Baabul

General Comment: It wasn't terrific because the storyline was average,the acting was not brilliant except for Amitabh Bhachan who was superb,the songs were crap.

Storyline: Balraj Kapoor (Amitabh Bhachan) is looking for happiness for his daughter in law Millie (Rani Mukherjee) after his son,Avinash (Salman Khan) who is madly in love with his wife Millie. What Millie does not know is that her best friend Rajat (John Abraham) is in love with her but he wants Rani Mukherjee to be happy so he does not say anything to her when she is getting married to Avinash. But when Avinash dies Amitabh Bhachan tries to get Millie married to Rajat. But as you know in the Indian religion a widow is not allowed to get married after her husbands death so Balrajs older brother (Balwant) does not want Millie to get married again but later he realises what Millie must be going through so lets her get married to Rajat.

I saw this movie yesterday, the cinema in Vienna was sold out. Despite of critics "right from the beginning you will know there will be a happy end..." there was an important message in the end of the movie. It opened my eyes widely, not knowing that the widow' problem in India is still so actual. I usually wait for a hidden message watching Indian movies and this was a very strong one. It was one of the best movies with excellent Amitabh Bachchan and Rani. I saw KANK one week ago, but I preferred Baabul because it's so human, it's so pure, there are scenes I'll never forget because of the thoughts spoken. To put it in the nutshell, I saw about 60 Indian movies so far and Baabul is one of my favorite movies.

This film has absolutely nothing new to offer. Not in terms of story or treatment or dialogs...The dialogs are pathetic and the romantic situations juvenile. I felt the actors were all okay except of course John Abraham who is simply terrible. The director, I believe, wanted to cash on the star power of Salman and hence had given him lot of screen time but the script was simply not up to the mark to justify his presence. The film has its moments but these come too abruptly and end too quickly. It is a pity that with reasonably good actors and a genuinely good concept, the director manages to make this mess . You can watch it once in a DVD, perhaps, but spending 10 dollars on this is way too much!

"Baabul" is an interesting movie...much like two entirely separate movies stuck together. The first portion is a very traditional Indian romance...with all the usual cliches, such as the singing montages, the normal meet cute and that she disliked him when they first met. While this was good...it was also incredibly familiar. However, the second portion, in its way, is anything but traditional...heck, it deliberately seeks to subvert traditions....and this is why I grew to eventually love this movie.

In the romantic portion, Avi (Salman Khan) is the beloved son of a rich man, Balraj (Amitabh Bachchan). Avi meets Mili (Rani Mukerji) and instantly is smitten with her. Not surprisingly, they eventually marry. During all this portion, there are hints to what is coming next (such as the aunt who is essentially kept a prisoner following her husband's death). Yes, Avi is killed in an accident and Mili is inconsolable. While she has a son to raise, she is barely functional. And, throughout this, Balraj's heart breaks. This is because although she is technically his daughter-in-law, he sees her like a daughter and would do anything to take away her pain. So, he formulates a plan...to find Rajat (John Abraham) and bring him back to court Mili and, hopefully, marry her and give her a reason to live.

While all this seems pretty reasonable for a non-Indian, there are Indian traditions that many follow that simply could not allow for Mili to remarry. For many, a widow is always a widow.....and her happiness should come from being a widow and staying at home and...well...existing. So how will Balraj deal with his family? His wife doesn't want Mili to marry, as she'll likely leave them...and take the grandchild with her. And, what about Balraj's older brother? He's extremely traditional and will not flex in the least. So what's next?

The final portion of the film deserves an 11 out of 10...it is that good. The giant climactic scene where Balraj is confronted by his family (when they object to Mili's remarriage) is simply brilliant and Bachchan is given a marvelous monolog...one that grips you by the heart and won't let go. Overall, a marvelous film...one you should see with a box of Kleenex nearby!

¤ Big B:: Starts off as a pampered Papa and later dons the cap of Rajaram Mohan Roy. As an actor he has gone beyond the stage of judgement. The penultimate moments are reserved for the lion to roar.

¤ Dream Girl:: Not quite as good as "Baghbaan" in terms of characterisation for the simple fact that this time the Bahu hogs the entire lime-light resulting in animosity in the "Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" episode.

¤ Rani Mukherjee:: Personally I found the character was presented in OTT. Wonder why the character was presented with a complete "U" turn.

¤ Salman/ John:: In their own right, they were just a regular fare.

¤ Sarika:: Very short role but it was nice to see her in a Big B movie after Nastik.

The usual "Baghbaan" cast Aman Verma, Avtar Gill, Sharat Saxena were adequate.

Films from the baton of B R Chopra are noted for the social message that is interlaced in them. It had a fair success riding on their USP. The last outing "Baghbaan" created a milestone in its own right primarily because the social issue it addressed was staring right in the face of "India Shining" and the audience was able to instant connect with "Reverse Mortgage". In the next outing, taking "widow remarriage" as the key-issue with the same ingredients, does it manage to recreate the "Baghbaan" magic? Sadly not because its not quite a burning issue in contemporary times and it comes across as the character (Rani Mukherjee) sans practicality/ common sense to the extent of nearly classified as an emotional fool.