Paheli, le fantôme de l'amour

I went to see this title purely out of curiosity - amol palekar, being more than a revered god in our household and srk's grand charisma covering all promos from head to toe. Also, rani mukherjee and big b in the cast certainly added to the shimmer.

What i found was something more......

The child in me arose as I no longer remained in the theater but, moved to my childhood room with grandma telling me an exquisite tale - of a land far far away. A land where the arid, parched environs sharply contrast with the rich color of the people and melody flowing with the air.

The tale is simple. The narration; funny and colorful.

A childish princess(rani) comes to her groom's (shahrukh) household with hopes of bliss and true love - finding a true-to-bone abacus instead. He leaves her the next day to set up a business in a distant town. As fate would have it, someone who truly loves the bride now enters her life - a ghost! This ghost takes on her husband's appearance (though confessing to her) and lives with her for a few years.

The real groom now returns and everyone is baffled. The bride however faces the real paheli - should her husband be the one who took marital vows with her or the one who loved her?

Though the movie looks like another glitzy tale from lala land, there is much more to it. Beyond the exotic tanishq( the jewel sponsor for the film) stones, CGI effects and tall Khan tales lies a true gem, that brings back a twinkle in the eyes, of a memory long forgotten.

I came to see Pehali just to see two of my favourite actors displaying their wonderful talents on the screen. At the same token, i wished that the slightly strange storyline wouldn't falter anywhere. It didn't, but really, the film wasn't as good as it looked.

The story is different no doubt, but there wasn't any serious core to it naturally (its about the 'eternal love story' of a ghost!). This kind of prevented me from taking the film seriously.However, a very nice set design and simply superb colours made the film not entirely a joke.

The cast, as expected, was superb. Shah Rukh brought his unique and mature attitude to the screen once again and Rani just looked amazing. Anupum Kher was also excellent and performed the most subtle comic role i have ever seen in Hindi cinema. This was really what made the film enjoyable. The special appearances were also much appreciated; Juhi making a now rare appearance in mainstream films! The music is great, and Shah Rukh is successful in bringing another cinematic surprise to the silver screen. All in all, the film is fun to watch, although I feel 'Parineeta' was much better. But finally, Hindi films are starting to feel more original!

This film is absolutely excellent. The film was well-made. Great script and there was plenty of time to build relationships. Unlike the recent Indian movies that seem to be pointless and fast-paced and songs placed right-left and centre. This film is much better than Devdas. The colours, the songs, the acting, directing, producing and the cinematography are just brilliant. However you should not watch this film if you are a sceptic of folk tales and myths because this story is a Rajasthani folk tale so the people who will find this 'UTTERLY STUPID' are people who hate folktales or hate Bollywood films. This will go in the classics, I hope this gets the international recognition it deserves.

Paheli is an unusual film on the subject of women's rights disguised as a love story. It is basically the story of a young woman, Lachchi (Rani Mukherjee) who is abandoned by her husband Kishan (Shah Rukh Khan) the day after their wedding. A spirit who falls in love with Lachchi on her way home comes to find out that the husband will be away for 5 years and so he takes the form of Kishan and lives with Lachchi for the next four years. Eventually, of course, the husband returns and Lachchi must choose between the two. How the story is resolved answers the 'paheli' (riddle) of the film.

The film works well for several reasons: acting on the parts of all principal players is quite good, the visuals and cinematography is breathtaking and the theme is quite unusual, especially for a Bollywood film. It does have its drawbacks, though: there are at least two too many songs, and the film ultimately becomes the ghost's story when it should have been Lachchi's.

Shah Rukh Khan delivers his most restrained, understated and likable performance in years; it is because of this performance that he still qualifies as one of India's quality actors. Rani Mukherjee is also sufficiently restrained (unlike her overacted performance in the overblown 'Black' or the overstretched attempts at humor in 'Bunty Aur Bubli'). She gives Lachchi a likable innocence without overdoing the vulnerability part. It is the kind of part one would expect an actress of Tabu's calibre to play.

Anupam Kher and Rajpal Yadav play their parts with gusto. Amitabh Bachchan as the wandering shepherd milks his 5 minute cameo for all it's worth. Sunil Shetty, with all of two lines, is utterly wasted.

It is Juhi Chawla, however, who delivers the most dignified and poignant portrayal in 'Paheli': even in moments when she has very little or no dialogue, her silently suffering Gajrobai speaks volumes through wary visages and a body language that speaks of years of defeat. I kept hoping to see more of her throughout the film, and though she is definitely there, it's not enough. Her story is far more heartbreaking than Lachchi's and deserved more attention. Juhi has become a perfectionist as an actress: the forbidding longing on her face as she watches Lachchi leave for ritual prayers, or her sheer disbelief at the return of the husband who abandoned her is award-worthy acting. Everyone's favorite giggling heroine has emerged into a tour de force dramatic talent. Believe it or not, she *is* the new Shabana Azmi. If Bollywood has any sense at all, films will be made just so she can act in them.

Paheli is a likable, unusual film. Watch it for Shah Rukh (who is mercifully restrained), watch it for the story (which is unusual and relevant), but most of all watch it for the few fleeting moments of Juhi Chawla's revelatory brilliance.

A veteran short story writer once said about one of his stories that adults may not understand his story but children will. this film is a delightful romance. it is no use asking how can a ghost impregnate a woman. While reading some stories or viewing some films we suspend our sense of reality. there are no gruesome or handsome villains who invent new forms of coldest cruelty . There are no impossible and bloody fight scenes. True the story is mythical but quite allegorical. In one scene the ghost says that he is "love" every woman yearns for. In this film the sexuality of woman is described as something holy. In traditional societies normally the sexuality of women is suppressed on the plea of need for social stability. But in myths and folktales this taboo is transcended. The songs and dances mostly based on Rajasthani folk idioms are delightful. Rani Mukerjee acted superbly and there is a delightful cameo role by Amitab Bachan There is humor, joys and sorrows in this film. credos to Amol Palekar.