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By Taran Adarsh
Boney Kapoor's KHUSHI, directed by S.J. Suryah, is a remake of the Tamil film by the same name.
It tells the story of a boy and girl, who are in love, but are kept apart by their inflated egos.
Karan (Fardeen Khan) is born in Kolkata, while Khushi (Kareena Kapoor) is born in a village in U.P. Karan intends going to Canada for further studies, but due to an accident, is forced to enrol in the Mumbai University.
Khushi's father (Amrish Puri) believes that she has studied enough and should now marry a boy who is ready to be his ghar-jamai. But Khushi insists on pursuing her education at the Mumbai University.
At the University, Karan meets Khushi through common friends. These common friends fall in love with each other and it is up to Karan and Khushi to bring them together. In the process, the two fall in love. But with egos in the way, the two never get to express their love for each other till the time comes to bid goodbye.
To be honest, KHUSHI has a waferthin storyline. The story – narrated in the film – seems more like a collage of incidents assembled together. Yet, there's no denying that the film does make you laugh, it also makes you cry and has several feel-good moments that the viewer carries back home after the show concludes.
The opening of the film – the voiceover – makes it clear that KHUSHI is a normal love story that has been witnessed umpteen number of times in the past. But how the lovers meet and express their love for each other is what makes the difference.
Sensitively treated and stylishly shot, KHUSHI has several entertaining moments. Mainly in the first half. The tiffs between the love pair, throughout the first half, is what keeps the show going.
At least two sequences can easily be singled out. One, when Fardeen stares at Kareena's belly and gets 'caught' for it and the second, when the pair share a coffee with Kareena's father Amrish Puri. The sequences are brilliantly penned, superbly handled and splendidly emoted.
But the graph of the film takes an about turn in the post-interval portions. For, in the second half, the story does not move at all. The fights – which were part of the first half – dominate the second half as well. Plus, a few songs pop up even though the situation does not warrant them.
Also, the film can do with heavy trimming in this half. The Neeraj Vora sequence, when he makes Fardeen gulp a couple of pegs, can easily be deleted. Ditto for the 'Jiya Maine Jiya' song, which doesn't contribute to the goings-on at all.
Director S.J. Suryah knows his job. His execution of a number of sequences – be it the heavy ones or the light moments with emphasis on banter – deserves full marks. But how one wishes the director, who has also penned the script, would've concentrated on adding more substance to the script in the post-interval portions.
Anu Malik's music is of a hit quality. And what embellishes the songs in their snazzy picturisations. The 'Tere Bina' track is undoubtedly amongst the best numbers seen on the Hindi screen in the recent times. The chic choreography [Ganesh Hegde], grandiose sets [Omung Kumar] and the overall impact is simply breath-taking.
Second on the list is the 'Hai Re', shot at the eye-filling locales of the U.S. Expertly choreographed [Prabhu Deva], the various get-ups of the lead pair is what attracts your attention instantaneously.
K.V. Guhan's cinematography is top class. The film has a consistent look throughout. Dialogues [Bholu Khan, Aman Jafrey] are simple, but gel beautifully with the mood of the film. The background score [Naresh Sharma} deserves special marks.
Kareena Kapoor is the soul of KHUSHI. Handling the role with dexterity, the actress, who'd been repeating herself in a couple of films, comes up with a performance that required oodles of confidence and talent to carry it off.
But it's Fardeen Khan's performance that's a revelation. For an actor to leave a mark in a heroine-dominated flick is easier said than done. But Fardeen catches you unaware with a performance that is sure to win him acclaim and also multiply his fan-following. The actor not only looks smashing, but does an equally smashing job in emotional sequences mainly, which were his weak points earlier.
Amrish Puri is extremely likeable. Johny Lever's role lacks substance. He has been used more as a prop.
On the whole, KHUSHI has several engaging moments to appeal to the youth and family audiences. But the impending World Cup cricket matches will prove a major deterrent. Yet, business at multiplexes/'A' class theatres of metros should prove to be the best.
Rating:- * *.
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