine Kapur (Preity Zinta). The cause of her sombre lifestyle is a family tragedy that shook her world and took her happiness away.
Her humdrum daily routine includes her chores in her half Punjabi-half Catholic household in which she has to deal with a short tempered grand-mother, has to look after her little sister and brother besides helping her mother Jennifer [Jaya Bachchan] deal with the family's financial troubles. In short, life could not be drabber for this gorgeous belle.
But things change with the coming of Aman Mathur [Shah Rukh Khan] into the tiny Indian neighborhood where she lives.
Aman is an extrovert person who gets friendly with almost everybody and begins to win everybody’s heart with his jolly nature. When he sees the sadness in a young and beautiful girl like Naina, he sets about to bring happiness into her life.
For this he also gets help from his good friend Rohit [Saif Ali Khan], an eligible Manhattan bachelor.
After few initial failures, the two manage to bring Naina out of her dull and gloomy moods and make her genuinely happy. The three become very good friends and every thing is hunky-dory.
But this happiness is short-lived when it turns out that one of them suffers from a deadly disease.
Chalte Chalte (Romance ,2003)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Raj
Rani Mukherjee .... Priya
Director : Aziz Mirza
Chalte Chalte adheres to the age-old Bollywood formula of two strangers meeting, falling in love and later getting married, only to get separated. Misunderstandings and lack of adjustments drives two lovers apart. In this period of separation the two take a stock of things and realize their own mistakes.
Shahrukh Khan plays Raj, the owner of a transport company. He is a fun-loving guy who likes getting in the driver's seat at the drop of a hat and is also an ardent admirer of Sunny Deol's songs.
One fine evening, Raj has a coincidental encounter with the lady of his dreams Priya (Rani Mukherji) on his way to Mahabaleshwar hill station.
Priya is a modern and suave girl who hails from Greece. She is a fashion designer and has high hopes from her life.
Raj is immediately struck by Priya’s charm and beauty. Although the two have opposite personalities they get along quite well. Raj does his best to woo Priya but she keeps rebuffing his advances. She is supposed to get married to her childhood friend Sameer (Jas Arora).
After Raj drops Priya at her destination, all he has is her phone number, which he loses. The realization that he may not be able to contact Priya again only increases his desperation and determination to see her.
Then what, the great Indian hero makes his epic journey through seven seas to the land of Socrates to find his ladylove. He finds Priya and the two go about painting the town and have a jaunt through Mikanos amusement parks. Meanwhile, Priya discovers she too cares for Raj.
So the two decide to get married. But their marital bliss doesn’t last long. Putting up together becomes difficult for the two. Squeaky clean and disciplined Priya always keeps nagging Raj for his disorderly and chaotic lifestyle.
Moreover, Raj is often subject to taunts from Priya’s family and friends.
Things go out of hand when Priya borrows Rs 15 lakh from Sameer to help Raj out of an impending insolvency. Hubby's pride takes a beating and he breaks bottles, shoos off guests at a party, and embarrasses and insults Priya in front of Sameer.
That is enough to drive a wedge between their relationship. Priya packs her bags and moves in with Anna Mausi (Lilette Dubey), who never approved of Raj anyway.
The once-happily married couple are now torn apart. Will they reunite?
Chalte Chalte has many romantic and lighthearted moments, but overall the film reeks of usual Bollywood mush and schmaltz. The movie will appeal to those who dig candyfloss romance with a perfect ‘Mills and Boon’ setting. But for those looking for some substance Chalte Chalte drags.
Devdaas (Romance ,2002)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Devdaas
Aishwarya Rai .... Paro
Madhuri Dixit .... Chandramukhi
Director : Sanjay Leela Bhansali
‘Falling in love is easy. But letting go of lover is very difficult’.
This is the message that story of Devdaas gives. Full of emotional drama that is void of any mushy sentiments Devdaas grips you with its flowing narrative. Add to it the laudable acting performances by its star cast and Sanjay Bhansali’s cinematic presentation. What you get is a moving tale of love and separation.
