Review - Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

[Subhash]

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kahena.jpg

Language: Hindi
Year: August, 2006
Actors: Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Abhishekh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Kiron Kher
Director: Karan Johar
Producer: Hiroo Johar
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Screenplay: Shibani Bathija
Dialogs: Niranjan Iyengar


What an extraordinary assembly of talent. What an eggregious waste of talent!

A shallow, superficial story of two individuals who find love outside their marriages, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is a bitter disappointment to viewers whose expectations run high from the presence of some of the biggest stars in Bollywood.

Director Karan Johar is like the proverbial miser who hoards up all his wealth, only never to enjoy it. In Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Johar has lassoed all the top Bollywood stars - Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta and Abhishek Bachchan - into his corral but is completely at a loss as to what to do with them.

None of these stars manage to light up the Big Screen. To paraphrase Shakespeare, they make their entrances and have their exits. But in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna they leave nary an impression.

After settling on a novel theme (by Bollywood standards), Johar fails to develop it into a strong story. Instead, in a clumsy sleight of hand he attempts to fob us off with Fool's gold in the form of big stars and a story set in the U.S.

Built on the shaky scaffolding of a shallow story, what could have been a memorable romantic tale is instead turned into a passionless and effete love story.

Shah Rukh Khan, one of Bollywood's finest actors, disappoints with a ho-hum performance that must surely leave legions of his fans bewildered. Ditto with Rani Mukerji. It's hard to believe this is the same lass who cast a spell on us all with her award winning performance in Black.

In a squandered opportunity, both Shah Rukh and Rani fail to bring any passion to their respective roles or evoke the screen chemistry that they brought to their roles in Paheli.

Set in the U.S. (New York-Philadelphia region), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna tracks the lives of two young couples.

After an accident hobbles his football career, Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan) is reduced to becoming a lowly coach while his harried wife Rhea (Preity Zinta) achieves fame and wealth as the successful editor of a fashion magazine.

Rishi Talwar (Abhishek Bachchan) is an event organizer married to a school teacher Maya (Rani Mukherji).

Busy as they are with their hectic careers, Rhea and Rishi are very much in love with their respective spouses. But not so Dev and Maya, with both feeling trapped in loveless marriages. As their paths cross, Dev and Maya see kindred souls in each other at first but soon find themselves in love with each other.

But their love can only lead to much pain and heartbreak in the lives of those around them. And pain for the weary viewers too, who are forced to sit through three hours of this mediocrity.

Abhishek Bachchan is getting better with every movie. He can even dance now. Preity Zinta looks pretty here, but that's about it.

It's a mystery as to why Amitabh Bachchan is there in the movie at all.

To some extent, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna appears to be inspired by the Julia Roberts-Clive Owen-Jude Law-Natalie Portman film Closer (2004). We saw shades of Clive Owen in Abhishek Bachchan's angry words as he learns of his wife Maya's adulterous relationship.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna's music is pedestrian. Particularly, the title song Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

All in all, despite the media hype and the presence of a bevy of top stars, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna breaks no new ground.