Dec 21, 2008 12:14 PM
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Aditya Chopra's long awaited return as director after eight years is a damp squib. Yup, no point beating around the bush with this one. Although the SRK- Aditya Chopra combo have India its most successful film to date, DDLJ, they fail to reignite the magic this time around. Adi's more subtle approach does not work for me, with the bubbly enthusiasm of DDLJ missing.
The story starts where most typical Bollywood ficks end, with the hero and heroine gettting married. But this isnt exactly a love marriage, nor is it an arranged marriage saga. The marriage is conducted to please the heroine's ailing father, who wants his last wish granted before he meets his Maker. And the story begins, with a lovable dweeb, Surinder Sahini and a reluctantly caring Tanhee. Surinder Sahini is smitten by his wife, but she is aloof to his unconditional love. She is a dutiful wife who packs his tiffin, plays the host at parties and ensures there is a meal on the dinner table when her husband gets home from his clerical job. Bu there is no intimacy in their relationship and their marriage remains unconsumated.
Tanhee is now a bored housewife who needs to find ways of entertaining herself. In walks Shiamak Davar's dance troupe into the little city of Amritsar. Tanhee joins the classes and meets her dance partner and friend, Raj. Thus unfurls a love story that is lacking in substance, emotion and characterization.
tanhee falls in love with the more flashy Raj, Surinder's alter ego. Where raj wears his emotions on the sleeve, Surinder hides them behind his geeky demaonour. Where Raj makes the whole of Amritsar help him to confess his love for her, Surinder can never even tell her once that he loves her. The plot twists and turns around these vagaries which are very boring. At the end everythingbecomes alright with a song, and Tahee realises what is right, and where she went wrong.
Watch out for SRK's cute rendition of an introverted small town man who makes no bones about the fact that he has no female friends, cannot dance or do anything superhuman. This performance of his defies his Main Hoon Na persona on screen, and he slips into the character very well. SRK's performance is par excellance. He is the only element that makes this dull film seem lively. The music is great, with the song, rab dikhta hai, playing in your mind even hours later. Haule Haule became a great hit too.
Go see the movie without any expectations. It is a love story for which you have to leave your brains behind. I would not recommend it. Sorry, Adi, you'll have to make better than such TP(Time Pass) to get YRF back to its glor days. Best Of Luck!
