Hum Kaun Hai?

By Taran Adarsh, September 03rd, 2004 - 1600 hrs IST


Remaking a universally acclaimed and an already successful English film into Hindi could prove to be one arduous task.

A rehash of director Alejandro Amenábar's eerie flick THE OTHERS [2001; starring Nicole Kidman], Soni Juneja's HUM KAUN HAI? is intriguing and engaging in parts. A film on supernatural forces like HUM KAUN HAI? does defy the stereotype and for those who haven't watched THE OTHERS, it's indeed a novel experience.

But how one wishes the makers would've stuck to the original in entirety, instead of changing the story towards the pre-climax and climax [Dharmendra-Amitabh sequences]. That takes away the sheen from the enterprise, to an extent!

In an isolated brick mansion set amidst thick woods and mist, Sandra Williams [Dimple Kapadia] lives with her two photosensitive children Sarah [Hansika] and David [Amman]. David is a mama's boy, whereas Sarah is headstrong in character. Sandra's husband, Major Frank John Williams [Amitabh Bachchan], is at war. But there has been no news of him for a while.

Sandra employs three domestic helpers, Mrs. Pinto [the nanny; Moushumi Chatterjee], Edgar [the gardener; Abhijit Lahiri] and Maria [the cook; Seema Rahmani], who are briefed about the quaint rules of the house and told to obey the orders diligently. These include moving around the house silently and making sure that all curtains are drawn at all times.


It is at this point that some strange things happen in the house. Sandra's daughter Sarah starts hearing bizarre things. Sandra doesn't hear it, or at least she claims not to, which slowly but surely leads to the questions: Are these domestic helpers creating the disturbances for some sinister purpose? Is Sarah creating them herself? Or does something really lurk within the walls of the manor house, something long-dead, something evil…

Sandra decides to consult Father D'Souza, but on her way through the woods, she runs into her husband Frank.

Frank appears to be in a daze. The family is thrilled on Frank's return, but Frank seems uncomfortable in the scenario and decides to leave the house. With the help of his friend Viru [Dharmendra], Frank takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of the mystery…

Indian audiences normally associate eerie films with skeletons, skulls, graveyard, blood and gore. In that respect, HUM KAUN HAI? comes as a welcome change. Without doubt, it's an experiment of sorts!

HUM KAUN HAI? relies on mood, atmosphere and the cast to create the spookish mood. The plot is well thought-out and its secrets and mysteries are unveiled gradually. The film has its share of supernatural moments and a few sequences, although a direct lift from the original, make for interesting viewing.

HUM KAUN HAI? moves at an unhurried pace from start to end. Thankfully, there are no songs [one doesn't miss them either] or the mandatory romantic interludes. But the film loses its grip towards the post-interval portions. Although the story gets interesting, it's not involving.

The sequences between Amitabh and Dimple are just not exciting. It gets very talk-heavy at this point. Also, Dharmendra's character in the plot looks completely forced, while the Dharam-Amitabh-Vikram Gokhale scene, when the mystery unfolds, suddenly looks like some new story happening. Even Amitabh's reappearance towards the climax appears unwarranted [deviates completely from the original again!].

Director Ravi Shankar Sharma has handled the eerie sequences deftly. But writers Talat Rekhi and Soham Saha should have stuck to the original ending. That would've uplifted the film enormously. Cinematography [Ishwar Bidri] is inconsistent. The lighting in a few scenes should've been dim/dark, in keeping with the demand of the story.

HUM KAUN HAI? revolves mostly around Dimple Kapadia's beliefs and perceptions and the actress is up to the task of making it look one thousand per cent convincing. Undeniably talented, Dimple's performance can be rightly referred to as the soul of the enterprise. In short, she shines through like a champion.

Amitabh Bachchan enacts his part with conviction. Dharmendra fails to impress, partly because of the forced characterization. Moushumi Chatterjee is first-rate, flashing the evil smile and mysterious look fluently.

