SALLU, BEBO DISAPPOINT
Critic's I-view
Diwali 2009 had offered a Rupees 200 crore bonanza for Bollywood lovers in India and worldwide. And, 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' was one of the three major flicks in the three star-studded movies debuting this long weekend. All three movies have belied the hyped expectations of the audiences built by news and trailers from producers. Ajay Devgn's 'All the best - fun begins' does cause many to erupt in laughter and is at least a family entertainer. But, Akshay Kumar starrer 'Blue' lacks the very premise needed for the movie and is being considered a cut-and-paste effort. Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' also delivers a disappointment due to many inconsistencies is not far from being just an ordinary flick. All in all, 'All The Best' surpasses the other two and may just do well due to the Diwali film-going rush.
A critical analysis if you will of 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' shows the director- writer Prem Soni's failure in story-telling and writing. He might have handled a few scenes well as a debutant director, but that's pretty much it! Story lacks any wow and won't leave an impression as soon as you exit the theater. Three main characters interlinked in a romantic tangle - Salman Khan as Samir, Kareena Kapoor as Raina (Salman's love interest) and Sohail Khan as Akash also wooing Kareena even after knowing that she is married and also loves her husband. The trio meets at Melbourne airport in Australia. Salman loses employment and moves to Singapore. But decides his wife should go back to her parents' home in India. But, she opts for a job at the Melbourne airport courtesy her husband's friend Mahek Chahal.
The story begins when Salman goes to Singapore. Kareena meets Sohail at the airport. Though she likes Sohail as a friend but he falls for her. Quite (disappointingly) remarkable that writer-director Prem Soni ignores a commonsensical intrigue of why there's no communication between Salman and Kareena even though they continue to love each other. And then the audience's IQ is challenged when again withour a murmur Kareena ignores that Sohail has fallen for her! And the fact that Bollywood flicks are far from reality is evident in Kareena living in a huge mansion but working a small job at the airport.
Where the confusion begins is when the story omits to mention why Kareena doesn't go to Singapore with Salman when he visits her after settling down. The other twist in the plot is something to do with Australian immigration issue about Kareena who had to show that she's legally married to a local (is it Sohail, and if so how and why) to get and keep the airport job. Anyways, somehow questions arise on Kareena's marital status and interest in her husband Salman. Anomalies galore as the Salman doesn't say anything despite smelling fishy on his wife's possible affair with Sohail and Kareena not saying a word of her liking for Sohail to Salman. So, the love triangle supposedly exists. Well, Prem Soni would have to do a better job at his next movie though as some of the dialogue in the movie is excellent.
In terms of acting, senior actors play their roles very well though the movie does not challenge them at all. The movie belongs to Kareena more than Salman. Sohail fares well and also contributes to some light moments. Yash Tonk isn't as sharp as Rajpal Yadav. Mahek Chahal is okay as his role is limited. One is baffled why Deepika Padukone and Preity Zinta are introduced in the movie. Dino Morea is wasted. Seems perhaps that their roles and names were an add-on (with after-through) to provide some weight to the movie.
So is the case with Nauheed Cyrusi with no significant role to perform. Preity Zinta's item number on the lines of 'Kajra Re' by Aishwarya Rai is no match. Bappi Lahri as a music composer does well. Looks like following in the footsteps of Himesh Reshammaiya. Sajid-Wajid's music is good. Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography is good but falls short of capturing the picturesque locales of Australia, presumably he doesn't move beyond the Melbourne airport.Overall, 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' doesn't justify the presence of big and multi-star cast. The movie might just draw a festive season audience but would find it tough to survive.
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