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Glossy emotional drama, bringing together talent across the acting generations of Indian cinema.

With a cast that reads like a Who's Who of Indian cinema, Karan Johar's film focuses on the tensions within a divided family, namely the rift between strict disciplinarian father Yashovardhan (played by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan) and his estranged son, Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan).

With Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan in the role of brother Rohan and Kareena Kapoor as sister Pooja, the A-list cast is completed by Jaya Bachchan. Following the fortunes of wealthy non-resident Indians in the UK, the film takes in beautiful locations from the British Museum to Blenheim Palace and serves as a paean to the motherland, India.

K3G (as it is more commonly known) is a glossy emotional drama, bringing together talent across the acting generations and includes the show-stopping number 'Shava Shava.'

Saw it Own it. And not just because I'm a woman either. The movie is rather lengthy but well worth sending the message it sends, which is: Family is our most precious asset we can own in this world. No matter what Family is Family and you love them regardless of their choices, mistakes and what nots. This is the type of movie that should be shown to all, to wake up our society and make them realize that life and family are too precious to take for granted. I wish more people knew about this movie, it has a universal language and appeal. And while others may think its too long of a movie to watch, I say get an attention span. I wish American movies were more like this one. The musical numbers while at first seem a bit weird, are rather entertaining and joyful to watch. Excellent movie!!

Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is one of the most ravishing, grandiose and melodramatic Hindi films ever made. It is incredibly unrestrained and stormy in its emotional quotient, and yet so watchable, enjoyable and at times even pleasurable, that you can't but applaud to this spectacular show. It is one of the few films where overacting seems superb acting and overly melodramatic proceedings, despite being very cheesy and occasionally clichéd, become quite bearable. It combines realism and surrealism, comedy and heavy melodrama in a very unique style, which makes for an altogether colourful picture which is fun to watch.

The film is about relationships in family, about loving your parents and your family, about pride, values and regret. The well defined and written characters are used to create and present all these qualities. Even the least emotional scenes are accompanied by orchestrated violins, heavy piano and strikingly sad pictures on-screen. The film shows both the bright and dark sides of happy families, and while it never breaks new ground, never looks totally authentic, it is always entertaining in spite of its flaws. It depicts both the Indian traditional world and the western modern world and tries to bring them together in many instances.

Some of the film's too emotional scenes could have been better edited and partly cut. The cinematography is good, the sets are extremely lavish, and the narrative is effectively laden with numerous songs and many memorable moments of comedy and drama. The comedy provides great relief and lightens the otherwise more-than-enough drama, and the music is extraordinary. My favourite song is "Suraj Hua Maddham", a greatly melodious number wonderfully performed by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik and extremely beautifully shot across some breathtaking locations. Needless to say, the chemistry between the two leads, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, is as electrifying as ever.

Where acting goes, Amitabh Bachchan is restrained and displays well the hidden pain and the visible pride. Jaya Bachchan is superb as the subservient yet strong woman. Towards the end there is one very powerful scene in which she really stands out (you'll know which one). Shahrukh Khan in a typical, cynical and likable character, is great as always. Kajol utterly steals the show and proves her prowess as a gifted comedienne. She is hilarious in her comic scenes and equally shines in moments of drama. Her strong, charismatic presence is perhaps the best thing about this film. Farida Jalal provides excellent support. Hrithik and Kareena are unimpressive and inconsistent. Hrithik is over-expressive and far more emotional than required, and Kareena, while attractive and quite funny at times, badly overacts.

All in all, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham has bits of everything: drama, melodrama, romance and comedy, all presented wholeheartedly in true Hindi-film style with lots of tears and lots of fun. It is an example of Bollywood entertainment at its grandest, and works as such. This is a movie to be seen with one's family. Go for it.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... seems to embody every quintessential element to be found in a Bollywood production. Films from India seem to always include energetic song and dance rituals, emotional sentimentality, a strong showcase of the country's culture and customs, and explicit emphasis on the importance of family and the bond that only blood can bring.

The last Bollywood film I was fortunate enough to see was 3 Idiots, a film that was not only a very funny comedy but an immensely effective culture experience, shedding light on the high suicide rate in the country's teen population. We were told that because of the pressure parents put on their offspring, if success is not achieved by the sons or daughters through grades, income, or upward mobility, some look to suicide as an outlet. It's a depressing statistic, and rarely would you see an American comedy (or any comedy for that matter) incorporate that fact with stupid humor. Director Rajkumar Hirani boldly crafted the film into a two and a half hour emotional roller-coaster that was always entertaining and never boring. I loved it and it was a brilliant film to begin my journey through Bollywood cinema.

Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham... (which translates literally to "Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness" in English) is a solid film to further the journey with Bollywood cinema, concerning the Raichand family, an affluent family in India. The household of the family is controlled by Yashvardhan "Yash" Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan), is an immensely successful businessman, living with his wife Nandini (Jaya Bachchan) and their two sons Rahul and Rohan. Rahul, the older son, was adopted at birth and learns of this at the tender age of eight.

Rahul is eventually disowned by Yash for marrying a woman of a lower socioeconomic standing then the Raichand family, and for that reason, the Raichand family is now incomplete. However, there is hope. When Rohan returns home after a decade in boarding school, he is informed of his brother's adoption and is well aware of his father disowning his younger half. Rohan then decides to try and reunite his family, making the Raichand family the complete unity it hasn't been for years.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... seems to iterate traditionalist Indian values and ideas that a family cannot function unless a family is together at all times. There is an argument to be had in its portrayal of a family and its functionality when a link is missing. However, I am more prepared to make the argument that the film's two hundred and ten minute runtime is more than enough a complaint in itself. The film doesn't need to be this long, and lengthy song and dance routines cloud the film's overall message, which could be reiterated in two and a half hours. For a film locked in conservative family values, it makes a liberal use of its time.

However, the message rings strong - if debatable - and the performances by talented Indian actors such as Bachchan, Kajol (as Rahul's wife), along with Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, who play the adult versions of Rahul and Rohan, respectively. Their devotion to this material that runs at an opus-length is marvelous and never seems to diminish at any point in the film. Moreover, The song and dance rituals are always a blast. It will take a solid week for me to stop singing "Say Shava Shava," and the infectious cinematography and production values that seem to follow each number keep the film at an absurdly lively status. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... seems to have a limitless amount of energy, and given the enormity of its production, its scope, and its music, it shouldn't be completed in one sitting for a first time viewing.

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor. Directed by: Karan Johar.

Despite the rousing tale and fine performances, 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...' is bogged down by its unnecessary lengthy run-time that takes much too long to get to the point and needless doses of drama.