Don (2006)

I loved the movie, can’t wait to see it again, and can’t wait for the DVD so that I can see it several times again. And yes, I have seen the original Don (1978), I loved that one as well, grew up adoring it / Amitabh Bachchan. I will compare the two movies later but I loved both and both deserve their own place in their own respective era’s / time.

Don (2006) is a thrill a minute, edge of the seat, don’t blink or you’ll miss something, superbly stylised action movie. It’s a sort of Don(1978) meets James Bond (the Pierce Brosnan era, with all its hi-tech gadgetry etc). It is unbelievably slick and amazingly cool. Its got the finish of a top-end magazine like Vogue or GQ…glossy, beautiful, a work of art. And the action scenes are breathless, non-stop and come at you one after another.

I had severe reservations about Mr Khan as Don. Especially as there are few bigger Mr Bachchan fans than me – I idolise the man. However, I’ve come from the movie convinced that no one else in the current set of stars could’ve carried it off as well as Shahrukh. He looks and behaves like Don – completely different to the chocolate faced ‘Main Hoon Na’ and ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ giggling lover boy we are used to. In this movie he has a steely look about him, a nastiness that is very believable. He is slightly over the top, but only to the degree you would want him to be.

Priyanka Chopra simply sizzles. When I look at her on screen now I’m ready to do all the things Jim Carrey does in the ‘Mask’ when he see’s Cameron Diaz dance at the club ! I only wish her part was bigger. Boman Irani continues to look the part in whatever part he is given and does a very stylish take on DCP DeSilva. The music – I didn’t think too much of it when I heard it on the net…but now as I write, the refrain is pulsing in my head, all the songs have acquired a life of their own (and Priyanka sets the screen on fire in ‘Aaj ki Raat’). The wardrobe guys also deserve a special mention - from Shahrukh's suede look in 'Main Hoon Don' to the cool, black leather jacket of DCP DeSilva, to the hot numbers that adorn Priyanka - I think the clothes will spark a thousand imitations.

I’m not going to mention the plot at all – my logic is that if you’ve seen the 1978 version, you already know it to a large degree. And if you’ve not seen that one, the last thing you should do is read about it – much better to see it / experience it and be blown away ! I will add though, that there are a few twists and turns. While Farhan Akhtar is true to the overall concept of the earlier Don, he has really put his own stamp on this remake by inserting a few really unexpected moments.

Now, the promised comparison. I really believe that both movies are great and sit comfortably in their own times / their own settings. When I see the old action movies (Gold Finger / From Russia with Love) today, I enjoy them, but I do get a feeling they are a bit dated. Every era has its own ‘look’, its own definition of hi-tech…for example 30 years ago a cassette could be considered hi-tech in India. Today it would be a DVD or a micro-disk. In the old Don, I thought the overall plot was amazing / original but hated the ending (the scene in the cemetery) which I thought was a farce / a joke. The new Don takes the basic plot but puts it in current settings. Mumbai becomes KL. Instead of a rickety police van transporting Don to prison, we have an airplane (a la ‘Con-Air’). There are some new characters. There are also some old characters that are interpreted differently, have different aspects to them. And it has an ending that is sensational ! A brave, polarising ending, which, just to relay some of the comments I overheard while exiting the hall, spoilt the movie for some but made it for others. For me - it worked and I salute this 'brilliance'.

I’ve loved every Farhan Akhtar movie so far – Dil Chahta Hai is in my top10 all time Hindi movies. Lakshya comes close to that list and so now, does Don. He simply gets better and better. He manages to extract something more from the stars, show them in a different light (Hrithik / Preity in Lakshya, Aamir / Saif in DCH....Shahrukh & Boman Irani in Don). He is willing to gamble, take a risk, do things his own way. Excellent stuff !