Although the film’s story does not have an element of surprise (as the story of Devdaas is very popular) Bhansali’s directorial sense lends it a strange novelty. His Devdaas has innocence, arrogance, love (unrequited) and a streak for self-destruction.
Acting by SRK, Ash and Madhuri is superb. SRK, in particular, gets under the skin of bacchanalian Devdaas and conveys his swagger, vulnerability, pain and dipsomania with conviction.
Pitted opposite him Aishwarya stands in equal stead and cuts a performance deserving praises. With the quicksilver agility she changes the expressions on her face and makes you believe that she knows Paro’s agony. Particularly impressive is the note of anguish she brings about in her voice whenever she utters the name Devdaas.
Madhuri Dixit too leaves an indelible mark with her portrayal of a confident (but lonely-at-heart) courtesan who longs for Devdaas’ love but also knows that she will never get it.
Synopsis
Three Bollywood stalwarts Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Nene and Aishwarya Rai play the leading roles in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s celluloid adaptation of Sarat Chandra’s poignant saga of timeless love and unrequited emotions: Devdaas.
The film has Shahrukh Khan playing the title character of lovelorn Devdaas, Aishwarya as his childhood companion Paro, and Madhuri in the role of the infamous courtesan Chandramukhi. Macho Hunk Jackie Shroff too makes a special appearance in the film as Chunnilal, the close friend of Devdaas.
Born to the wealthy Zamindar Narayan Mukherji, Devdaas spends his childhood ensconced in the opulent surroundings far from the scourge of harsh realities. He wiles his time away with his callow playmate Paro. Together they weave adolescent dreams, make hay castles in the air, tease and chide each other – not conscious of the delicate bond that would culminate into platonic love one day.
But, instead the day comes when the inseparables have to part ways. Devdaas is being sent to London for higher studies and Paro is left in lurch to do nothing but to count-back the days when Devdaas would return from across the seven seas.
Years roll by before Devdaas returns, but he comes back a changed man – debauched by the sophistication of the west. But something of the past romance still smolders and Devdaas still feels drawn to gorgeous and nubile Paro. But Devdaas’ Zamindar father looks down his proximity to Paro. He wants his son to marry in high society.
Unable to find acceptance in Devdaas’ family Paro recedes into shadows and begins to rebuff his amorous advances. Soon she is married to an older Zamindar Bhuvan, although their marriage never consummates.
Separated from Paro, Devdaas takes to heavy drinking and begins spending his time at Kothas. Here, enters a special woman into Devdaas’ bacchanalian and gloomy life – courtesan Chandramukhi.
Chandramukhi is impressed by Devdaas’ open criticism of her profession. Devdaas, on the other hand, finds an outlet for his repressed emotions in Chandramukhi as she lends him an attentive ear. He knows she is the only one he can speak his heart to before drinking himself to death!!
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (General ,2001)
Starring
Amitabh Bachchan .... Yashovardhan Raichand
Jaya Bachchan .... Nandini
Shah Rukh Khan .... Rahul
Hrithik Roshan .... Rohan
Kajol .... Anjali
Kareena Kapoor .... Pooja
Director : Karan Johar
The much-awaited K3G may not boast of thematic novelty, but certainly stands out for the manner of its presentation, and array of the cream of Bollywood.
Of course, Karan has become a better director since his “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” days. The maturity shows in K3G, which is polished in its look, richer in content and has an engaging plot.
With the most attractive starcast in the Bollywood, Karan delineates a typical happy Indian family where parents are not prejudiced between their adopted son and their own son. Perhaps, Karan could have tried to prevent it from becoming a bit too mushy.
The scintillating pair of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan (onscreen after such a long gap) engages the viewer considerably.
While Jaya Bachchan looks unmatchable in the role in which she has seldom been seen, Amitabh’s role of a stern patriarch (who demands strict principles and morals from his children) is reminiscent of the one he did in “Ek Rishta” and “Mohabbatein”.
On the same footing are the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol jodi, who reminds one of the successful pairings of films like “Baazigar”, “DDLJ” and “KKHH”. On the other hand, the romance between Anjali and Rahul lacked freshness.
