Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

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.'

This film shines from start to finish, and runs the gamut of emotions. The cinematography, sets, and costumes are brilliant. The sparkling performances of six of India's leading actors alone makes the movie worth seeing, even if some might not feel comfortable with the deep sentimentality displayed by the leading men (women are fine with this; American men sometimes find it unnerving). Hrithik Roshan is pure eye candy for women of all ages, somehow oozing sweetness and innocent sexuality at the same time. The catchy song and dance number he performs with the lovely Kareena Kapoor at their 'prom,' "You Are My Soniya," has gotten regular replays in this household for weeks (even by my 79-year old mother, who will say, "I need a Soniya fix" - it really cheers her up!). The other musical numbers are very enjoyable, too, and never seem out of place or at odds with the flow of the film. Shahrukh Khan is adorable, as always, as the favorite son, and can hold his own in the dance numbers, too. Kajol gets to show her comic side, and was great at it! And knowing that the 'parents,' Amitabh and Jaya are a married couple in 'real life' just makes their interactions in the film that much better. Don't miss this wonderful movie! If you see just one Hindi movie, make it this one! (I am adding this question, for anyone who knows the answer: I wanted to find out what actor played Rohan at about age 12; the cast list shows three names for "Fattie" but no further details for any of these actors. If you happen to know the answer, please email me at punzelle@cox.net. Thank you!)

This movie is truly a work of art, with the emphasis on art. Dazzling costumes, magnificent buildings, glitzy cars, tons of emotions. Karan Johar is a master at extracting the exact emotion that he wants from the viewer. You cannot help but weep or cry at various scenes, even though you see them coming a mile away. The storyline is cliched and has been done many times before, but NEVER has it been packaged in such a powerful way. Kudos to the director, who despite the small flaws in the script, steers the viewer away from it, and engrosses you in the myriad of artistic explosions on the screen. Amitabh Bachan plays the patriach and is fairly good in the role, although he has done it before and is starting to stereotype him. Some scenes, I thought, were a little demeaning to him [the dance with the females in the Shava song], and should have been done more tastefully.

Jaya Bachan is very good as the wife, with the amazing ability to sense her son. The scene where she stands up to Amitabh is brilliantly executed, as is the scene where ShahRukh meets her in the shopping mall in London.

Kajol is brilliant, and this is probably her best role/performance of her career. She is pure magic and fills the screen with bubbly enthusiasm and sheer excitement whenever she is in frame.

Kareena Kapoor is appropriately cast and is also excellent in the role of Poo. She is a delight to watch, and does not falter, even in the comic scenes with Shahrukh. One cannot imagine anyone else in this role.

Hrithik Roshan, to me, was the surprise of the movie. He was brilliant and just about steals the show in the second half of the movie. His performance is sincere and visually a treat. He is indeed the superstar of the future. Bulging muscles and hip dance steps aside, this guy is a brilliant actor through and through.

But for me, Shahrukh Khan is the star of this movie. He is stupendous, magnificent, brilliant. He makes you laugh, cry, dance, cringe, smile. He does all this with flawless perfection. His pairing with Kajol is magical, and it shows on screen. I can now understand why Karan Johar says that he cannot imagine doing a film without Shahrukh. The guy is amazing.

On the whole, this is an excellent movie that is worth at least 4 trips to the cinema. Thank you 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.

I absolutely adore this movie. I borrowed it from an Indian friend and first of all fell IN LOVE with Hrithrik Roshan. Not even the bootleg tape I had could hide his beauty. I think I watched the movie 3 times in one week! Seeing as how the film is 3 1/2 hours long, that's saying a lot.

As always, Sharukh Khan is a pleasant diversion on screen. Kajol's character was a lot of fun too. It's nice to see a girl with spunk get her man! Nearly all of the songs and choreography were stellar. I will most definitely buy this one.

Like some of the other reviewers mentioned, there is definitely some over-acting but those few moments of suffering are rewarded with a variety of eye-candy. This film is definitely worth watching.