Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Catchy songs, great dancing, beautiful locations, decent story with a touch of "Vertigo (1958)" and the debut of Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood's (Hollywood's?) next superstar. Not to be missed if you are into commercial Indian films, if not, worth a try anyway. Attention! This movie can be addictive. Consume with moderation, now that the DVD is out. :-)

After reading about Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood's hottest movie star in GQ magazine, I was truly amazed at his popularity in his native India. I later watched the dvd release of KNPH, Hrithik Roshan's first hit movie. Directed by his father, this spirited romp is actually a made-to-order showcase for his handsome and talented son. Suffice to say that this film would have been very average, save for Hrithik Roshan who carries the entire production on his able shoulders. His charm and intense style are certainly enough to catch the interest of most any movie-goer.

Much of the movie is devoted to loving shots of Hrithik in various poses, and I'm certain that the female audiences in Mumbai were swooning in the crowded aisles each time he sang and danced. Much of what occurs on screen looks like a Hindi pop music video made for even pre-teenage audiences. A good comparison would be to the old movies of Elvis Presley! This may have had a bit more realism and action than those, but the entire proceedings focus on Hrithik's singing, dancing, and posing in a way that glamorizes him to that extent. It's obvious that multi-talented Hrithik Roshan could make it big in the U.S. if he so desires. That's the one thing that I will certainly remember out of this somewhat shallow, but lighthearted and colorful movie.

The new year 2000 is almost over and looking back at the year on the Hindi film industry - it hasn't been hot at all. Only 1 Superhit so far, way back in January! The year will be remembered of course for the debut of an actor named Hrithik Roshan who was a nationwide phenomenon in India. And in a nation of 1 billion people - that is a HUGE phenomenon.

It was a case of a great looking guy who entertained people - good promotional advertising on the producers part and partly due to the dismal performance of the Khans' films that Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai did that well. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is leagues better and it would be criminal to compare this film to DDLJ (ah...the shudder of perfection). It's not that good.

The plot is simple and nothing we haven't seen before folks.

On vacation in New Zealand, an emotionally upset Sonia laments over the loss of her boyfriend Rohit; rich girl, poor boy scenario. But there is something familiar about the yuppie rich kid Raj, whom she meets at a dance club - an excellent scene made only more powerful by Lucky Ali's music track. A fast pace and 2 plot twists keep the movie highly entertaining and above average fare. The film is a bit of a thriller but mainly an entertainer, and I'm happy it does it's job here. Love stories don't always need a moral - we just want to have a good time. ( No, I won't call 'Believe in Love' a moral)

Director Rakesh Roshan manages to showcase all of his son's talents in this film: body build, dancing moves, a range of emotions and a knack for acting - something most actors in the industry today, lack.

Amisha Patel isn't given a lot to do here and thankfully does it well. She is very easy on the eyes - but of course! This is of course Hrithik's movie - the one that shot him into the the pre-adolescent hearts of every girl in the country, and their mothers too! He's under the spotlight 24/7 and a role model to many adolescent boys.

Hrithik's made a great first impression, but in an industry as whimsical as ours where you're only as good as your next movie he needs to diversify his roles (if that's possible in our industry) and keep the hits coming. I've got my fingers crossed for this guy - please don't be a one hit wonder.

I never went through the ardent teeny bopper fan phase even in my teens. But amusingly enough, this is probably the closest I have been to that "ardent fan" title, having seen the movie more than an acceptable number of times, and being a Pakistani- I think we should forget the arms race- India has already conquered us with Hrithik!!!:)

Hrithik is an absolute pleasure to watch. Besides his great looks and The Bod, he is completely comfortable and un-selfconscious on screen, moves like a gazelle, could probably dance rings around Ricky Martin and HEY- he is a good actor too! He has a double role and plays both convincingly. He completely changes his persona from shy and unassuming to a charmer who can walk the walk and talk the talk. I loved the second half of the movie even more. He acts with his whole body. Notice when Raj asks his father for advice about his unrequited love for Sonia, how he uses his shoulders and hands to convey a feeling of frustration and helplessness without the typical histrionics. My only criticism is the lack of chemistry between the two lead actors. Hrithik never really conveys that attraction and passion for his leading lady. Even when singing about HER; the song "Kyun Chalti Hai Hawa" is more about HIM SINGING about her, than about her- if you know what I mean- he doesnt really get into her (eg: Shahrukh and Kajol in "Kuchch Kuchch Hota Hai"; Salman and Aishwarya in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam") except in one scene when she is tying a bandage on his arm and he is looking at her: Brilliant!

The songs are infinitely hum-able. Ameesha, although occasionally stiff while dancing, and hams a couple of times- but few enough for her first film; has done a great job overall. Specially her hysterical scenes are brilliantly done.

Very entertaining movie. The action scenes are well shot, the cinematography is great (specially with the ship) the dialogues are contemporary, witty and well-written. Rakesh Roshan has taken a typical Bollywood movie and made it with a kind of sincerety that seems like respect for the audience, not just a successful launch for his son.

If you know how to suspend disbelief, you will enjoy this movie. It was my first Hindi movie and I saw it in India. It was GREAT!! I don't normally enjoy musicals, but this was an exception. The singing & dancing were terrific. The title song is a big hit in India. The movie didn't look much like the India I saw, but the cinematography was excellent, and the sound was Dolby Digital (Indians like their movies loud). I could follow the storyline even though I understand no Hindi. It helped that there was a smattering of english throughout the movie. I can't wait to see it again with subtitles. Apparently most Indian movies have the same plot, singing, and dancing, so if you have seen a lot of these movies, it may not excite you like it did me, but I thought it was a well made (slick comes to mind), well acted, and a well produced piece of "Bollywood". The producer introduced his son with this picture, and he has become the heartthrob of India. I'm not good at analyzing movies so I'll finish by just saying, I came out of the theater with a smile on my face, and a tune in my head. This movie was FUN!