Baby Hansika shows both strength and vulnerability with a powerful range, rarely seen in child artistes today. Master Amman looks cute. Prem Chopra, Vikram Gokhale and Suhasini Mulay have a scene each. Abhijit Lahiri and Seema Rahmani are alright.

On the whole, HUM KAUN HAI? is more of an experiment that may find its share of believers and non-believers. At the box-office, the film caters to the multiplex-going audience completely. However, the sudden release and lack of promotional build-up will curtail its prospects largely.

Rating:- * ½.


***I'LL ADVISE NOT TO READ THIS AND WATCH "THE OTHERS' WITH NICLE!

""does defy the stereotype and for those who haven't watched THE OTHERS, it's indeed a novel experience.""

I DIDNT KNOW THE STORY..I REALLY ENJOYED THIS FILM!

HUM KAUN HAIN? (2004)

Director: Ravi Shankar Sharma
Producers: Tony, Tito and Sony Singh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Dharmendra

RS RATING: 6/10

BACKGROUND:
Bollywood’s latest spooky release starring veteran names such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Dharmendra. The movie was labelled a remake of Hollywood’s smash hit ‘The Others’ and released with some fanfare. However it has managed to maintain a low profile ever since… worryingly even days before its release, the audience still don’t know much about the movie!

SYNOPSIS:
Hum Kaun Hai? looks at the relationship between Frank James Williams (Amitabh Bachchan) and his wife Sandra (Dimple Kapadia). Since Frank is an army Major, he went to war some time back and there's no sign of his return. As time passes, his wife slowly loses hope that he will come back. To relieve her pain, Sandra focuses her love towards their two children, and although she's a strict disciplinarian, she raises them with utmost care. She receives some help from the family's servants, Mrs. Pinto (the nanny), Edgar (the gardener), and Maria (the help).

Together, they live in an isolated brick mansion set amidst thick woods and mist. When eerie and spooky occurrences begin within the household, Sandra decides to consult the local priest. On the way, she runs into her husband, who is in a dazed state and seems to be delusional. The children are obviously thrilled to see their father again, however when the daughter reveals a haunting secret, Frank enlists the help of his friend Virendra (Dharmendra) to get to the bottom of the spooky activities surrounding the house.

CRITIQUE:
Prior to the film’s release, many people noted the story’s similarity to The Others, starring Nicole Kidman. Hum Kaun Hai is definitely based on the hit Hollywood horror flick. Dimple Kapadia performs her role to perfection. Although she does not match the class of Nicole Kidman, the veteran actress does manage to add value to the role. The much hyped inclusion of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra is no more than a publicity gimmick.

Amitabh Bachchan is effortless in the first supernatural film in his career. It is heartening to see him share some space with Dharmendra on screen. The cinematography and music in the film is top rate and that holds the film together, even though the film lifts many scenes from The Others. Even the protagonist’s religion remains the same despite the fact we’re now dealing with the Indian audience.

Director Ravi Shankar Sharma seems promising. However his creativity would always be questionable with such a blatant remake, which makes his abilities hard to analyse.

Ironically Hum Kaun Hai released alongside another Bollywood remake of a Hollywood supernatural film - Rakht (starring Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea). This may hamper its prospects at the box
office.

Reviewed by: Qamar Zaman

Why is Amitabh in Hum Kaun Hai?

Malishka Mendonsa | September 03, 2004 20:31 IST


A bookworm, a tourist, and a newly married couple, two bored housewives, a truant office babu, three guys who had just played football in the park (I could tell by their smell…argh!), my colleague Siddhant, my outspoken sister and I. These were 13 out of about 25 people, who decided to find out more about Hum Kaun Hai.

A couple of minutes into the film, the newly-weds decided they would rather discover each other in the theatre's darkness, the bookworm tried to read Da Vinci Code in the flickering 24-frames per second light and my hygiene-freak colleague actually lay down on the dusty theatre floor for a snooze.

