[Semantics adjusted to blog language]
A1 and B1 are married and so are A2 and B2. A1 sleeps with B2 and they tell A2 and B1. The marriages are over. A1 and B2 marry.
Direction
Karan Johar trying to make a ‘Silsila’. He is no Yash Chopra. He better stick to his stupid movie making style and leave the substance stream alone.
Music
‘Mitwa’ and the title song apart, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy fail to impress. Background music restricted to stretching sitar strings and crying violins.
Editing
Movie length 3 hours 20 mins!
Acting
Big B is the best
Rating
*
Legend:
*Stay at home
**If you have the time to kill, go ahead, but not recommended
***Watch if you are a film buff!
****Go watch it on the big screen!
*****Don’t miss watching this one on the big screen! Avoid piracy!
Interesting review ;) — Though I must say that I personally like the song “Where’s the party tonight”, and not the others.
Will Stay At Home then, thanks! ;)
Shruthi:
Home sweet home! :)
Hi,
Actually I don’t agree with this review.Have you thought of the fact that without the human element, even Casablanca falls into the same category of semantics that you are talking about or Mudhal Mariyadhai for that matter? Sideways can be a one line story of two losers, Million Dollar Baby or On the Waterfront stories of boxers and Godfather about an underworld don. Is Lagaan about a cricket match or is Bend it Like Beckham about football? So how can you write a movie review ignoring storyline, characterisation as well as acting/performances?
And incidentally, I thought it was much much better than Silsila. Silsila is a story of an extra marital attraction, which also is heavily bound by stereotype and it is a very flat movie. Even Sanjeev kumar thought it was a bad role, since there was no script. It was all about sentiment!!!
On the other hand KANK is different. It takes the story of two people who right from the beginning make the compromise and get married to their best friends, because they feel that true love may never happen and they may be forced to spend a lonely life. This tone is set right at the beginning of the movie. But being intense and sensitive people they see the lack in the marriages even though the decision was theirs. This is why Shah Rukh is this bitter,cynical guy (even before his accident) while Rani Mukherjee has an OCD. On the other hand, their respective spouses(Preity and Abishek) are very much in love with them and they are people who have got what they wanted. The fact that they have got what they wanted also makes them insensitive to their spouses.
I think Karan Johar has done a very good job on crafting the characters :
Shah Rukh – the not-so-likeable bitter guy
Rani- who is so indecisive and obsessive
Preity – a warm, natural person who believes in her needs being fulfilled (career, motherhood and partying)
Abishek – The happy-go-lucky guy
AB – a fun-loving, non-preachy baap, who is not shallow either
The characterisation has so escaped all cliches. Preity is a career woman, but she is not the hard person ignoring her family. She is just not endowed with senstivity. Abishek, cares two hoots about Rani being infertile as long as she loves him. Shah rukh and rani do not feel instant attraction and tumble into bed, but it is a shared process of being drawn to each other. At the same time, they do not make any bones about physical attraction being an important part of chemistry! And Preity and Abishek get on with life – they do not die of heartbreak. This alone deserves specific mention as having broken Indian movie stereotyping!! For a nation fed on varying themes of Devdas syndrome, this is a refreshing change.
there are also some shots where even though they are nice people, the extra-marital factor gives a shady colour to their relationship. (As when Shah Rukh sees Rani and Preity together or when Rani tries to talk to AB). While Karan Johar is not being preachy or moral, he does acknowledge that this relationship is clandestine and thereby shady. Nicely done!
The weak point of the movie is the fact that it is not very clear why Shah Rukh and Rani decide to tell Preity/Abishek that they have ended their relationship and why they hide from each other the fact that their spouses decide to break-off with them. It looks like they thought their marriages would continue as before!!! And this flaw makes the last 40 minutes of the movie seem a bit long, even if the cast does a good job.
Another fact which needs mention – This is a straight and coherent story, no distractions, no side stories. And most important, does not strain your credibility nor does it question your intelligence!
Music – I loved the choreography on Rock n Roll Soniye and Letz go Party tonight and like Mithwaa. But all songs had strong influences of Kal Ho No Ho.
My Rating : Definitely worth a watch. It is an intelligent, contemporary, well-made movie. And New York in the background is a bonus!
P.S : Ahem.. A very long comment to a short post.
There, there. You dont even have to see the movie now.
Hi,
Hi Anu,
Long time, no see!
Actually I don’t agree with this review.Have you thought of the fact that without the human element, even Casablanca falls into the same category of semantics that you are talking about or Mudhal Mariyadhai for that matter? Sideways can be a one line story of two losers, Million Dollar Baby or On the Waterfront stories of boxers and Godfather about an underworld don. Is Lagaan about a cricket match or is Bend it Like Beckham about football? So how can you write a movie review ignoring storyline, characterisation as well as acting/performances?
First things first, I haven’t ignored the storyline, the first part of my review is the storyline.
And incidentally, I thought it was much much better than Silsila. Silsila is a story of an extra marital attraction, which also is heavily bound by stereotype and it is a very flat movie. Even Sanjeev kumar thought it was a bad role, since there was no script. It was all about sentiment!!!
And to learn what KANK is all about,we need to read this comment, right?! Specifically the next paragraph! ;)
On the other hand KANK is different. It takes the story of two people who right from the beginning make the compromise and get married to their best friends, because they feel that true love may never happen and they may be forced to spend a lonely life. This tone is set right at the beginning of the movie. But being intense and sensitive people they see the lack in the marriages even though the decision was theirs. This is why Shah Rukh is this bitter,cynical guy (even before his accident) while Rani Mukherjee has an OCD. On the other hand, their respective spouses(Preity and Abishek) are very much in love with them and they are people who have got what they wanted. The fact that they have got what they wanted also makes them insensitive to their spouses.
