[color=red]Mid-Day Review
Sincere start, but...
Kuch Naa Kaho
KUCH NAA KAHO **1/2
Dir: Rohan Sippy
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai
Chomping an Italian dish at his New York residence, Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) tells his mother: “Love can’t be ordered or arranged like this meal.†A few reels later, he’s in Mumbai to attend his cousin’s wedding, when his Mamaji (Satish Shah) tries to find a girl.
Rohan Sippy’s Kuch Naa Kaho starts with some fresh and funny moments, as Mamaji asks his employee Namrata (Aishwarya Rai) to accompany Raj to meet some potential brides. In the process, Raj falls for her, only to realise that she has a son, and that her husband had disappeared.
Rohena Gera’s story has relevance in today’s urban setting. It talks about a single mother falling in love again, and whether a deprived child can find a father in someone else. The movie tries to balance the serious with the comic, but after a point, Sippy gets trapped by unwanted commercial cinema elements, and things become too predictable.
Here, Raj is someone who despises arranged marriage. When Namrata takes him to meet potential brides, he turns them off by pretending to be a weirdo. Soon, he discovers that he’s in love with Namrata, and by coincidence, her son Adi (Parth Dave) becomes friendly with him.
Though the film addresses contemporary relationships, the second half could have been more hard-hitting, and the mother-son relationship more touching.
A sequence when Raj and Namrata slip down a watery path is too far-fetched, and the return of her husband (guess who!) lacks drama. Though Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s songs suit the film, what’s missing is an out-and-out musical winner.
For a debut, Sippy shows a certain sincerity in telling a plausible tale. What’s also welcome is that he steers clear of his father Ramesh Sippy’s style (though there are times when he veers towards the Chopra-Johar mould). Among the highlights, the credits are announced in a rather creative manner, and V Manikandan’s cinematography is appealing.
If anything, Abhishek stands out, displaying good timing and maturity.
Jaspal Bhatti and Himani Shivpuri provide a spontaneous dose of comedy.
Sadly, Parth Dave’s role as the child is too mechanical, and fails to move you. As for Aishwarya, we suggest that she watch Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 21 times, and get rid of those same three expressions we’ve been suffering after that film.

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