A must for Bollywood lovers! (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (DVD))

Member Name: curly00

Product:	Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (DVD)
Date:	03/04/02 (372 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Big stars, good songs

Disadvantages: Too long, kareena kapoor

This film had a huge build up before release and I'm glad that it has been a big success.
Kabhi khushi kabhi gham means 'sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness'.
I will call Kabhi khushi kabhi gham 'K3g' from now on. Oh yes- if you're a bit soppy, then don't forget the Kleenex. I think I'm the only person I know who watched the whole film with dry eyes!

K3g has a huge cast in terms of popularity and success. Amitabh Bachchan who plays Yashovardhan Raichand in the film is the most successful Bollywood star to date. His wife in real life -Jaya Bachchan plays Nandini, Yashovardhan's wife. They have two sons Rahul (played by Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohan (played by Hrithik Roshan). The family are very wealthy, but with it comes the heritage and sometimes strict principles of Yashovardhan.

I love the beginning of the film, which is set on a cricket ground. Hrithik (Rohan) is introduced in pure filmi style at an all important moment of the match.

I don't want to give away the plot as there are some important revelations quite early on into the film where the story changes. As I feel it is quite essential not to spoil the film for anyone I'll concentrate on the characters, certain scenes and my overall thoughts on the film instead of just re-telling the story.

The Raichand family seems very happy and they are all close. Rahul and his mother share a very close bond which is probably because he is the oldest, and he was the only one for a long time before Rahul was born.

Anyone who isn't familiar with Bollywood films should know that ALL films have a soundtrack and the songs are ALWAYS integrated into the film. Sometimes the songs can jump out of nowhere and may not even be relevant. However one of the good things about K3G is that the songs are introduced quite sensitively working well with the storyline.

Nandini is an important part of the story. She loves her s
ons a lot and wants them to be happy. She is far less concerned with principles and class snobbery.

My favourite actor of the Bollywood industry is Shah Rukh Khan. His character Rahul is humourous and respects his dad a lot. Rahul is an important part of the story, and Shah Rukh does the character justice.

Kajol is another successful actress who has had a lot of hit films when opposite Shah Rukh. She plays Anjali in K3G and plays a comical, accident-prone woman who brings laughter to the film. This has probably been her best performance so far in her career.

Hrithik is a relative newcomer although he has had a few hit films. Many even think he will overtake Shah Rukh in popularity. In this film he isn't overshadowed, and his dancing is excellent in the songs.

Pooja is played by Kareena Kapoor. I know some may identify with her, or even like her in the film. I personally found her extremely annoying. Pooja is Anjali's younger sister who is bitchy and bigheaded. I also found her fake British accent annoying- who sounds like that?? However to her credit she does look good in the film.

The songs in the film are brilliant, the title song captures the mood of the film perfectly. There's a good mixture of traditional songs like 'Suraj Hua Maddham', 'Bole Chudiyan' as well as the more modern sounding 'You are my Soniya'. All the songs are choreographed beautifully too.

The film has been directed well, and Karan Johar has excelled himself. It can't have been easy juggling such a huge cast, but he's done well. One criticism I do have is that the film is too long. It's more than three and a half hours long, the end does seem to drag for a while. However most Bollywood films are about three hours long anyway. I'd recommend this film to anyone who likes Bollywood films, also as there is no violence it is suitable for children too. Enjoy!

LINKS

www.k3
gthefilm.com/

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