The one criticism that is possible of this movie though, is that it’s an ‘upper class’ movie. The earlier Don, while also a slick thriller for its time, I feel still connected with the common man in India. This one, I think, will struggle to do so – in terms of the locales, settings, clothing, plot…all were great / cool for me but I don’t think will have the same appeal in the smaller towns etc. Also, the same can be said of Farhan’s earlier movies as well – they all cater more to the upper / upper-middle class of India – the world that Farhan inhabits. However, its a minor issue and I still think the movie will be a huge hit !

The great thing, I remember, about watching Don (1978) as a 7 year old, was that when you came out of the movie (and for the next few days)…you felt you were Don ! You wanted to be like him, copy all mannerisms, you were mesmerised, felt the sense of power. I saw the same impact of this Don (2006) on my son (coincidentally also 7 years old). But even better, it still had the same impact on me ! Just love it !

Pyaar ke Side Effects

Imagine a love story with every cliché possible, every predictable twist and turn but it still manages to make you laugh…and in some parts makes you laugh very loudly. I went into this movie with very low expectations and came out with the movie having delivered a notch above.

Sid (Rahul Bose), is a DJ who meets Trisha (Mallika Sherawat) when he is playing songs at her wedding in Delhi and she is contemplating running away. Six months later they meet again, now in Mumbai. They meet some more… they fall in love ! When Trisha proposes marriage after three years, Sid is not quite ready – they then break up, patch up, break up again etc. On Trisha’s side, we have the typical over-protective father, another typical over-protective best friend and as the side love interest, the guy who she was going to get married to but ran away (at least this was something different). Sid, on his corner, has Ranvir Sheorey as a Rhys Ifans (Spike, Hugh Grant's roomie in Notting Hill) style best friend who never bathes / changes underwear, an understanding brother in law / sister, and as his love interest, the wonderfully voluptuous star (Sophie Choudhary) of the album Baby Doll Volume 3 (doesn’t leave much to the imagination, does it ?).

As you’ve guessed, the plot is not really the strong point of the movie. What is great is the style of the movie – its shot in a partly demo style, where Rahul frequently talks to the camera in the middle of scenes, kind of lecturing on what is happening, usually about the side effects of pyaar, engagement, breaking up etc. What is also very good is the honesty of the movie – no topic is taboo, they go and make fun of topics which previously were kind of off-limits (there is a full discussion around bra-straps and why they are so complicated to open for men, there is another conversation between Rahul and his Mr Big). And finally, the jokes are brilliant…I think some of them are lifted from English movies, but no worries because they have indianised them beautifully. We have Mallika’s refreshing take on what makes Delhi women different from Mumbai ones (and around the whole Mumbai vs Delhi thing in general). We have this other discussion around why marriage is not good for men, proof being that no superhero is married (I swear I’ve heard this before, but can’t remember where – in any case its so wonderfully indianised that you’ll laugh out aloud anyways !)

This is the first movie I saw of Mallika’s and I was really pleasantly surprised. I think casting Rahul Bose opposite her was a mistake – he came across as quite wooden, his dialogue delivery is quite stiff, Hindi a bit accented, definitely not as spontaneous as Mallika. Ranvir Sheorey was brilliant again as the best friend, Aamir Bashir was a very believable brother in law, Sophie Choudhary was a very believable Baby Doll Vol3.

So, put the kids to sleep and go enjoy…not one movie that you’re going to see many times or buy the DVD but definitely worth a look-see…

Khosla ka Ghosla

Khosla ka Ghosla is a humorous showcase for Delhi, a city I’ve lived in from the 6th standard all the way till end of college and a city with which I have a love-hate relationship !

I love the buzz in Delhi….the feeling that everyone is trying to progress / make money. I hate that in most cases they’re actually trying to make it illegally and its you they’re trying to rip off.
I love the aggression, the enthusiasm but hate the fact that it results in the use of violence almost as a first resort.
I love the feeling of open space / spaciousness (especially vs Mumbai which always feels very crowded) but hate the fact that due to land-grabbing / illegal construction / the conversion of single-storey bungalows into ugly multi-storeyed eyesores in residential areas, this is rapidly disappearing.
Finally, I love the mentality of anything can happen, nothing is impossible and the sheer inventiveness this leads to – the ability of overcoming any obstacle or coming up with ‘shortcuts’ is amazing but I hate the fact that this is accompanied by a complete lawlessness and lack of consideration for other humans.

