Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Kabhi Alvida na Kehna - will it be a hit?

"I don't want to see Kabhi Alvida na kehna," said my daughter as the promos played on TV last night. "It has too much rona dhona."

Well, honey, I wasn't planning to take you to see it anyways. But the point is - much of the youth audience seems to share that assessment. Is it my imagination or is KJo trying a little bit harder than usual to get the audience to see his film?

Not only do we have the usual posters, telly teasers and an official 'making of KANK' on NDTV. Youth channels such as MTV and Zee Music have hour long features spread over the week. Suddenly songs like 'Rock n roll soniye' are getting airtime. As if to say - it's not that weepy, there is a fun element as well.

The fact is - for the very first time, Karan Johar is venturing into slightly unfamilar territory. The guy whose films defined feel-good and 'family values' is suddenly dealing with a subject which is very contemporary but will make people uncomfortable.

So what exactly is KANK about?

First of all, let me tell you that contrary to popular belief, KANK is not just about infidelity. It’s not a frivolous tale of just an extra-marital affair. The film delves into the grey areas of all relationships. It also tries to look at the reasons why people get married and also looks at the psyche of those who look for love outside marriage. They don’t have it easy; there is guilt and sadness there too. In a way, KANK is my take on modern human relationships.

But it is a Karan Johar film so...

"It is a human drama with glam and gloss intact but I have tried to keep it real."


In short - we have the KJo 'look' and 'feel' (the songs sound exactly the same! the actors are exactly the same!). But we are working with a subject which is taboo as far as big banner film makers go.

Yes, we once had a Silsila but I think there half the attraction was the real life parallel in the casting - with Amitabh, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha in the lead roles. And there, the folks having the affair realised 'what we are doing is wrong' and went back to their original spouses.

Is that what will happen in KANK? From what is being said by both SRK and KJo in interviews, I think the film plans to go further. And that is why the makers of this film are scared to death.

As Anupama Chopra recently wrote in NYT in a piece titled "Sex, Turmoil, Infidelity, Divorce: That's Bollywood?" :

"LEAVE my son," a dying man tells his daughter-in-law from a hospital bed. "You don't love him. By staying with him you are denying him of someone else's love and yourself of true love. These unfulfilled relationships won't make anyone happy."

Amitabh says this after he stumbles upon Rani Mukherji nuzzling Shahrukh Khan - both happen to be married to other people.

This is wholly logical but the trouble is how do you provide a 'happy ending'? In previous films KJo has resolved triangles by killing off one of the spokes (Rani in KKHH, SRK in K2H2). Unfortunately, killing off two people is a little more difficult and difficult for the audience to swallow.

You can't have a take on modern relationships which goes - strap up the other two spouses into one car and hope they either fall in love with each other or have an accident.

Here's what I think will happen: SRK and Rani will leave their marriages - and the movie will also show Abhishek and Rani finding love elsewhere (not with each other), after a period of time. In typical K Jo style, the whole story will probably be narrated as a flashback.

"Mohabbat aur maut - donon bin bulaye mehmaan hote hain..." goes one of the dialogues in the film. Whether this film will live or die at the box office is the big question.

The answer lies in SRK's own words: "I was embarrassed doing some scenes of the film. I am not a prude but I found it odd that I sleep with someone else's wife in the film. I felt shy doing them (the scenes) and I blushed while saying certain dialogues..."

If that's how we felt doing the film - you can imagine the effect of watching it on the typical middle class Indian. Who wants to go to the movies and come out feeling disturbed/ asking uncomfortable questions...

For all these reasons I think KANK will do reasonably well - recover its money - but not be a superhit. That distinction will go to Munnabhai Lagey Raho - whose music, trailers and promos promise a laugh riot, just like the original.

But all said and done, it's good to see KJo try his hand at a theme which is different and relevant to modern India. How different and relevant... in 48 hours we shall find out!

