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Director: Nikhil Advani
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth
If we were to go by the premise that, to know a man's fantasy is to know the man himself, then Kal ho na ho presents us with much ado about nothing. It's a formidable character that the King Khan presents us with. Perhaps it is the endless array of Shah Rukh-isms that spell a ho-hum and even some mild irritation as he gallantly plays matchmaker, restaurant genius and lightning absorber to his adopted family.
He arrives on the scene, sorting out Priety Zinta's family multiple problems, that would have apparently gone unaddressed had Shah Rukh not arrived as their neighbour just in time. Zinta's family comprises a long suffering bahu played by Jaya Bachchan who puts up with all her saasu's barbs with barely concealed patience. Her mother-in-law's scorn arises from a belief that the suicide her son committed was her daughter-in-law's fault. The actual cause not known, it provides a strong enough base for the animosity within the family.
While Mama Bachchan manages a barely there restaurant, Zinta attends evening MBA classes with chaddi buddy Saif Ali Khan. He plays the proverbial nice-guy flirt, not really that lucky in love but all the more willing to keep trying. The platonic relationship is meant to work because of their dissimilarities - her an uptight, practical, therefore unexciting and boring lass; him blithe and carefree - there's money to spend, women to woo and life couldn't get any more hassle free.
Into this world of opposites lands Shah Rukh, a mysterious Punjab da puttar, reinforcing the notion that a NRI can either be a robust Punjabi spreading the joie de verve of bhangra at every step of the way or it's a limp South Indian - grease slicked hair in perfect conjunction with the heavy spectacles and the sing-song accent. Lucky for us it's the first stereotype. New York is suddenly transformed into a galli of revellers, complete with colours, danace and music.
There's of course no looking back from then on. Shah Rukh works his charm on staid Zinta and lets loose a wilds woman with a little help from a few shots of tequila. Post which, the film trots along at a leisurely pace of personal self discoveries all thanks to the King Khan. There is of course the quintessential love triangle where Zinta is smitten by Khan's zest for life and Saif realises that girl-next-door Zinta might just be the girl of his dreams. But the selfless Khan has other plans. The bigger picture reveals him wasting away in typical Bollywood style, succumbing to a weak heart.
The film has its poignant moments, but they lose out on their potential when the audience realises that the editor forgot his scissors somewhere along the way. The script stands on its own ably and moments between Jaya Bachchan and Preity Zinta are unusually accomplished. Cinemascopic vistas of New York must not go unnoticed and have been achieved with flourish.
It's an entertaining film despite the overbearing length and painful assault on our patience, especially at the fag end. It loses out because its obvious attempts at an Indian sentimentality that directors just don't understand DO NOT exist among NRIs. It remains suspended halfway between some potentially good soul food and the stale leftovers of a Johar feast.
-- Rituparna Som
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