Khosla ka Ghosla does a brilliant job of highlighting all the wonderful and not so wonderful things which make Delhi what it is – along with the above, you have the helpful neighbours, the chartered buses, the almost ludicrous belief in deities – Mata / Baba etc and the near - idolisation of NRI’s. And its done with a wonderful sense of realism – there are no comic stereotypes, no slapstick for easy laughs. The humour lies in the reality of the situation, the people and how they choose to overcome their problems.

Kamal Kishore Khosla (Anupam Kher), a salaried person on the brink of retirement, buys a plot of land where he can construct a bungalow which can fit all of his family – with a floor for each of his kids… Shortly after the purchase the plot gets ‘grabbed’ by an unscrupulous property developer, Mr Kishan Khurana (Boman Irani). They first try the straightforward methods, all the things you and I would do in the same situation…they meet the person who sold them the land who peacefully points out this is their problem. They meet the land-grabber who equally peacefully quotes his price for vacating the property, they meet the police who offer to get the price reduced but want their cut. They meet lawyers, politicians, activists as well who have pretty much the same response as the police. Bunty (Ranvir Sheorey), his eldest son, a good-for-nothing, good hearted, unemployed loafer comes up with the idea of using ‘force’. He hires a bunch of strong men from the local akhara (wrestling club) but the only outcome is that is father gets jailed ! Mr Khosla is now at breaking point….he is resigned to his fate and is ready to give up his plot.
This spurs his younger son, Chiraunji Lal, aka Cherry (Parvin Dabas) to try to do something. His relationship with his father was never a very good one, even though he is the smart one in the family, the one who bears the burden of all the expectations. This relationship is put under even more strain when he announces to his stunned family that he is about to leave shortly for America. His girl-friend, Meghna (Tara Sharma), is involved in a theatre group led by Bapu (Navin Nischol), and cannot understand how he can just leave, abandoning his father. The second half of the movie is all about what happens next….how a computer engineer enters the world of real-estate and without doing anything beyond the realms of reason, tries to get his increasingly reluctant father his land back.

I really enjoyed watching the movie – I loved the way some of the characters have been fleshed out…I found I could relate to them, understand why they behaved the way they did and could easily spot some of their traits in my circle of family and friends. And I loved the realism…there is nothing shown in the movie that could not happen to you and me. There are also some moments where you squirm – especially in the first half – the primary thought in my head was ‘Shit, this could be happening to me !’. You feel the pain, the agony that Mr Khosla is going through for no fault of his and his helplessness and frustration with the situation.

One more thing I really liked / want to comment on is the start – which was a very innovative way to introduce all the characters in the Khosla family and their relationships with each other.

Everyone in the movie acts very well – Anupam Kher and Boman Irani are truly the chameleons of modern Bollywood – they seem to fit into any role with ease. However, the surprises were Ranvir Sheorey as Bunty, Vinay Pathak as the visa agent and Navin Nischol’s secretary (tried hard but couldn’t get his name) - they all truly excelled in their roles and gave their characters something extra…

Khosla ka Ghosla is like a Coffee Crème Caramel – light, easy, sweet in most parts but with a touch of bitterness. When I was leaving the hall though, I couldn’t help wondering what a non-Delhiite would think of the movie…whether they could relate to the movie as easily as I did and see the humour in the situation ? Or would they think this is something else those crass people up North do ?

Lage Raho Munna Bhai !