Well, I missed the first 20 mins and was thanking my stars for that! Now you say that the ‘tone’ was set in the first few minutes. I am certainly not going to watch it again! But will take your word for it! :)
I think Karan Johar has done a very good job on crafting the characters :
Shah Rukh – the not-so-likeable bitter guy
Rani- who is so indecisive and obsessive
Preity – a warm, natural person who believes in her needs being fulfilled (career, motherhood and partying)
Abishek – The happy-go-lucky guy
AB – a fun-loving, non-preachy baap, who is not shallow either
The characterisation has so escaped all cliches. Preity is a career woman, but she is not the hard person ignoring her family. She is just not endowed with senstivity. Abishek, cares two hoots about Rani being infertile as long as she loves him. Shah rukh and rani do not feel instant attraction and tumble into bed, but it is a shared process of being drawn to each other. At the same time, they do not make any bones about physical attraction being an important part of chemistry! And Preity and Abishek get on with life – they do not die of heartbreak. This alone deserves specific mention as having broken Indian movie stereotyping!! For a nation fed on varying themes of Devdas syndrome, this is a refreshing change.
Your last point is one to which I agree fully. And just to point this one thing out I was planning to write another review for KANK. But now that you have brought it out so elaborately. My job is done!
there are also some shots where even though they are nice people, the extra-marital factor gives a shady colour to their relationship. (As when Shah Rukh sees Rani and Preity together or when Rani tries to talk to AB). While Karan Johar is not being preachy or moral, he does acknowledge that this relationship is clandestine and thereby shady. Nicely done!
Well, it is a shady relationship. What else do you expect Karan Johar to say?
The weak point of the movie is the fact that it is not very clear why Shah Rukh and Rani decide to tell Preity/Abishek that they have ended their relationship and why they hide from each other the fact that their spouses decide to break-off with them. It looks like they thought their marriages would continue as before!!! And this flaw makes the last 40 minutes of the movie seem a bit long, even if the cast does a good job.
Exactly! Why do they do that – confess to their partners and hide from each other? Let me tell you. Karan Johar wanted to buy some time to tell us that Preity and Abhishek took some time to get on with their lives and hence the ’3 Years Later’ stunt comes in.
There is a point hidden in this paragraph that I wanted to put across in that second review of mine. And that’s about the cast performance. There’s nothing to rave about. Abhishek Bachchan alone might deserve a mention. And of course, Big B is at his usual best. There’s not much required or done by anybody else in the movie.
Another fact which needs mention – This is a straight and coherent story, no distractions, no side stories. And most important, does not strain your credibility nor does it question your intelligence!
I agree with the no side-stories part. Must have taken Karan Johar a World of willpower to do that. But then, no big deal. A movie has to be made focussing on its story. And for focussing on its story you can’t give it bonus points. That’s the job! it just shows that he wasn’t doing it in his previous movies!
Music – I loved the choreography on Rock n Roll Soniye and Letz go Party tonight and like Mithwaa. But all songs had strong influences of Kal Ho No Ho.
Choreography was stale. The same old Farah Khan stuff. I didn’t like it. Not ‘strong influences’ Anu, they were all directed by Nikhil Advani [Director of KHNH]if I am to believe a rumour doing the rounds! Now with an admirer of KANK saying that it had shades of KHNH is like confirming the rumour!
My Rating : Definitely worth a watch. It is an intelligent, contemporary, well-made movie. And New York in the background is a bonus!
Your rating is definitely respected. Just one question, why was it set in NY?
P.S : Ahem.. A very long comment to a short post.
I like such comments. Keep them coming!
What happens to A2 & B1 then? guess what? It will be sequel to KANK .
sudhakar:
Thanks for your comment!
Well, what you say is quite possible!
In fact, it could be that A2 marries B3 & B1 marries A3. Then A1 and B2 have a child. Lets call him C12 – Child of A1 and B2. C12 falls in love with C23, but C13 is closest friend of C12 and is also in love with C12. Does that remind of you DTPH, KKHH?! Well, err…it’s a new way of looking at love and friendship. We shall set it in the backdrop of Paris. And Karan Johar will write the script of this story sitting in Simla!
And all of us who go and watch it can go and jump into the nearest well!
hi Adi,
I don’t know why NY. maybe because Karan Johar shares my love of the place or maybe because he likes the one particular place where people cry into the river – same location in Kal Ho Na Ho and KANK. And i do think the story will be the same set anywhere.
Anu alias Anonymous:
So you like that place a lot. In fact even I did like the place. But that was much before I saw it in KHNH.
LOL!!! What you are saying is sequel to KANK sequel… Isnt it?
sudhakar:
LOL!
You have me confused now. but when I re-read my comment and yours, I realise what you are saying is right! The C12,C23 is a sequel to the KANK sequel!
simple and sweet!!!so how is married life?????congrats and all the best!!!!
Shubha:
Thanks!
Married life is going on fine. Thanks! :)
C12;C13 remind me of matrix equations!
Adithya and friends,
Regarding sequels in Bollywood,read my post
http://sganeshkumar.blogspot.com/2006/11/say-no-to-bolly-sequels.html
So;another copy(Kank is Silsila’s copy.) gets a sequel!(If your dreams are right)
Read my view of JUNK,sorry Kank:
http://sganeshkumar.blogspot.com/2007/04/get-paid-to-atch-these-moviespart-4.html