The Hrithik-Kareena pair also revives the images from the Subhash Ghai’s “Yaadein”. Hrithik looks handsome and plays the emotive Rohan with ease. Kareena too is convincing playing a high-on-attitude, MTV bred yuppie.
However, talented Rani Mukherji almost goes unnoticed with a low-profile role.
Adding to K3G’s strength is its mellifluous music score by three different music directors Jatin-Lalit duo, Sandesh Shandiliya and Aadesh Shrivastava.
Synopsis
Yashovardhan Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan) and his wife Nandini (Jaya Bachchan) have raised their sons Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohan (Hrithik Roshan) showering them with love and affection. Yash has tried to pass on to his sons the values, the heritage and the rich traditions of his family.
Nandini on the other hand has different dreams and aspirations for her sons. Her own dreams of love, which she would like her sons to experience. Both her sons, but more so Rahul as she shares a special bond with him. An unusual bond that enables her to feel him even when he is not around and which will help her live through the torturous years when he leaves the house. One that has been cultivated with love for a child that was not meant to be and who brought laughter and happiness into her empty world. A child who was adopted.
Rahul's adoption has always been kept a secret. A topic that was forbidden to be discussed in the Raichand household. But ever since Rahul himself found out at the tender age of 8 years, it has been the reason for his unending devotion and gratitude for his parents - especially his father. His father's every word, every wish becomes an unwritten commandment for him. One that he would never break, but unfortunately does. Because Rahul falls in love.
Rahul falls in love with Anjali (Kajol) a bubbly girl from Delhi's Chandni Chowk, who dotes on her little sister Pooja (Kareena Kapoor) and cares madly about her ailing father Bauji (Alok Nath). A simple girl whom Rahul marries and brings home. A girl whom his father will never approve of. A girl that makes a proud stubborn man forget that he is a father and reminds a son that he is adopted.
Mohabbatein (Romance ,2000)
Starring
Amitabh Bachchan .... Narayan Shankar
Shah Rukh Khan .... Raj Aryan
Director : Aditya Chopra
Producer : Yashraj Films
The 20 plus son's much hyped Refugee falls with a thud but the father keeps the hype alive and wins hands down with Mohabbatein at 50 plus!
Mohabbatein has all the ingredients peculiar to Yash Raj films that also the audience seems to like forever, but the one ingredient that dwarfs everything else in this three and a half hour Diwali treat is Amitabh Bachchan.
As a strict disciplinarian, a stern man, a patriarchal figure, Amitabh strikes just the right note. On seeing the film, you realize that nobody but nobody else could have been Narayan Shankar.
Narayan Shankar is the head of a Gurukul, where he teaches all the rules and regulations of life with utmost commitment. He cherishes values and imparts them to his students with great fervor. There's only one thing that he does not tolerate (probably intentionally), does not profess, does not believe in, and that's love.
Six sprightly, vivacious young students come to study in his Gurukul. They do the forbidden. They fall in love. The patriarch is outraged. The lovers feel helpless. Gradually they start accepting that their relationship was probably doomed from the start. Right then steps in their savior in the form of a music teacher.
Raj Aryan is a matured man, has seen it all, gone through it all. He comes to the Gurukul with a purpose. Not only does he bail the lovers out of the crisis, he also teaches a lesson or two of love to the patriarch. Shah Rukh Khan, one must admit, has made efforts in giving a subdued performance. There are none of those compressed giggles nor any unnecessary sniffing.
Raj Aryan has a past that is related to Narayan Shankar. Shankar is unaware of this. As the story unfolds, we know that Raj is an ex-student of Shankar's Gurukul and had fallen in love with his daughter, the lovely Aishwarya Rai.
Mohabbatein is unusual in a way that the principal protagonists do not have current love lives. Aishwarya is dead. She appears in the film only as memories and nostalgia. So Shah Rukh is shown only to be a believer and preacher of romance and love.
The film's highlights are the one-to-one scenes of Amitabh and Shah Rukh. While the former is a veteran and his histrionics now seem to be an extension of his charisma and aura, the latter gives a matured performance. Shah Rukh is finally a controlled performer with Mohabbatein. He takes Amitabh head on and succeeds in giving compelling shots, not wincing even once.