I think this movie deserves an Oscar – actually several of them, not least for originality and a quirky Indian-ness which is rare these days where every other movie is set in US or UK or other exotic locations abroad. And also for delivering very powerful social messages in a fun, gentle, non-preachy manner, mixed with such good jokes that you can’t help laughing throughout. I hated the first one (Munna Bhai MBBS), couldn’t understand what the fuss was about…but am I glad they did a sequel because I absolutely loved this one !

Munna Bhai (Sanjay Dutt), a Mumbai toughie, is smitten by a Radio VJ, Jahanavi (Vidya Balan, the heroine from Parineeta). Once, on Gandhi Jayanti, she organises a call-in quiz about Mahatma Gandhi with the prize being a radio chat with her. Munna Bhai, of course, with the able help of his side-kick Circuit (Arshad Warsi), wins the quiz. When he meets her he pretends to be a professor (to explain how he knew so much about Gandhi) and then the fun begins ! Other key elements of the plot include

• Jahanavi lives with her grandfather and a few of his friends, who are all elderly citizens, in a house named 2nd Innings House – which is so named because these retired, elderly folks believe life begins at 60 !
• There is a business man, Lucky Singh (Boman Irani), who is friends with Munna Bhai / Circuit, and he has ‘designs’ on the house Jahanavi lives in…
• Once Munna Bhai has to actually go to a library and learn about Gandhiji and he gets so engrossed in his studies that he spends 5 days non-stop there – and then Gandhiji himself appears in front of his new ‘disciple’ and becomes his Jimminy Cricket / Fairy Godmother style companion
• Soon, inspired by his new companion and his learning about Gandhiji, Munna Bhai starts doing a ‘Gandhigiri’ radio talk show with Jahanavi – advising people on how to solve their problems Gandhi-style…

The movie works at several levels – its got plenty of laughs, extremely lovable, true-to-life characters and also at a more serious, intellectual level where it really does bring Gandhi’s philosophy into modern times. And finally, also the way it debunks and pokes fun at several unique Indian habits….

• The whole obsession with kundali’s / astrology etc
  
• The new fad of changing a name to change luck – Kkhurana etc…
  
• The inability of our senior citizens to enjoy themselves after retiring – have fun, let their hair down, do the things they always wanted to do but were prevented by the rat race
  
• The habit of showing off by putting up photo’s with rich and famous people
  

All the cast are very good in the movie – however, 2 notable performances were Arshad Warsi who was again brilliant with excellent comic timing and his face a canvas for a plethora of emotions. And Boman Irani – who really brought Lucky Singh as a quintessential Sardarji to life, a ‘villain’ you couldn’t help but love…

Another amazing thing about this movie is the vulgarity and violence – there is none ! Amazing ! I thought this wasn’t possible anymore ?

I watched this movie with my family including my six year old son. And I’m ecstatic that his reaction was to ask me 100 questions about Mahatma Gandhi (about 50 of them during the movie itself)…he now wants to know everything about him / the freedom struggle etc…What more could a patriotic NRI want ? Great stuff…you’ll love it !

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

Do you love your spouse ? Are you happy with life ? Do you think marriage is a compromise ? What if you find love outside your marriage ? Would you forgive your spouse if they were unfaithful ?

Don't believe the hype....KANK is a good movie, ok in parts, great in some others...nothing more ! It touches upon & raises all the above questions...valid ones, as anyone who has been married more than 3 years, will certify. But disappointingly for me it does not seek to answer them with any logic or depth..to probe the thinking of the characters and show why / how they respond to the above situations. And it tries too hard to be a Bollywood blockbuster by ensuring all the key formulaic ingredients are there - whether needed by the main plot or not !

