Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
(K3G)
Director: Karan Johar
Music: Jateen Lalit, Sandesh Shandilya Lyrics:
Sameer, Anil Pandey
Year: 2001
Running Time: 220 minutes
After the enormous success and recognition
from Johar’s first film in 1999 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, there were very high
expectations for his follow-up production. K3G meets those expectations
in many ways, but ultimately falls short of capturing that special magic
that so enveloped KKHH. The film is bigger and brasher in nearly every
way from the previous film – from the sets, to the music, to the story
– but it misses out on the intimacy and charm from that film. KKHH was
so delectably focused on three lovable characters, while K3G wanders about
at times in search of its core – and occasionally loses its focus.
It is nevertheless an excellent film - at times
bombastic and giddily overwrought, at other times very comical and lovingly
sweet – but at all times enriched by a varied and fabulous musical score.
Johar takes us on a journey with many emotional stops along the way until
the viewer has been manipulated and beaten into cathartic exhaustion. The
director has been criticized for being much less than subtle in his efforts
to go after the raw emotions of the audience – and even though you realize
this while watching – it is difficult not to be effected. I saw this twice
in a theater here in New York and both times was surrounded by sobbing
sounds in the dark. But this is not your typical tear jerker – no one is
dying, no ones heart is being broken by a lover – it is about the importance
of family – the ties that bind no matter what - and how painful those
ties can be and how painful they can be when they are broken.
The film has some surface similarities to KKHH.
It is structured in much the same way in that the first half begins in
the present – goes into a lengthy flashback – and then returns to the present
for the second half. It also has three of the same stars – Shahrukh Khan,
Kajol and Rani Mukherjee – and in perhaps an affectionate nod – the characters
of Shahrukh and Kajol have the same names as in KKHH. There are also musical
reminders from KKHH at times in the film as the same team composes much
of it. Yet it is a very different film in that it aims for your heart from
a completely different direction.
The Raichand’s are among the elite of the elite
in India. Their family home appears to be only a bedroom short of Buckingham
Palace with a driveway that is longer than many small countries. Their
traditions are as long and as important and the father (Amitabh Bachchan)
stresses this to his eldest son (Shahrukh) constantly – the son is expected
to uphold family tradition and do as the father commands. One of these
is to marry well and the father already has picked out a girl (Rani) from
a good family for him. As lovely and sweet as Rani is – Shahrukh has completely
lost his heart and soul to a lower middle class girl from the wrong side
of town – but she (Kajol) is so full of life with a madcap dizzying attitude
that he can’t fight his feelings.
When he tells his father of his love, the father
is furious (thunderclaps seem to strike when he is angry!) and he demands
that Sharukh end his affections – but with Shahrukh forced to decide between
his love for his father and his mother (Jaya Bachchan) or his need for
this woman – he chooses Kajol and is forced to leave his family home and
not look back. The pain is enormous. Ten years pass. Shahrukh and Kajol
have married and settled in London and have a young boy. Back in India
the father sullenly goes on about his business, the mother can barely contain
her sadness and the young overweight brother has grown into a hunk played
by Hrithik Roshan. Hrithik decides to bring the family together again –
and goes to the UK where he ends up staying with his brother’s family –
but so changed is he in appearance that his brother doesn’t recognize him
and Hrithik leaves it that way. He convinces Kajol’s young sister - now
all grown up into Kareena Kapoor - to help him in his mission.
This plot outline though barely begins to touch
the surface of the emotional impact that the film smacks you with. It is
a near constant barrage of touching moments or high voltage emotional jolts.
Within this though are many very funny bright bits as well usually supplied
by the comical antics of Kajol and Kareena. Another subject apparently
dear to the filmmaker’s heart appears to be the life of Indians abroad
and how they both manage to attempt to fit in while keeping their heritage
intact. Much of this is conveyed in comic asides from Kajol about her British
neighbors and telling her son “India is the greatest country”. Echoing
through the second part is an overwhelming nostalgia for India and the
pain of separation from the family.
This film has a dream cast – stars from three
generations. The legendary acting couple, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, appear
together for the first time in many years. Using his deep baritone voice
and commanding presence, Amitabh gives his stern demanding character a
frightening and yet still sympathetic air. Jaya squeezes every ounce of
emotion out of a loving mother but obeying wife role. When she finally
tells her husband that he is no longer a God in her eyes, it is telling
and powerful. Shahrukh and Kajol once again show why they are paired so
often in films with their easygoing chemistry and playful charm with one
another. Kajol steals the first half of the film with her hyper and lovable
accident-prone character. In the second half she takes on a more traditional
role as wife and mother – but still has attitude. The second half of the
film though is primarily given over to the two young stars - Hrithik Roshan
and Kareena Kapoor (sister of star Karisma) – and they run with it. Hrithik
is almost too good looking and seemingly knows it all too well – but he
still manages the devoted son/ brother role quite well and has some excellent
dance moves. His leather-clad musical romp around London is a crash course
on style and manly charm. Kareena was the real eye opener though. Introduced
into the film while “It’s Raining Men” blares, Kareena is luscious and
amusing playing an Indian English Valley Girl who brims with baby fat sex
kittenish appeal. Rani has little more than an extended cameo - but is
stunning, warm and is involved in a great dance number.
Music seems to seep out of every pore of this
film. There are a large number of musical interludes in the film – but
the music flows around every scene in the film. A few of the songs have
a Western throw away feel, but most of them are terrific and a couple are
standouts with driving percussion beats and large ensemble dance numbers.
There are a couple lovely transitions as well - one of the propellers spinning
on a helicoptor to an overhead shot of a wildly spinning Rani Mukherjee
and then one of Kajol running in a fantasy love song through the sands
of Egypt to suddenly running madly through the rain on the streets of Delhi.
To me this was a candy-coated treat with bright
colors, loads of energy, sumptuous music numbers and big over the top melodrama
that connected more often than not but beyond that I never really looked
far below the surface. Apparently this isn’t true for everyone. Wanting
to read more about this film I checked the Indian Film newsgroup and received
a dose of cold water. On the NG, this film is totally reviled. One post
after another just heaps scorn on it for things that never occurred to
me. The flagrant nationalism. The playing into the traditional roles of
women. The elitism throughout - ie use of English by the characters at
times, the designer clothes. The idealized parental/husband respect - that
only plays with Overseas Indians but that is totally irrelevant to Indians
living in India. The nostalgic and insulated lifestyle of Indians abroad.
All things that make this film insulting to them. It’s interesting to see
a completely different cultural perspective applied to this film and this
style of filmmaking. To some degree it forces me to look at the film in
a new light – but being new to this cinema I am still bedazzled by it and
from that perspective I think my view is still a valid one as well - I'm
just coming at it from a different direction. And I should add that the
film has received a fair amount of critical praise and done well at the
box office in India.
My rating for this film: 8.0
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