Now to my Phillum Review of Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey!
I am not giving away the story, dialouges, scenes ect and spoiling the fun for those who 'do not' mind Deepika or Abhishek's current box-office status and still want to watch the film! Good for them! So I will only be critically analyzing the film from my POV and jot down what I found good or not so good about it!
First things first, KHJJS is not a patch on Lagaan and Swades! But it is much superior to WYR and somewhat on par with Jodhaa Akbar!
The film has superior production values and attention to details is evident in almost every frame of the film! And that is very important for a period film! Everything from the architecture of the era to the costumes and other minute details that might not be considered important, but play a role in the overall picture are very well attended to.
The performances range from mediocre to brilliant!
Abhishek Bachachan in the lead role is competent, but he does not shine, the way he was supposed to be! Or maybe that was a deliberate thing on part of Ashutosh Gowarikar, since this is clearly a film that lays emphasis on Ensemble Casting rather than focus on just one Hero and Heroine.
Deepika Padukone has a very limited role...she is clearly not the 'heroine' of the film! Having said that, she does an excellent job of what has been given to her! Deepika is growing as an actress with every film and regardless of what fate KHJJS has at the box-office, here is one 'actor' to look out for!
Now to the people who did leave a mark on me! Sikander Kher and Vishaka Singh! Both of them were absolutely first class! And a couple of other actors who were part of the revolutionary group! Even with their limited roles, they managed to stand out in some way or the other.
The music is average but suits the temperament of the film!
On what I thought did not work for the film.
Any period film that deals with the subject of India's struggle for Independence has to have a fairly high level of patriotism in it! Sadly, KHJJK is so restrained that it ends up looking like a well-made and engaging documentary on the Chittagong Revolution, not as an adreline fueling motion picture that has you biting your finger nails! The way Lagaan did...remember the climax with the Cricket Match!? I was on the verge of a mini heart-attack at that time!đ KHJJK did have me reaching for my kleenex tissue once in a while, but it did not leave me numb with shock and awe the way films like Rang De Basanti did!
The first half is a drag fest! The director takes too long to establish the characters, main story line and the drama...a period drama need not necessarily be fast-paced, but it has to be entertaining, if the film is being made for Commercial purposes! In that regard, KHJJK fails!
The film picks up post-interval and sort of makes up for the lack of enthusiasm of the first half! The second half is emotionally engaging and better directed than the first!
But the point is that a film is seen in in its enterity and not just in parts! I wish Ashutosh had paid equal attention to the first half of the film too!
Another one of the flaws in my pov is that the film tries to be very true to Manini Chatterjee's book which is the original source material for the script! And that is perhaps one of the reason's for the film's downfall! The book was not a best-seller, it is more or less a historical account of the Chittagong Revoultion...very academic and factual!
A bollywood film can afford to take huge creative licence and be as ficitional as possible and get away with it....what it cannot afford is getting its facts right but not being entertaining enough to present those facts! And KJJS is just that!
Overall, I did not regret watching the movie...I did not sleep through it....and I did not take loo breaks or run outside the theatre for popcorn! And that in my scheme of things is a good enough film for me to watch!
I would recommend it to all the people who like a good story with little emblishments and care more about actors than stars when they go to watch a film!
That is not saying that people who watch films like Dabang or TMK are intellectually inferior...Munni & Sheila have their own charms and Indian history has its own!đ
Edited by poppy2009 - 14 years ago
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