Paheli, le fantôme de l'amour

I must give Shahrukh credit for daring to do such an unconventional movie with so many risk factors--it's a fantasy film; the lead actor is a ghost; it is narrated by animated puppets; etc. SRK, unsurprisingly, gave a great performance. Rani and Juhi were also great. Amitabh was fantastic in his brief appearance. Visuals were absolutely stunning! From the bright costumes to the breathtaking sand dunes, every detail of the frame was given lots of attention to bring out the vibrant colors of Rajasthan. Songs were nice and even better were their videos, especially the one during the end credits.

The story is very unconventional, and different audiences will react differently to it. Some may find it humorous, some may find it inappropriate, while others may find it to be just plain weird. What I saw in the film was that the ghost "person"ified a woman's desire, while Rani represented every woman. In the rather traditional and conservative culture of rural and historic Rajasthan, the woman lives in a suffocating atmosphere serving her husband and in-laws. The ghost gave Rani love, respect, passion, devotion, honesty, and commitment in contrast to the real SRK who was working on his accounts and not talking on his nuptial night, only to desert his wife for five years. I thought the fact the lover is a ghost only goes to show that these passionate desires are just dreams that couldn't come true (in that time and place).

A fairy tale set in a time long ago, with ghosts, apparitions, camel races, vibrant and often clashing colors, divine music, innocence and love - what is to not like? Rani is the young innocent bride Lachchi who gets married and starts on a journey to her new home. Shah Rukh is the accounts obsessed ever obedient groom (Kisen) who has to leave right after marriage to go for business to another town far away. The ghost is a bird, a squirrel, an apparition who falls in love with the bride and eventually takes the form of the groom upon his departure. All is well with the new bride and "groom" until the real guy starts to miss his new bride and decides to come home. Confusion reigns, and the riddle as to who is the real Kisen is solved by a shepherd (Amitabh in an understandably over the top acted cameo).

The good - Rani is divine, looks and acts the part with a deftness and light hand. She makes unconventional choices that perhaps account for why the Indian public did not much like Paheli - I cannot give away more. Aadhi Raat jab chand dhale - amazingly performed.

Shah Rukh - times 2 and well done in both forms. One wonders if we take our 5 senses for granted and what it would be like to not have experienced them at all or not in a long time. See the SRK as ghost apparition with the wonder on his face at the first touch from a mother, at the look at the beautiful house, the joy in playing with the children (brothers sisters nephews), to find out. SRK as Kisen who finally realizes that he is missing his wife very much - the most understated sadness ever seen from him.

The costumes are amazing - much has been made of the costumes in Devdas - but this is authentic Rajasthan at its very best and most colorful, the jewelry will make any woman drool! The music is divine - Aaadhi Raat, Dheere Jalna are outstanding numbers.

The bad - well very little in my opinion. Maybe the dance when they find water could be cut, but the movie was pretty short anyway. The camel race was a little over the top, but perhaps okay if you keep the fairy tale genre in mind. Logical flaws - come on, its a fairy tale after all!! Like there is any logic in ghosts and fairies..

I was transported back to my childhood with the story, enchanted by the colors and music and very much enjoyed the portrayals of the ghost/Kisen and Lachchi. Anupam Kher was good as the avaricious father. And of course there was the sublime Juhi - better than I have ever seen her in a cameo as the sad aunt, few words were said, she did it all with her eyes. Please come back Juhi, we miss you!

I am a bit sick of all the movies that Bollywood that has been churning out recently with an emphasis on skin show and a story line that follows a course of some not so great to begin with Hollywood movie. With that in mind, movies like Swades, Black and now Paheli at least leave some hope that not all film-makers are out of ideas. Paheli as many may know is based on an Indian novel 'Duvidha' by Vijay Detha. The novel centers on a love story between a ghost and a woman whose husband leaves her on the night of their marriage to go on a business trip. Amol Palekar took over the reigns for this telling, which is the novels second bow on the big screen. I must admit this is the first time that I have seen a movie directed by Palekar, and he has left me with a good taste so I'm sure to rummage through some movie store looking for more of his work. The story is a might unbelievable, but it is told in a simple way and no attempt is made to make the viewer believe such things actually happen. I think thats what really helps here, there is no painful drawn out explanation of why things are so, the story is just presented and the audience is allowed to believe what they may. And judging from the reaction I saw most people in the theater really enjoyed the movie. The performances are really strong. Rani is great first a rejected bride and then a woman who finds true love with a ghost. Also for me Anupam Kher as the greedy family patriarch really stands out with his comedic act, had me cracking up at regular intervals. SRK, well I already said I was a big fan, and this performance is just another one to add to win column. Where I don't think this is one of the finest performances of his career, it should at least appease those who are always accusing him of lacking versatility. Yeah I mean really every other actor has won an award for Best Villain, a Critics Award and a plethora of Best Actor awards for their monotonous work. A great movie, something different and definitely one well worth the watch.

A man submits himself completely rules laid down by his forefathers. His accounts are important to him than looking at his beautiful bride. His father's suggestions and warnings are his foremost considerations; his wife's desires are secondary. His money-earning prospects are his main essentials compared to spend some time with his wife.

A woman has no choice other than that chosen by either her elders or her husband. She cannot stop herself from dreaming: dreams of colourful bangles, dreams of new dresses, dreams of her husband and dreams of a sweet love. That, dreams come true, is just a hope. And where dreams can come true is a fictitious tale.

The tale creates an invincible character, a ghost that fills the void in the woman's life: the void of love left by her man. This ghost is an epitome of all what a woman expects from a man.

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.