24 comments:

  1. I dont think recovering money is too much of an issue here at all. Most of money must have been already pocketed by the producers at least - through numerous deals they strike. Deals for overseas rights, local rights, music rights, Dvd rights, tv rights, mobile phone rights, gaming rights and so on...

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  2. May I say that you are overestimating Karan Johar. This guy is grossly imcompetent in depicting any complex human emotion on celluloid without making it melodramatic and ultimately comical.

    The movie will make money alright, what are people going to do in the weekend? But expecting a sophisticated and mature take on "modern relationships" is just a wishful thinking.

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  3. wo - your daughter said that??

    i too must agree that the youmger generation is definitely getting smarter - no two thoughts on that..
    talk of the movie .
    we have cutely renamed it to 'JUNK' and yes, after that hour long show on NDTV - all i suggest people is to stay away from the movie - how could someone even think of directing n producing such a script..
    watever, the craze will take the movie to big heights n then the international business too :|

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  4. """ Whether this film will live or die at the box office is the big question. """

    Suraj Barjatya's "Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hu" was failure after 3 successful movies like Maine Pyar Kiya , Hum Aapke hai Kaun & Hum Sath Sath hai .

    Karan has done samething what suraj did. Both made a movie of different test than their ealier movies.

    Dekhte hai "KANK" ka kya hota hai.

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  5. i'd expect over-the-top emotions as usual.. y can't KJo handle it in a slightly more subtle way?

    Altho.. i must admit.. I do miss all the film teasers.. very entertaining and great discussion topics!

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  6. Rashmi,

    Such movies should never have a problem recovering money bec. of two reasons

    1) The multiplex culture is so rampant now,initially a ticket used to be for 45 or 50 or even 23-24 in some states,but now with multiplexes selling tickets at Rs 100,they cover up the cost in no time.

    2) which siddhart already pointed out --With multiple distribution rights for the movie -- overseas,in India ,and through CDs.

    And moreover with a such a powerful starcast(not to underestimate the brand value of 'shah rukh' and 'amitabh'),the movie should definitely strike a chord with the public.In any case, people would want to find out what the movie is all about,it being a discussion of every table,so whether the movie is good or bad will be a different story altogether.

    And on top of that,karan johar always had his hit formula of making his movies with a 'tadka' of cultural pulses,extravagant dance sequences and drama.

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  7. I agree,

    I consider all KJo movies trash and have even gone to the extent saying that they are worthy of being pirated. But this movie's promo and the little character sketch has made me think again...

    Very often has been tried in movie to make normal, imperfect characters. SRK is limping with a leg and Rani can't bear a child, Preity is over-ambitious and Abhi is a child at heart. Seeing some real life characters in this movie as opposed to demi-god characters in KJo's earlier movies has tempted me to watch this movie.

    But the horror of making far more facial expressions than Jim Carrey in K3G and for that matter even K2H2 forbids me from that. Somehow I fear KANK will turn out to be a story of galmouriseed xtra-marital relationships .However, I have told my frnds, if at all this movie turns out to be shit, this is the last KJo movie (and infact 1st) that I will watch at a movie hall.

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  8. Dear Rashmi,
    Can we subscribe to youthcurry's RSS feed?
    Can you enable that?
    Regards
    Abhishek

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  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. Oh...and still I forgot few.
    Product placement revenues and Mercandizing rights are big too... Just saw ad's of 'special edition' KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHNA phones from Sony-Erricson today in newspaper...

    Beats me... whats next? Farhan Akhtars 'Don' special edition gutka from Manickchand... Or a "Lage raho Munnabhai" special Rampuri - from 'god knows who'...

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  11. I am waiting for someone (else) to watch this movie - just to know what's the subject considered that BOLD by KJo and the cast.
    I am sure KJo is just trying to glamourise by repeatedly using the word 'Bold' for his movie.