Rishi (Abhishek), cool son of even cooler, swinging widower Sam (a delightful Amitabh) marries Maya after a long courtship. Maya is not sure whether she loves Rishi, has a nervous moment before the marriage and shares her feelings with a stranger Dev (Shahrukh). Dev is a star footballer, `happily' married to Rhea (Preity) with a son, Arjun. Within moments, however, this changes as Dev meets with an accident and is not able to ever play again. This makes him a crabby, irritable, miserable person who yells at everyone - strangers, wife and even son. Rhea is a happy, cheerful person who spends a lot of time at the office due to her job but to say she is a career-obsessed power woman would be pushing it. In the meantime, Rishi, who is a happy go lucky, fun loving person loves his wife deeply but Maya is unhappy...she is 'frigid', not able to respond to her husbands playful love and is upset by the fact that she cannot ever be a mother. She also feels Rishi is a child...not able to sit down and discuss things. The two couples' paths cross several times due to various reasons, the two unhappy people start meeting more regularly - they start by just sharing their unhappiness and then move on to trying to do things to save their respective marriages. And I dont want to spoil the rest by giving too much away - except to say that I feel the end may not go down well with a few people.

The movie is very unevenly paced - it has exhilarating moments (usually featuring Amitabh or Abhishek) but equally some others where you are squirming, looking around the hall to wonder what the others make of it. Most crucially for me, it fails to give a true 'inner' perspective of why Dev and Maya do what they do...what are they thinking ? What do they really think about their respective spouses ? What are they really unhappy about ? We see the two of them meeting about 50 times but we are very rarely privy to what they talk about apart from some superficial stuff. Its almost to the point that, as we don't understand their point of view, Dev and Maya become 'villains'...we feel no sympathy for them. Also, the movie focuses on Dev and Maya...who are not very happy people and too little on Rishi and Rhea - who are the happier ones. I would love to have known how / what Rishi thought of Maya's frigidity, about her obvious unhappiness ? And what kept Rhea going when faced with non-stop unhappiness from Dev everyday ?

For me the movie confirmed Abhishek's growth as an actor - he is amazingly spontaneous and able to switch easily from fun to serious while being equally credible at both. Preity and Rani are both good - they do justice to their roles, in Preity's case as much as the script allowed her and in Rani's case i think as much as she is capable of. Shahrukh - i dont know if its just me but i am definitely in the mode where his mannerisms are too predictable / too unidimensional...the furrowed brow, the 'intense' look, the giggling laugh....surely he is capable of something more ? For an actor who started with really different roles in Baazigar and Darr, i feel he now plays roles which are too similar, dont really stretch him as an actor.

Amitabh is God !!! Dont let anyone tell you anything different. Be prepared to see a very different side of him - a cool, womanising, 'with it' dude...and yet when he is required to be serious he manages it so simply, so naturally, with just a look, a gesture...i've been watching him with wide-open eyes since his Mr Natwarlal days but i haven't tired...i want more...lots more !

Nice try Mr Johar...but i expected something better from you !

Omkara

What a fantastic visual feast....guys, i really loved the movie (well maybe the ending could have been different ?)...and will definitely watch it again when its out on DVD...

This is Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Othello....a tough ask even if set in modern times...now take it a few steps (no, make that leaps) further and set it in rural india (UP / Bihar)...take actors who are suave urbanites and convincingly transform them into country bumpkins..then, maybe then you start to get an idea of the task that Mr Bhardwaj is trying to accomplish...If this was a diving competition, he would get 10 straight away for degree of difficulty !!!

Omkara (Ajay Devgan) is head hooligan (bahubali) of corrupt politician (Naseeruddin Shah) in UP...he has 2 lieutenants, Langda Tyagi (an unrecognizable Saif) and Kesu Firangi (Vivek Oberoi). Omkara and his Desdemona (a fresh faced Kareena Kapoor) fall in love and elope on the day Kareena is to get married to someone else that her father had approved of. The first seed of doubt is planted by the father : 'Jo apne baap ko thag sakti hai, woh kisi aur ki sagi kaise ho sakti hai' he tells Omkara....The rest is vintage Othello, with Saif playing Iago and ensuring none of the others have a moments peace....

