New York masala

I am NOT a sap for sad movies...maybe I will cry a tear or two. I didn't even lose ONE tear during Titanic that so many raved about as a "great love story". THIS movie? I cried for 45 minutes straight! It is like an Indian soap opera...but better. Shah Rukh Khan portrayed the sacrifice of this man with a certain nobility that really got to me. I know he is often said to be "overacting" but his portrayal of this character and the pain and sacrifices he went through really swept me up into an emotional state. There may be times when you are in the mood for a story about someone without the modern "I,Me,Mine" attitude, about someone who knows that the real meaning of love often carries with it the need for making sacrifices and may mean caring more about the other person's needs than your own.

Watching Indian movies outside of India is something very impossible, everybody speaks about "the famous bollywood movies", but nobody want to release this jewels in Europe. I am so lucky I could see this supermasterpiece at the oriental cinema festival in Barcelon, I couldn't believe what I was watching. The script is stunning, the choreography crazy, the actors are superlative, the music is impressive, the plot turns you on...you can keep inside the characters as I never did. The sound is also impressive. It was like watching Mary Poppins when I was 6 yeras old, during 3 hours I lost the total terms of reality!!!! As the movie has never been exhibited in Spain and there is not copy on DVD we are so "lucky" We could find a pirate copy in a Pakistan supermarket in Barcelon, with perfect sound and image!!!! Well, I hope this message will amaze you to get this movie from....where?

This is one of the best films ever made! I watched it a few days ago and i still have the movie running through my head. It is so amazing that it has a lasting impression.

Once again, Shah Rukh Khan steals the spotlight and does a magnificent performance as the beautiful and sweet Aman Mathur.

By the way, i was thinking "What a funny movie" until the end...it just gets sad. And me being a really sensitive person, wow...it just blows you away. Shah Rukh Khan's brilliant performance will stay with you forever.

I was up at 2.30 in the morning, tissues strewn all around me with tears just pouring down my face. The moment you try to stop crying, another scene comes on and you start again. Seriously, i'm really sensitive so no surprise but i reckon this film was the first film that actually made me cry that much. I just couldn't stop!! This is a must for everyone..including you sensitive people out there! Everyone must watch this film! It's just beautiful and it was actually an eye-opener for me! You've got to cherish whatever you have because who knows...tomorrow may never come.

What can you say about this movie? The makers have ensured that they have greased the wheels properly before the turkey was served.

Lets look at the few aspects of the movie::

01. Story: Nothing new but well-presented. And obviously the "Anand" factor was a diversion.

02. Characters: All of them etched out well. Be it talented Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth, Lillette Dubey, Sweetu, Rajpal Yadav or the highlight Kantaben. Simone Singh was good as well - she attempts a bit of skin-show, desperately wanting to break-free from the Heena image.

03. Comedy: Comedy tracks have been really worked upon. There are many pokings at Gujju's directly (the audience on both my sides appeared threatening!) - but in spite of that the G.U.J.J.U. song makes up for all the damage. Clever, very clever. Kantaben was good and so was Satish Shah (and his English).

04. Location: The movie is a proper New York Darshan bus. The trivial mistakes about jogging to Central Park from Queens can be easily overlooked in the age where the scripts have crater sized holes.

05. Music: S-E-L have given one of their best compositions to date. Be it the title song or Mahi Ve - all of them stay with you for a long time. My favourite is Its the time to disco, Vasundhara Das rocks (she bring out the voice of Nazia Hassan).

06. Lyrics: The title song is definitely Javed Akhtar caliber. For the rest he should give the credit to a pseudonym.

07. Spl. Appearances: Sonali Bendre and Sanjay Kapoor have extended special appearances. And in blink-an-miss appearances by Kajol & Rani (lucky mascots of Karan Johar), Uday Chopra and Jugal Hansraj.

08. Protagonists: SRK plays his part extremely well in the author backed role as "the good Samaritan", however does succumb to a bit of his usual hamming. Saif proves yet again that he is a dependable actor and at times can steal the show right under the nose. His performance at the restaurant (proposing scene) is wonderful. Preity does full justice to her character (Kareena - sour grapes! sour grapes!).

09. Tracks: In fact the movie is full of tracks but interesting ones. Be it Kantaben, Simone Singh, the wrong house, 7-day proposing, Sweetu, revamping of the restaurant or Gia's adoption track. The director has just done a good copy-paste of it.

The makers have ensured that there is maximum utilisation of resources at all fronts. For a first-timer Nikhil Advani has done a commendable job, obviously under the baton of Karan Johar who ensured that Yash Johar films flag remains high and rising.

Definitely worth a watch.... with family.

PS: Its interesting to see that from time to time, SRK acknowledges Aamir Khan in his movies (here the Lagaan song and in K3G the Ghulam matchstick).

Almost by mistake we found this movie in Netflix and for the first time ever my wife and I spent 3 hours laughing, crying, and enjoying an old story told in a different way. This is no Oscar material, but certainly entertaining and visually rich. Great simple humor.