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  12. I shamelessly like KJ's movies. I also like the guy..find him intelligent and the kind who knows the pulse of the junta.
    Of course, he does the awfully easy job of making movies that appeal to both the multiplexes and the villages. And whats more, everyone I know has planned to see the movie with their other halves.. maybe its just our age.. and maybe,we want to use the movie as an excuse to raise the dormant questions in our respective marriages.

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  13. Just saw the preview show. Very different, yes. Relevant? Perhaps. Brave? Definitely. Thumbs Up!

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  14. Even if everything is same it doesnt matter if you have got Shahrukh Khan and amitabh in the movie...I must also congartulate Amol Palekar here who managed to make a relatively unsuccesful movie...(Paheli that still remains a paheli:))
    Anyway its sad that movie makers in his position dont experiment much with stars, stories and plzzz locations they can do so, i mean they should do so. They have the money and the market to do things, but again as history shows the most succesful ones dont(manmohan deai type mentality), even Shahrukh does the same stuff again and again and I have heard NRI's cry:O...anyway this will for sure work but me waiting for munnabhai:)

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  15. Just read Taran Adarsh's gushing review on Sify and MSN. He seems to think this movie's a masterpiece. But then knowing Taran, he will think any crap made by the Chopra-Johar clan as masterpieces...

    As for KANK, I will watch it once the initial rush ends, and based on reviews from more mature people like Raja Sen.

    From the promos of the movie, Shah Rukh looks and acts EXACTLY the same, the same outstretched arms, the same so-called romantic grin. Some one should tell him that adding a limp is not exactly method acting. Oh, and BTW, he looks the same in the Don promos as well, except that of his three expressiosn he has used the snarl instead of the grin there. The same snarl used for the 'bad' character in Duplicate, which was a comedy! :)

    KANK even has the same locations in NY as in Kal Ho Na Ho. Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh perform exactly the same kind of dance as they have done in other movies. The 'Where's the party tonight?' song is almost exactly the same as 'It's the time to Disco".

    Looking at all these similar looking movies has my mind in a whirl. I just sometimes have difficulty in recalling which movie I saw a perticulat song, or actor in. The same set of characters - how long can you watch them doing the same things? Priety Zinta, Shah Rukh, Rani, and Amitabh Bachchan - these four people make up the gamut of actors available to the Johar-Chopra cartel, doing the same roles time after time after time.

    Thank heavens for Aamir Khan!

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  16. aaawww, not again. I am sick and tired of Karan johar and his weep-fests. And those repititive khans playing the same kind of stuff over and over again.

    I guess karan johar can now make another movie by just mishmashing his previous movies, using windows movie maker, and it will look like just the same.

    Ok, m not anti love story movies, but look at how the most average of movies made in Hollywood carry off love scenes so convincingly, and with the same old dialogues. Can anyone forget the scene in Lord of the rings where Arwen meets Aragorn on a bridge and gives him the Evenstar locket. Both are well clothed and yet the scene comes through wonderful. Maybe, thats because the viewers then focus on both of them, and not their clothes and cleavages :)

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  17. First of all, let me tell you that contrary to popular belief, KANK is not just about infidelity. It’s not a frivolous tale of just an extra-marital affair. The film delves into the grey areas of all relationships. It also tries to look at the reasons why people get married and also looks at the psyche of those who look for love outside marriage. They don’t have it easy; there is guilt and sadness there too. In a way, KANK is my take on modern human relationships.
    ============


    Rashmi, its Karan Johar here. The concept might be good, but the execution is - pathetic. If you notice, all his movies have "hat ke" themes, as he touts all over the channels. But the end result is that most of his movies have the same look and feel. Heck I wonder if he goes to Switzerland, he shoots the scenes in advance for his forthcoming movies. After all, the same sharukh, same rani etc :)

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  18. KANK is dissappointing!
    Its a 3.5 hrs of a lengthy bore.Theres no rhyme or reason shown for Rani having problems with Abhishek.It seems quite illogical for Rani to search for love outside even when she has a perfectly loving husband.