A few things really stood out in this movie

• The Casting : I'm not talking here about the stars but about the extras...I don't know what Vishal and co did (hire all the Bihari's in Mumbai as extras ? Go to a UP village and lift them enmasse to the set ?) but everyone in the movie is picture perfect...right down to the goonda who frisks the cop before he can meet Omkara (hilariously executed scene) to the cop himself (who looks like the kind of guy who would get frisked) to the 'tai' whose comment when she first meets Kareena brings the house down...the people in Omkara's village etc ...everyone is faultless...picture perfect !
• The Sets : I loved the little touches of authenticity in the movie...the hand pumps, the broken down coolers and rusted drain pipes jutting out of the house...the whole surrounding, the house, the set merged beautifully in its surroundings
• The cinematography : As anyone who has visited UP / Bihar will testify, its very hard to make the countryside look beautiful...In this movie, you feel like shifting there straight away...forget Simla...next holiday Etah...The colours, the great use of sunlight really was stunning

Next we come to the stars...

I didn't like Ajay Devgan in Golmaal but here he is in his element...with his slow, measured reactions, his deadpan expression, you couldn't have asked for more. Unlike the others in the movie, who looked like they had to dress up for the part, Ajay looked like he simply went to his grandfather's cupboard and borrowed his outfits...I think after Khakee, i really liked him here...he seems to bring an air of unpredictability to his actions...A top class performance...

And that brings me to Kareena...who brings a innocent, naive beauty to her role and actually seems to fit in with the surrounding...which one would never have thought possible after watching her Pepsi TV ads...this is as far removed from her normal on-screen persona as possible and I was really impressed.

Saif was very good as well - he was brilliant in Hum Tum for me but then my perception of Saif is that he is actually like that as a person - here he looked credible again as a scheming country bumpkin and i know for sure he is not that in real life, so i give him more credit here...

Vivek Oberoi was ok - hard to say whether anyone else could've done more with the role...same for Bipasha but someone else who really caught my eye was Konkana Sharma who really infused life and energy as Indu, Langda Tyagi's wife...she was really good and i will hope she gets more opportunities to show off her talents

What would i change in the movie ? Blasphemy for some, but possibly the ending...there is a certain ponderous inevitability to the climax which possibly could've been avoided with an unexpected last-minute twist or two. And also because I, like most Indians, am a sucker for happy endings...they uplift me far more than tragic ones....I mean I still believe Sholay (one of my all time favourites) would've been a better movie if they had not killed Amitabh ! So you get the picture ?

Finally, in case you're planning to watch with kids, there is a lot of good old-fashioned Hindi abuse / crude words...but it fits really well, is not excessive and there are a couple of excellent jokes around the words !

So all in all an excellent effort from Mr Bhardwaj...can't wait to watch it again and can't wait for his next one !

Golmaal

Instructions for watching the movie

• Detach brain carefully before movie begins
• Leave brain at home
• Commence watching
  

Warning : Any deviation from the above could result in an increase in India’s suicide rate

I think they should make this warning standard on all the movie posters / advertsing…

Ok – now lets be fair ! There are some great moments in the movie – there is a lot of laughter in different places. Some scenes really can cause you to roll down the aisle’s laughing (the Vande Mataram in the middle of the night and the one where they are trying to describe where in New York do they live come readily to mind). And I think if you follow the instructions above, then you can stand the movie once.

Its not really a movie – just a lot of jokes loosely knit together with an extremely thin, full of holes fabric of a storyline.

4 friends live together in a hostel, they get chucked out by the dean, while running away from some goons (whom they owe money) they stumble across a bungalow occupied by a blind couple who are pining for the return of their grandson from USA. One of them becomes the grandson and together they protect the couple from some other goons who are trying to steal from them. A pretty neighbour provides the eye candy and there is a predictable ending to round things off.