There are other good actors, who have been wasted. They could have been put to better use or could have not been there at all. Anupam Kher, Amrish Puri (in a 5 minute role), Shefali Chayya, Archana Puransingh, all fine actors, but not having much to do they contribute to the film's length.
The surprise element in Mohabbatein makes you sit up and wonder what is it in Helen that jolts you even today? There's a beautiful dance item by the golden girl of yesteryears, leaving you wanting for more.
The young newcomers look trained but don't do much except sing and wear fabulous clothes. The story is okay, but it is Amitabh and Shah Rukh, who rise above their roles and give the film an altogether different feel, height and look. And if you must know that one person who stands out in the crowd and gets the maximum applause on his entry, the answer is the clichéd, Amitabh Bachchan.
So go ahead and enjoy a Bachchan bonanza backed by an irrepressible Shah Rukh and a gorgeous Aishwarya. Mohabbatein looks like a winner.
Josh (General ,2000)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Maxy
Aishwarya Rai ....
Priya Gill ....
Chandrachur Singh ....
Sharad Kapoor ....
Director : Mansoor Khan
Producer : Venus Films
Musician : Anu Malik
A lot has already been talked about 'Josh', discussions panning mainly on the 'mis'casting in the film. Will the audience accept Aishwarya as Shah Rukh Khan's sister?
How will the audience react to Priya Gill as SRK's romantic interest… so on and so forth.
Before wagging tongues mindlessly one should peep into the film for a 'dekko' and decide. That Mansoor Khan is a talented director has already been established by the success of 'Qayamat se Qayamat Tak', 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander' and 'Akele Hum Akele Tum'. With an unconventional casting in 'Josh' the director plays a challenge and plays quite up to it
An adaptation of 'West Side Story', 'Josh' is injected with a strong Goan essence and as Mansoor usually does, aimed at the youth.
Eagle' and 'Bichchu' are two warring gangs with their leaders Max (SRK) and Prakash (Sharad Kapoor) at perpetual loggerheads. In a dramatic turn they discover that their siblings, Shirley (Aishwarya) and Rahul (Chandrachud Singh) are in love with each other.
Aishwarya looks different and Priya Gill is petite. All the actors in the film have a slight change in their looks owing to the three years the film took in making. Some bright songs and dance with a Goan tang are a treat as those sleek mobikes and leather apparels of the warring protagonists. They all come in style.
Both Shah Rukh and Sharad deliver power-packed performances. Aishwarya and Chandrachud take it cooler than their siblings in the film and ultimately call the final shot. It is from them that Max and Prakash realize the futility of violence, revenge and hatred.
The film's plus points are SRK, Ash, sterling performances and a gorgeous Goa. Chandrachud Singh may be the subject of wariness, especially after an inconsequential presence in 'Kya Kehna', but his adorable looks and an innate talent for acting can remove the block. Though sometimes he jars as a suave, urbane gentleman amidst an all Goan tapori fare.
Overall, a must see for all those who believe in the wits of great filmmaker of yesteryears Nasir Hussain's son
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Romance ,1998)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Rahul
Kajol .... Anjali
Rani Mukherjee .... Tina
Salman Khan .... Aman
Director : Karan Johar
Producer : Dharma Prod.
Synopsis
This one's a love triangle with Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee playing the lead roles.
Kajol plays the plain Jane and her buddy SRK, whom she is also in love with but is unable to express, falls for the beautiful charms of Rani.
SRK and Rani get married and have a child. Rani dies. The child grows up to be a charming little girl. She discovers from her mother's diary about Kajol's love for her father. The girl decides to find Kajol and get her married to her papa.
The little girl therefore launches a search for Kajol and finally finds her. But it is a bit late since Kajol is now engaged to Salman Khan.
