Koi... Mil Gaya

If you watch Koi Mil Gaya with an open mind with no expectations, it's a really good movie. It isn't made too well and has loads of glitches, but movies are made for the sake of entertainment and this entertains. There are parts where you cant stop laughing and exciting parts as well. Hrithik Roshan has acted remarkably well in this movie. Although the plot line isn't original and some parts are copied from various Hollywood movies, it is an enjoyable movie with good music (although it could have done without 'Haila Haila') and it was basically just plain fun. Worth a watch.

Rothik Roshan nailed the role and brought a completely different side out in the film. You felt his pain and struggle to fit in and become the hero of the story. Preity Zinda is decent and well, is quite pretty to look at. Rekha is wonderful as the worrying mother of Krish. The story seems to be a fusion of plenty other films out there but what I like about it is that it manages to blend it all together well, and doesn't feel forced or out-of-place. The alien entity looks like baby Yoda, they could have been creative with it but still looks cool for that time. I like the transformation of Krish, he goes from zero to hero, I think it's smooth and the viewer will have no choice but to root for him. The soundtrack is absolutely memorable and iconic to some extent. Overall, I had a good time watching this flick.

Just came back from seeing this film on opening day after waiting four months....and can say it was definitely worth the wait. The acting is top-notch -- Rekha is wonderful as the mother, Hrithik pulls off his character with aplomb, Preity does a splendid job as the new girl in town, and Johnny Lever has never been funnier. Even the super six do a great job! The story reworks elements from the Mahabharata into an ET-/Close Encounters-style science film story. All the production elements are terrific: music score, song-and-dance numbers (including a wonderful homage to Singing in the Rain), camerawork, lighting, and -- yes -- the spaceship special effects. One particularly amazing dance sequence has Hrithik cavorting with his own shadow. An instant classic that we'll be talking about for years to come. Congrats to all involved!

This is a thoroughly entertaining movie (except for the melodramatic scenes in the end) and Hrithik shines in the role of a mentally challenged boy. I have enjoyed the songs, the gravity-defying dances by Hrithik and how well Hrithik has captured the mannerisms of a mentally challenged boy. Some people might compare it to a range of Hollywood films, but let's just appreciate that a different sort of movie has been attempted and for goodness sake let's just enjoy it. This is a great family movie and a great treat presented by Rakesh Roshan.

"Koi... Mil Gaya" is a step in the right direction for Hrithik Roshan and Bollywood in general. The former finally has found another role since "Fiza" that is worthy of his talent, a role that's neither purely fluff in a likewise fluff or worse film (AMALL,YAADEIN,MDK...) or a crass miscast (MPKDH), and the latter steps into new territory concerning suitable subjects and use of modern sfx. Both are rewarded with a superhit as a result. The film is not doing as well in UK and US as in India where it's on target to leave K3G, Devdas, Lagaan and KNPH behind. The reason is most likely that NRIs are more familiar with Hollywood films which KMG is a copy of, and stick more to mushy family/romance/love-potboilers than new Hollywood like experiments coming from the motherland. The usual description of KMG as a mix of "E.T." and "Forrest Gump" is mostly correct. The film adopts many ideas from "E.T." beyond the concept of an alien landing on earth and making friends with kids. It also borrows from several other Hollywood films. That's somewhat irritating if you are familiar with these films, but fortunately the indianisation and mixing has been done quite nicely, and there is enough material around that does not immediately ring a bell and looks fresh. Also irritating is the product placement, a necessary evil, it seems, to co-finance such a big film without banks or the Bollywood mafia. Technically the film is clearly above average for Bollywood and some of the sfx are near Hollywood quality. The alien can't compete with the original E.T.. It's too plastic and artificial for that, but it grew on me nonetheless. The wire (removal) effects in Bollywood films are usually amateurish and blatantly unrealistic. In KMG they look pretty professional, even when they are obvious (in the song "Idhar Chala") and help create a magical mood. (The song "Idhar Chala" is a little gem, by the way, an instant classic, that will surely get awards for best choreography next year.) The CGI birds look pretty fake on the other hand, and the integration of the CGI for the spaceship's landing crater is halfbaked with incorrect 3D perspective and visible seams. The performances are quite good throughout, but the film clearly belongs to Hrithik Roshan from start to finish. As a boy in a man's body he delivers a performance that can compete with good work from any actor anywhere. Award nominations galore next year are a certainty and wins hardly less. It's the kind of performance that triggers a reevaluation of what someone can and should do and it will hopefully bring him lots of good role offers beyond the stereotypical loverboy with biceps that shakes a leg before he walks into the sunset with his dulhan. KMG is quite enjoyable, not only for kids, and it will have its place in the history of Bollywood as a film that made a difference. And that is a nice achievement.