Throw in a lot of slapstick, a lot of scantily dressed white skinned extras, some (a few, not excessive) vulgar jokes and a lot of pranks – voila, we present Golmaal

One issue which bothers me about this movie and most other Hindi comedy’s is the need to make fun of physical disabilities – one of the 4 friends is dumb, the couple are blind…I mean why ? Surely there is a comedy possible without having to do this ? Take the original Golmaal for instance !

As for the cast, Arshad Warsi is his usual spontaneous self, Ajay Devgan better stick to action movies + the man really cannot dance so please stop trying to make him, Sharman Joshi was very impressive (good looking, emotive face, nice laugh) – I really tip him to go far (and not just in comedies). The rest were competent / made the best of the situation.

Watch it once, if you have nothing better to do…

Krrish

I have a 6 year old son and a wife who's between 30-35 (am not allowed to reveal exact age). They both loved Krrish. I kept waiting for the movie that could have been ! But then i am a very fussy watcher.

The plot should be quite simple but isn't

• Krishna is brought up by grandmom (an over emotive Rekha) who realises he has the same superpowers which ultimately caused the death of her son, Rohit
• Rekha's response is to hide him in a secluded hilly place where he grows up, superpowers intact, but with no materialism et all . She looks after his education etc.
• Enter pretty woman, Priya (Priyanka Chopra - full marks for originality for this screen name) who makes Krrish fall predictably head over heels over her - there is a nice sub-plot here regarding ghosts which i wont give away
• Priya leaves, Krrish follows her to Singapore (tearful separation from g'mom where she finally tells him the truth abt his superpowers / parents etc and she extracts promises from him to not reveal his powers etc). More sub-plots involving the tv-station Priya works in
• Finally the metamorphosis of Krishna into Krrish with revenge for dad, obligatory villain holding heroine ransom scene (i wish i had the patent on this one), and a couple of predictable twists.

Whats great about Krrish are the action sequences - they are quite slick and definitely a notch above what is seen in bollywood movies so far. With direct lift's (or inspirations) from Matrix, Minority Report and Superman - they've done a great job.

I also really liked Hrithik - am not sure about the spelling of his name (is it one R or 2 ?) - he comes across very nicely as a superhero - mischeivous when he needs to be and serious when on the vengeance path. Having a body like his also helps carry it off. And his smile - very natural, a change from the rather wooden faces Hollywood seems to choose for its super heroes (Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton for Batman and Mr Routh for Superman Returns are cases in point).

I loved Priyanka in Bluffmaster - but here she was ok - still looks great (wearing dresses that show off her excellent bod without going too far - there was one scene with her in a wet white t-shirt tho, that went by too quickly for my liking - just kidding, i'm a married man !). But crucially for me she fails to inspire any emotion for her character - which comes across as weak, indecisive, selfish, confused. Too much in control of her friend, Honey (another ace in name generation from the casting team)

And now my fundamental issue - Krrish came across as a movie which couldn't make up it's mind as to what it wanted to be - a slick action movie, a kids adventure / super hero movie or a love story. True to Bollywood it tries to be all 3 and therefore loses its chance to become a really great movie.

My son loved the action sequences but the movie lost him for large chunks - they made the plot too complicated for him to really follow it. He would have wanted more of them - and a simple plot with a defined baddy who spoke in more simple language. Also, they took too long to introduce Krrish - i think he actually comes in only after 2 hrs or so are up ! Can you imagine a movie where the title character only really lands up for the last 3rd of the movie ?

They dragged the main plot a little too long, distracted you with too many sub-plots, spent too much time on the love story, build-up (past / background) and so lost the edge of the seat thriller that they could have made - one which kept you engrossed till the end, one which would've made the interval seem unneccessary or somethg where you just caught your breath.

For the sequel - and i would be disappointed if there wasn't one - i would have a simple storyline, lots of action, only a few characters (including the bad ones) whom then i can spend time building / giving depth and have the title hero right from the start

Its worth watching once but i would save the repeats for the sequel. Going though by the originality of the names, dont expect anythg more dramatic than Krrish2...