Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

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I could watch Shahrukh Khan all day, everyday, but not in this movie. The first half is ridiculously out-dated and over-acted. In fact, it is hard to watch. I kept thinking it would get better, or I kept hoping it would speed up through the ridiculous parts- but the ridiculous parts were the whole first half and it did not speed up. The second half concentrates too much on the little daughter and there is too little of Shahrukh. It also went on and on. Although this movie was a big success when it came out, I would put it at the end of my list for watching - even below "Yes, Boss", if that is possible!! Watch Dil Se, Don, Kal Ho Na Ho, Khabi Kushi Khabi Gam, or my favorite, Khabi Alvida Na Kehna!!! Now THESE are Shahrukh at his best, with well-acted scenes and interesting story lines and dialogue! June 26, 2008

"Love is friendship."

As wonderful as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (2DISC SET) is, I like this one even more. Shahrukh Khan and Kajol are the most popular romantic film couple Bollywood has seen in some time, and in 1998's KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, their fourth of five movies together (so far), their crackling chemistry is once again on vivid display. Whereas DDLJ portrays these two as basically college kids who fall in love, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI moves them beyond their college years, and into adulthood and its burdens and responsibilities. As such, their romance here, when it finally blossoms, vibrates with a deeper resonance, a richer flavor. KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI is one of those rare forays into romantic escapism which actually renders you vulnerable, leaves you with a catch in the throat and a moist irritation in the eye. Hell, you might even start yearning (and these are just a guy's reactions; women are guaranteed to melt and bawl themselves silly).

This one begins with a tragedy, with a beautiful young mother, Tina (Rani Mukerji), suffering fatal complications after giving birth to her baby daughter. As her life bleeds away, she writes eight letters and asks that a letter be doled out for each of her daughter's first eight birthdays. Her last request is for her husband, Rahul (Shahrukh Khan), to name their baby Anjali.

Eight years later now. Rahul is a thriving businessman and a doting father. His daughter, Anjali, has just turned eight years old. Anjali dreams of becoming a famous VJ like Neelam, although she wants to be like her mother more. And because this is her eighth birthday, she receives the last of her mother's letters. In this final one, Tina at last tells her daughter the bittersweet story of her father and of Anjali's namesake, Anjali Sharma (Kajol).

Tina reveals that, back in college, Rahul had been very popular and prone to chasing girls. Anjali Sharma was a feisty, tomboyish girl who relished schooling Rahul in basketball. Rahul and Anjali were best friends. But, then, the dynamics changed forever when Tina came to their college. Rahul began to ardently pursue Tina, even as Anjali suddenly realized that she was in love with Rahul. But even as Anjali came to tell Rahul of her feelings, it was already too late. A devastated Anjali decided to leave college, but not before Tina came to know of her feelings for Rahul.

Now, in this eighth letter, Tina confesses that she feared she had broken up a remarkable friendship. She tells her daughter that her dream is for Rahul and Anjali to be reunited, in the hope that they may become more than friends.

Naturally, this is easier said than done. Little Anjali has her work cut out for her, first with locating the vanished Anjali and then figuring out what to do when it's discovered that Anjali Sharma is very soon about to be married.

Yup, it's that old tale again, done so many, many times before - the friends who turn into lovers. And, yet, here, the romance is developed so well, the love story unfolds so beautifully - the unrequited stuff, the anguished longing, the miracle of a second chance - that your emotional buttons can't help but be pushed. KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI will settle in your gut and linger in your soul, if there's even a smidgen of the romantic in you.

I rank KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI right up there with DDLJ, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and Namastey London DVD as one of the most unabashedly romantic Bollywood movies I've ever seen. KOFFEE WITH KARAN's Karan Johar wrote and directed this sentimental tearjerker, and, for a first time director, he did well enough that the film destroyed its competition at various Indian film award ceremonies.

A paragraph now about Kajol. You can tout your Rani Mukerji or your Preity Zinta as currently the best actress in Bollywood. But I'll trump you with one name: Kajol. Kajol is THE actress of her generation. Films like DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE, Fanaa (2 Disc Set), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and this one will certainly attest to this. In an interview, Shahrukh was quoted as saying that Kajol could make love to a cow on screen and make it look like chemistry. Yeah, she's that good. She's one of the most natural, most honest performers out there, simply with not a false move in her repertoire.

And she really does have an uncommon chemistry with Shahrukh Khan, which allows them to effortlessly navigate from comedy to drama, from slapstick to tears. There are three highlight moments which tower over all the other highlight moments. There's the wrenching scene of Anjali about to declare her feelings to Rahul, and then Rahul unwittingly destroying her, which then leads directly to the song, so full of ache, "Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayee." There's Rahul and Anjali's soul-rending farewell as Anjali departs on her train. And, on a more hopeful theme, there is their charmingly awkward first encounter eight years later, as possibilities are kindled and dormant hearts reawaken.

