hsheik Reviews

Devdas (I) (2002)

Breathtakingly Awesome...........

[23 July 2002]

I thought I may never see a classic being made in modern times. How wrong I was. Devdas is a CLASSIC in every sense of the word. It has hauntingly beautiful music, lusciously luxuriant sets, a velvety look and feel and most of all, a mindblowing cast and director.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a genius. The man has taken a known story, that has been presented on screen before, and given it such life and depth, within the context of his interpretation of the original novel, that you come away reeling from the effect. I have never ever watched a movie where I was left breathless after the fact or found myself constantly reaching out to try and fathom out what is it that overawed me. You cannot pinpoint anything, and this is the brilliance of the movie. It is something you cannot explain, but at the same time you cannot have enough of it.

Of the cast, enough cannot be said. Aishwarya reserves her best for Bhansali. She is stunning, awesome, brilliant. Thge end scene where she runs to the gate, will forever be etched in my memory. Madhuri is also brilliant, although in a shorter role, with which she leaves an indelible mark on the viewer. But above all, it is Shah Rukh Khan that blows you away. This guy is a legend in the same mould as Amitabh. He makes Devdas his own and transcends the norms of traditional acting. The scene that did it for me was SRK at his fathers funeral [and when he receives the news]. He is an actor par excellence.

Go and see Devdas, again and again and again and then buy the DVD [when it releases].

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)

It's about loving your family............

[11 January 2002]

This movie is truly a work of art, with the emphasis on art. Dazzling costumes, magnificent buildings, glitzy cars, tons of emotions. Karan Johar is a master at extracting the exact emotion that he wants from the viewer. You cannot help but weep or cry at various scenes, even though you see them coming a mile away. The storyline is cliched and has been done many times before, but NEVER has it been packaged in such a powerful way. Kudos to the director, who despite the small flaws in the script, steers the viewer away from it, and engrosses you in the myriad of artistic explosions on the screen. Amitabh Bachan plays the patriach and is fairly good in the role, although he has done it before and is starting to stereotype him. Some scenes, I thought, were a little demeaning to him [the dance with the females in the Shava song], and should have been done more tastefully.

Jaya Bachan is very good as the wife, with the amazing ability to sense her son. The scene where she stands up to Amitabh is brilliantly executed, as is the scene where ShahRukh meets her in the shopping mall in London.

Kajol is brilliant, and this is probably her best role/performance of her career. She is pure magic and fills the screen with bubbly enthusiasm and sheer excitement whenever she is in frame.

Kareena Kapoor is appropriately cast and is also excellent in the role of Poo. She is a delight to watch, and does not falter, even in the comic scenes with Shahrukh. One cannot imagine anyone else in this role.

Hrithik Roshan, to me, was the surprise of the movie. He was brilliant and just about steals the show in the second half of the movie. His performance is sincere and visually a treat. He is indeed the superstar of the future. Bulging muscles and hip dance steps aside, this guy is a brilliant actor through and through.

But for me, Shahrukh Khan is the star of this movie. He is stupendous, magnificent, brilliant. He makes you laugh, cry, dance, cringe, smile. He does all this with flawless perfection. His pairing with Kajol is magical, and it shows on screen. I can now understand why Karan Johar says that he cannot imagine doing a film without Shahrukh. The guy is amazing.

On the whole, this is an excellent movie that is worth at least 4 trips to the cinema. Thank you Karan Johar.