Yaadein...

Yaadien was one of the most anticipated films of 2001 in India, because not only was it a big film, but it was a film directed by showman Subhash Ghai, at the time considered the finest filmmaker in Hindi Cinema, it was also a film with chartbuster music, it was also a movie featuring two talented promising young actors/actresses Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, and it was a movie also starring veteran actor Jackie Shroff. But this movie bombed critically and commercially BIG TIME, I tell you why.......

This movie. I have to say from the film cover, looked pretty promising. I felt this movie will be golden, and it starred Hrithik Roshan, one of the best actors of Hindi Cinema, and my favorite actor, so I watched this movie, and man was I disappointed. Fifteen minutes into this movie, I felt forwarding it, because it was such a slow movie. It was very boring and dull until the song title song Yaadien, but pretty much after that it was downhill.

I have to say this is one terrible written movie, its stereotypical, clichéd.......you get the picture, very typical. The direction was LAME, i mean come on, a man who directed Pardes and Taal, directs this bore crap. This film's biggest flaw was its direction. Second acting, unlike the screenplay and direction, acting was better. Hrithik is a talented performer, thats why he was a able to pull of this undeveloped character, but he was unconsistent and offbeat, because of the bland and lame screenplay and direction. Kareena Kapoor, who back then was known to be a very over expressive actress, did a wonderful job, in this movie. Hrithik and Kareena's chemistry set the screen on fire. Jackie did an alright job. And as far of the rest of the cast, they acted well according to their characters.

I have to say, the actors tried really hard and it shows, What saves the movie from becoming a total disaster, are the musical numbers. Watch it only if you are a Kareena or Hrithik fan, DO NOT WATCH IT, THINKING ITS A SUBASH GHAI MOVIE, by the way, after this movie, Mr. Subash Ghai entered a career slump, and pretty much his career was over. Thankyou!

Let's look at why I feel that "Yaadein" is a nice, entertaining movie (and justifies a score much higher than the 4.5/10 awarded to it:

1. The songs are really terrific.

2. Everyone has acted quite well when compared to the acting levels that one generally sees in Hindi cinema.

3. The story is credible.

4. The director is very well known.

So why has this movie got such a low score?

My personal belief is that Hindi movies get wild, inconsistent ratings from fans who have not thought the matter sufficiently through. How else can one justify a rating of 9.2/10 for "Dil Chahta Hai" and just 6.0/10 for "Asoka"? Is "Dil Chahta Hai" a better movie than, say, "Shawshank Redemption" which was rated 9.0/10?

"Dil Chata Hai" is good. But 9.2/10? I don't think so. And does "Asoka" deserve the low rating of 6.0/10? I don't think so.

It appears that very few people rate Hindi movies compared to the numbers of reviews that English movies get (45 people rated "Yaadein"; 75,837 people rates "Shawshank Redemption"). This causes distortion in the average especially when the "swing" (as seen in the case of "Yaddein") is so large.

I belive that "Yaadein" should be rated 6.0/10. It's a nice entertaining movie and not the sinking ship that it has been likened to.

See it and decide for yourself.

I had great expectation from this film but it bombed on the box office but yet i liked the movie.Yaadein is a very different film and is entertaining movie.Subhash ghai has once again proved that he is one of the best director.Music of the film is excellent. Hrithik and Kareena have given very good performances.There is nothing to criticize about this film except for a very few.

The thing about 'Yaadein' that people don't seem to like is that it clearly does NOT relate to them. Hindi movie-goers want a sheer love story that is mysterious, and only breathes within your head, and your heart.

'Yaadein' tells you that love can be extreme fickle. Because of this, it probably disappointed many people who expected Hrithik Roshan to TOTALLY score with Kareena Kapoor. It took a lot of doing and understanding, especially from the parents' side.

This film gives the movie-goer a good message: That abandoning family for business changes you, and it weakens your heritage and tradition. Even if it keeps the tradition in the family, some things still wont end up all perfect and wonderful. Money, business, and wealth kill tradition.

One further point of concern: Most Hindi film titles contain the world "Dil," "Prem" (sometimes), "Ishq," "Hai," or even the infamous "Mohabbatein." This is 'Yaadein.' MEMORIES. Try to cherish them, because love is not exploited in this film, like they are in others.

Rating (out of 10): 8.5

With "Yaadein" Hrithik Roshan delivers his first flop, commercially and artistically. Let's be fair. It's not his fault. On the contrary. If there is anything enjoyable in this film it's some scenes where his talent and screen presence rise above the material and give you an idea how powerful this film could have been in other hands than Mr. Ghai's. Some of his dancing is also quite spectacular as before. To be fair it should also be said that Kareena Kapoor has potential. She and Hrithik waste their talents here. Apart from that the lesser said the better. "Yaadein" is the kind of film everybody involved probably wants to leave behind and forget, despite its title.