Shahrukh turns in a very good performance, sometimes hammy, sometimes heartbreaking. For me, his best moments come up at the train scene with Kajol. I don't count Shahrukh as my favorite Bollywood actor as yet, but he's climbing up steadily on my list (Main Hoon Na is one of my favorite films). And, anytime he's partnered with Kajol, definitely save me a seat. Rani Mukerji also shows off her skills, lovely and sophisticated in her role of Tina. She was still fairly new to the game when this film was made, but, boy, she oozed talent. The little girl (don't know her name) is also very good, but thankfully not too cute or precocious (often a kiss of death). She and Shahrukh have some good scenes together, the most memorable being the sequence with her on stage in a school contest. Oh, and Salman Khan is actually pretty decent here (even garnering the Filmfare award for Best Supporting Actor).

Doesn't often happen to me, in watching Bollywood, but the scenes leading to the Intermission actually left me with a sharp, gleeful twinge of anticipation. I just couldn't wait for Anjali's transformation from gawky tomboy to a very beautiful, very poised, and very feminine woman. An hour and a half into the film, and only halfway thru, and it's even still getting better. This is about as perfect as Bollywood can get. April 4, 2008

Love, Loss And Restoration ~ A Bollywood Tradition

Note: Hindi with English subtitles.

`Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' is a wildly popular Bollywood film from '98 starring three of the most adored Hindi stars in the business, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee. It also includes a small but important part played by the equally popular Salman Khan.

Synopsis: There carefree college friends; Rahul (SR Khan), Anjali (Kajol) and Tina (Rani) unintentionally find themselves in a highly emotional love triangle. When Rahul and Tina become engaged Anjali leaves school and returns home never telling Rahul about her true feelings. When tragedy strikes in the marriage Rahul is left as a single parent to a young girl. Will fate arrange a chance meeting between Rahul and Anjali and if it does will romance spark where it wasn't before?

This comedy/romance contains almost all of the usually expected Bollywood gimmicks and situations overtly structured to pull on the viewers emotional heartstrings. Also like the majority of Hindi films it has a lot of interspersed silliness and slapstick moments that this genre of cinema has long been known for. While I'm becoming more and more accustomed to this wacky aspect of Indian film, for me it tends to damage the overall emotional affect of the film. That fact is made more clearly in this film than most, especially by the one-on-one basketball sequence between Shah Rukh and Kajol.

However all that aside. The music is infectious, Shah Rukh is at the top of his game, the girls are beautiful and there's no denying the wonderful talent and chemistry between these three superstars. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the film is the wedding dance at the end performed by Salman Khan. It's magnificient and worth the price of the DVD just for that one dance number. February 15, 2007

Transcendent. A standout Bollywood tragicomic romance

I really can't describe the plot of this movie with more detail than previous reviewers have done & I also don't have the understanding of Bollywood cinema to put Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in context of that tradition, so I just want to add a review that I really enjoyed watching this movie.
I've read the reviews that say the first half of the film is a caricatured bright-colored facsimile of college life, but in my opinion the first half builds the foundation for the story arc; both sides of this story are different in tone & that adds complexity to the storyline. Regardless of the color schemes & costuming choices the first half develops the characters & their relationships, & fills in the backstory. And unlike some Bollywood musicals, the song & dance numbers advance the plot, something I'm used to seeing in American musicals.
The second half is a sea change with more lilting melodic songs & echoed chords from the earlier songs that add complexity to the storyline, something else I enjoyed in 1940s & 50s American musicals & don't see in contemporary American movies. The bubbliness & youthful openness of the lead actors change, but also draws on the remembrance of their earlier relationship, as the actors become more subtly romantic & yearning in the second part of the movie. So in other words, if you're watching K2H2 for the first time, don't judge it by the first...forty minutes.
Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are standouts in their parts & make the story better than it otherwise would have been. Sparks fly from this strong pairing. It's fun to see the juxtaposition of their characters from the first & second half making the movie one that's fun to watch over again. I disliked most of the comic secondary characters, but enjoyed the editing that placed different scenes next to each other in an effective way. I appreciated that the plot pacing was fairly quick too, except for at the end.
I admit I do like the makeover movies: Pretty Woman, etc., so that element also had something to do with how much I enjoyed this movie. I also usually enjoy flashback chapters for the historical depth it can add to a storyline, so high marks from me on that element too.
Hollywood hasn't made many movies lately that interest me, so thanks Bollywood. I'm more than happy to give you my money instead. Other Bollywood movies I've enjoyed are Lagaan & the fusion movies Bride & Prejudice & Monsoon Wedding. November 27, 2006

Beautiful, "Parent Trap-esque" Movie! WONDERFUL!!

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, is a WONDERFUL and cute Bollywood movie! It is now one of my top favorites!

Even though my parents are from India, my brother and I didn't watch many Hindi/Bollywood movies growing up. At home, my family either spoke English or Konkani (a dialect of Hindi) so with the exception of the sporadic Hindi classes we took as children, we did not have much experience with Hindi.

As a result, we did not watch many Bollywood movies until recently. I can count on one hand, with a couple of extra fingers, maybe two hands at the most, the number of Hindi movies I saw as a child.