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The posters of this week's release Hum Kaun Hai showed Amitabh Bachchan as the leading man of this horror film, and one wonders why the busiest man in the industry would want to be part of something that promises to be a loser right from Day 1.

Amitabh, in fact, has an extended guest appearance. He is like a poster boy, trying to attract the audiences. Let's face it. Who would want to see a perpetually worried and overprotective mother (Dimple Kapadia) with 15 keys to 15 rooms, trying to shield her two children from the sun?

Apparently, the children are photo-sensitive, and the sun could make them blind. So mummy does everything to protect them, including warning the charming, crooked-toothed Catholic nanny Moushmi Chatterjee, whose crooked smile says that she has a secret.

Now, a film set in a lone haveli can't be tucked in the Swiss mountains and Dimple -- beautiful though she still is -- can't exactly do an item number with her two kids, can she? In such a film, the saving grace has to be power-packed performances, great dialogues, the right background score and perfect lighting. Unfortunately, the film falls flat on every front.

Dimple's lovely hair and sea grey (or are they green?) eyes, cannot compare to Nicole Kidman's pallid, eerie look and even acting style in The Others.

Oh! Did I forget to mention that it is a complete rip-off of that Hollywood film?

Except, of course, the inclusion of Jai (read Frank) and Veeru from our Sholay days. That is the only bit of originality Hum Kaun Hai offers. But maybe it was well worth it because the only time there was applause and catcalls in the theatre was when Frank said, "Nahi, Veeru" and Dharam Paaji replied "Magar Frank." Believe me, all of us heard "Magar Jai" instead!

Let me move on to the child artistes. Gone are the days of the innocent Daisy Irani and the charming Baby Guddu. Now, we have children who believe that this is prep stage to be the next Kareena Kapoor, and so end up overacting.

Dimple's elder daughter, who is the first one to see spirits in the house, played by the over-exposed Baby Hansika is nothing short of irritating. She takes up every opportunity to 'act'. Not a shot goes by when the camera does not find her rolling her eyes, making exaggerated facial gestures or hamming dialogues. She improves only in the end, where she -- in extreme fear -- asks her brother to stay away from three others who she believes are ghosts.

Master Aman is cherubic and not bad in the three or four scenes that he appears in.

The background score startles you the first time when Dimple pulls a white cloth off a statue, but later, it jars.

The dialogues are insipid. At times, Dimple looks like she does not know what to do once she has muttered a half-baked line.

Speaking of dialogues, the film has a mini kavita session in a dream sequence when Amitabh holds Dimple and says in his baritone, "Zindagi woh jo tere pehloo mein guzar jaaye, raat woh jo tere khwabon mein guzar jaaye." [Sharing my life with you is what life really is, and nights are those that are spent dreaming of you]

Reminiscent of Kabhi Kabhi? Only for a moment. We all agree that chemistry ho toh Amitabh-Rekha jaisi. All else is paani kum chai.

The worst thing to do after a horror or suspense film is to write a review that bares all. I'm not one of those. And just because (director) Ravi Shankar Sharma and (producer) Soni Juneja managed to convince the likes of Amitabh, Dharmendra and Dimple to do THIS film, I will not divulge any more.

What's there to see?

Men: Watch this film to see how Dimple still looks like she has emerged from the sea just yesterday in Saagar, with Rishi Kapoor sneaking a peek.

Catholic women: Watch the film and be outraged at the dress sense of the Marias and the Mrs Pintos, who walk around in long black frocks, shawls and buns so they look stereotypically 'KATLIK.'

Also, to understand that just because you are a Catholic gardener, you should not weed in your wedding suit!

Conclusion: Films that ask a question in their title seem to be fated not to do well. Remember Kyun? Ho Gaya Na...?

Hum Kaun Hai did not answer any questions for me. Instead, it left me asking, 'theatre mein iss waqt hum kyun hai? [Why are we in this theatre?]'