    Besides,Rani and SRK seem to have 0 chemistry.2 losers in life finding solace with each other is potrayed as love!

    The film has a very sameness feeling to it.Same songs,same clothes,same location,same stars,same dialogue baazi,same rona-dhona.And the rona-dhona doesnt evoke a tear,infact it irritates.

    SRK and Rani are same and irritating in the movie.

    Abhishek is cool and gives a good performance.

    Preity is the surprise packet of the movie.She looks gorgeous,acts amazingly well and exudes confidence,stlye and sensibility all in one.She the WOW factor of KANK!

    If not for Preity,the movie would have been unbearable.

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  19. I saw the movie last night albeit with a 45-minute delay (damn Adlabs!).

    The movie started out looking the same with an entrance for SRK that was the same as Hrithik's in K3G save for the sport they were playing. Then it became slightly engaging becuase for the first time, we had SRK and Rani not playing goodie-goodie all the time. As the movie progressed, it did feel different from the usual Karan Johan offering. The actors seemed realistic in their search for happiness within the institution of marriage and then outside of it. Humans can be selfish, so KJ has realized.

    Mr. Bachchan's costumes could have been better; they were loud and very garish. The acting was all right with Abhishek doing a good job. Cinematography was fine, the music was fine. Dialogues could have been better at places.

    All in all, it was a decent movie. Nothing spectacular but definitely better than k3G, KHNK and perhaps even KKHH.

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  20. Yes, SURE, KANK will be a hit with this kind of publicity:
    Economic Times Sunday, 13th Aug,2006 8/13/2006 1:02 AM
    Have a good look at the Sunday Economic Times bought by Mr. Karan Jauhar on the occasion of the release of the movie KANK.
    Mind you the paper is "Economic Times" and the Titles of the articles are as follows:
    1. Karan Takes Shahrukh (Front page)
    2. Bollywood's most wanted (Front page)
    3. Company can wait, its Family First - Karan Jauhar
    4. I am not the king, I do not control anything - ShahRukh Khan (1 page)
    5. The show must go on
    6. Karan's Fav 15 (1 page)
    7. I'm a Lonely Man - Karan (1 page)
    8. All in the Family - Karan (1 page)
    9. Kabhi Pushy Kabhi chum
    10. Kuch Kuch Hota hai

    Mind you its supposedly "Economic TImes", post your reviews.

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  21. Hey Rashmi, I think you might need to edit the names. Here's what I think will happen: SRK and Rani will leave their marriages - and the movie will also show Abhishek and Rani finding love elsewhere (not with each other), after a period of time.

    Should it not be Abhishek and Preity who find love elsewhere?

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  22. I watched KANK yesterday and I think the critics and film reviews have been quite unfair to the movie. It's much better thank KHNK and KKKG. Amitabh is fun to watch and the saving grace of the movie. Infact I quite enjoyed the first half of the movie.

    If a dud like Fanaa could be a box office success, then KANK deservest to be one too!

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  23. I was pleasantly surprised at how sensible and rational Amitabh's deathbed dialogue to Rani sounded. I wondered, if the Indian audience/movies were finally growing up. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

    KJ seemed too eager to please the crowd to make it a hit. He refused to acknowledge that sometimes marriages might not work because two people are incompatible and too different to see eye to eye, no matter how much they try, or how noble their intentions are.

    But in this movie, not being able to make a marriage work is a "crime" that should not go "unpunished". After much sadness, guilt, confessions, taking high roads, sacrifices and finally 3 years of exile, SRK and Rani are "allowed" to be together, by their respective ex-spouses, who give them their much-needed blessings (a la permissions).
    KJ, just stick to playing with toys your own age.

    http://bashkaranjohar.blogspot.com/

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  24. My take on Kabhi Alvida na Kehna

    http://life-episodes.blogspot.com/

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