Because we understand very little (just a few random words, phrases, etc.)of Hindi, and subtitles, were not available on the VHS tapes, we had to rely on our mom for translation of the dialogue. Though I'm sure she tried her best, what would inevitably happen is that while she was translating one segment of conversation, she would miss the next one, so there would be huge gaps in the translation, and often essential dialogue would deliberately (if she didn't want to translate something, thinking we weren't old enough to hear it)or accidently left out.So we had to figure out the story from the pictures and inconsistent, and incomplete translations. As a result, we didn't watch many Bollywood movies growing up.

But since I started watching Hindi movies on DVD (with available English subtitles) I've been REALLY enjoying it! I LOVE BOLLYWOOD movies!

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is one of the several Hindi movies that I have seen and enjoyed immensely on DVD recently.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (or KKHH, or K2H2) is a BEAUTIFUL movie that stars Shahrukh Khan, Kajol (of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge fame) and Rani Mukherji (of Veer-Zaara) as well as a special guest appearance by Salman Khan (of Hum Aapke Hain Koun)

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

In this touching and "Parent Trap-esque" movie, ladies man Rahul Khanna (Shahrukh Khan) and tomboy Anjali Sharma (Kajol) are friends at St. Xavier's College. They are best friends, always playing basketball together, and teasing and joking with each other. There is also a deep love between the two that has not been expressed.

Enter Tina Malhotra, the daughter of the Principal (Dean), and a transfer student from Oxford University in London, who is coming home to complete her final year of college at her father's school.

Principal Malhotra asks Anjali to "look after" Tina, and "take her under her wing", and while doing so, Rahul comes along, and Tina, Anjali and Rahul all become good friends.

But then Rahul and Tina start seeing each other privately and soon they fall in love.

Meanwhile, Anjali realizes that she is in love with Rahul, and decides to tell him how she feels. Anjali is about to delare her love, when Rahul confesses that he is in love with Tina.

Anjali is devastated when she realizes Rahul loves Tina, and not her, and that her love for him can never be expressed. She is so heartbroken that she immediately decides to drop out of college and go back home.

Rahul and Tina, rush to the train station to try to stop Anjali from leaving. But when Rahul learns that Anjali was planning to leave without telling him, and never come back he gets upset, and storms off. While the train starts up, Anjali throws her dupatta (scarf) to Tina, signaling to her that she is starting a new life with Rahul.

Meanwhile, as train is pulling out of the station, Rahul has a change of heart, and is able to say a final goodbye to Anjali.

After Anjali drops out, and leaves town, she "disappears". She goes her own separate way, and doesn't write, call, or have any further contact with Rahul or Tina.

Meanwhile, Rahul and Tina get married, and Tina becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, Tina develops complications during her pregnancy, and she dies soon after giving birth to a baby girl. Before dying, she makes Rahul promise to name their daughter, "Anjali", and she leaves 8 separate letters with her mother-in-law (Farida Jalal of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge), to be given to Anjali, one for each birthday (from age 1 to age 8)

So now nine years have passed and little Anjali who is living in Mumbai (Bombay) with her father and grandmother, is celebrating her 8th birthday. As in the years before, she has a special letter waiting for her from her late mother, Tina.

However, this particular letter is different from the others in one crucial aspect.

In this letter, Tina tells her daughter about the relationship/friendship between herself, Rahul and Anjali, and how she fell in love with Rahul. She writes of the unrequited love between Anjali and Rahul, and how she feels that she came between them.

Tina tells her daughter that her father is all alone, and she asks her daughter, Anjali to find Anjali Sharma and reunite her with Rahul.

However, at the same time that Anjali Khanna (little Anjali)and her grandma are beginning their search for Rahul's college friend, Anjali Sharma (big Anjali) has become engaged, and is planning her wedding to Aman Mehra (guest star Salman Khan)

But through a twist of fate (influenced by a cute/sweet scene of little Anjali carrying out a fervent Muslim prayer) and due to a problem with Anjali & Aman's horoscopes (which in Hindu custom are often a major factor when planning any event) all plans for the wedding are postponed for several months - until December at the earliest.

In the meantime, big Anjali takes a job teaching music and dance at a summer camp in Simla.

In a series of twists, little Anjali finds out about big Anjali's job. So she and her grandma join this same summer camp, with the intention of luring Rahul there so that he will come face-to-face with big Anjali.

Little Anjali and her grandma concoct a "Parent Trap-esque" scheme to reunite the two former friends, set them up and rekindle the previously unexpressed love and passion between them.

What transpires is a cute, beautiful and touching display of the real meaning of caring about another person, and true love.

I think anyone who enjoys the "Bollywood style" of movies will enjoy this GREAT movie! The music and accompanying songs are beautiful, the casting is practically perfect, and the storyline and plot is very touching and suitable and appropriate for all ages, from young kids, to the elderly! It is a family-friendly, Indian version of "The Parent Trap"!

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a WONDERFUL movie, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes/loves Hindi movies.

5 STARS!! Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is AWESOME!!!!


July 11, 2006

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