mail-ramkumar

Arguably among the worst movies I have ever watched. What a hare-brained movie!! Shah rukh at his over-acting best, Amitabh is repulsive in his poker-face. Anupam Kher and Archana Puran singh are squeezed in forcibly to try and evoke some laughs but fall flat.

And the 6 young playthings .. the less said about them.. the better. It is the worst screenplay and direction I have ever seen. I can't believe people can actually like this crass, over-hammed movie by Aditya Chopra. The scenes between the 6 young characters was actually a relief from the mind-numbing dialogue in the scenes involving Shah Rukh and Amitabh. Now that in itself says something about the quality of the movie.

A fine movie by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and undeniably has his trademark - brilliant depiction of characters. Even an idealistic character like Satyapriya is shown to be human - indecisiveness when faced with the choice of saving Ranjana when she is forced to go the Prince's room, timidity when initially posed the question if he would marry her and face the society. The dialogues are excellent, a couple specially stand out - honesty is not a policy, it is a duty and right at the end when the grandfather admires how the mother Ranjana uttered the the truth, without any reservations, just as it stood. Dharmendra has given his one of his finest performances and Sanjeev Kumar is brilliant as usual. Sharmila Tagore looks beautiful but and her acting is decent. The movie overall is a must-watch for all Hrishida fans.

One of those sweet movies which, at the same time, also provoke you to think. The central theme of the movie is around an AIDS center which takes care of afflicted children and adults. It talks about living in the moment, in the present, today rather than worry about 'the might have beens' or the future. The story is told very poignantly without being melodramatic or overtly emotional at any point. The acting from Nandita Das and Rajit Kapoor is first rate. Anupam Kher is OK - I don't think he gets into the skin of the character at all. I personally feel a Boman Irani or a Naseeruddin Shah might have done more justice to the character. Renuka Shahane is great in a cameo appearance.

The only reason I am going to give it a lowly 6 is because of the poor music and the over-acting by the children (seems so '70s ish). The editing also could have been better as the scene transitions seem a little abrupt at times. Overall, the director seems to have good intentions and save for the few technical flaws, is definitely watchable.