After those usual twists and turns to the story, in the end SRK weds Kajol
Dil To Pagal Hai (General ,1997)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Rahul
Madhuri Dixit .... Pooja
Karisma Kapoor .... Nisha
Akshay Kumar .... Ajay
Director : Yash Chopra
Producer : Yash Chopra
When it comes to making of a romantic entertainer nobody can take the cake but for Yash Chopra himself. The story line is simple with the belief that 'somewhere someone is destined for all of us'. Never mind in case you got to wait till eternity. Ever heard of the adage 'Marriages are made in heaven'. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) is an ace director of stage musicals. Nisha (Karishma Kapoor) is his main artist who simply adores him. Enter Pooja (Madhuri Dixit) as Nisha breaks her leg bone and can't resume being Ms Tinkle Toes for Rahul's musicals. You guessed it right! Rahul sees the woman of his dreams in Pooja. But Pooja is already committed to Mr Biceps - Akshay Kumar the jet setting business tycoon. Meanwhile, even if Pooja is deeply in love with Rahul, she holds back. Well! All's well that ends well.
And so, Pooja at last does accept Rahul's proposal. Destiny, you know. As far as Nisha, she tries to find her Mr Right in Akki baby. Though Yash can't give his die hard fans again a run-away-hit like DDLJ, this movie is worth watching for its exotic foreign locales and excellent choreography by Shiamak Davar and Farha Khan. Madhuri's age shows in some scenes but nevertheless she looks gorgeous as she is a natural beauty. Karishma is stunning and full of life through out the movie.Something's amiss as far as Shah Rukh Khan is concerned. Perhaps, his extraordinary energy
Synopsis
Shah Rukh runs a dance troupe and teaches jazz. Karishma is a promising and talented member of the troupe. There is a lot of camaraderie between the two. The two are great chums.
It is revealed that Karishma harbors a soft corner for SRK but SRK doesn't feel the same way towards her. He is waiting for his dream girl who would be the heroine of his dream ballet and his life.
In steps Madhuri, looking slightly plump and older, to complete the love triangle. It takes time for Nisha (Karishma) to accept a woman other than her in Rahul's (SRK) life. But she eventually accepts Pooja (Madhuri).
To give twist to events, there's Akshay Kumar making a guest appearance as Pooja's childhood friend and now her suitor. But Rahul and Pooja's love for each other triumphs in the end
Pardes (General ,1997)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Arjun
Mahima Choudhary .... Ganga
Amrish Puri .... Kishori Lal
Kishori Lal (Amrish Puri) is a successful businessman settled in America but still emotionally attached to his motherland - India.So the pardesi comes to India with his son Rajiv (Apporva Agnihotri) to find a suitable match for Rajiv.He finds his bahu in Punjab-ki-kudi Kusum Ganga (Mahima Chaudhry) in the house of his childhood friend Suraj Dev (Alok Nath). To finalise the marriage he sends his son along with his foster son Arjun (Shahrukh Khan) to India. Arjun plays the cupid and returns to America with Kusum and Rajiv. All is hunky-dori till the true Bharatiya Nari finds out that her future husband is not a teetotaler. So, the heartbroken Kusum returns to India. Don't conclude that it is the end of the Bollywood fairy tale. It is just the beginning as Arjun (the hero) falls in love with his would-have-been bhabi while playing the cupid.
The story is very simple but watchable with its pleasant music and good photography
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (Romance ,1995)
Starring
Shah Rukh Khan .... Raj
Kajol .... Simran
Director : Aditya Chopra
Producer : Yash Chopra
Synopsis
A rich, rascal and nincompoop Raj falls in love with a pretty and docile Simran. There's opposition but love wins in the end.
That's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in a nutshell. The film had a rich repertoire of performances. Shah Rukh and Kajol apart, there was Anupam Kher, Amrish Puri, Fareeda Jalal, Satish Shah, Parmeet Sethi Himani Shivpuri, all providing for a rare variety of entertainment.
DDLJ was a departure from the earlier love stories in some ways. Usually love stories had rebellious and defying lovers who broke shackles of caste, class and race barriers to unite. There was clear disrespect for elders, especially parents, who more often than not served as stumbling blocks.
DDLJ broke this norm. The young lovers in the film refuse to annoy the opposing father of the girl. The hero even says that he will not do anything against his wishes.
SRK and Kajol pitch in with good performances
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