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"
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"