|
Priyadarshan and Salman Khan are the two people in the film industry who have been quite successful during last few years. Salman Khan, especially, has been having a rwocking time at BO this year with continued hits, mostly belonging to the comedy genre. Also Priyadarshan too has delivered back to back comic hits. So when two of them come together for an emotional drama called 'Kyon Ki', you eagerly want to see the final result.
Though you know pretty well that the subject is not exactly of a kind that you may want to celebrate with in this festive season, it is sheer art and performances that make you look forward to the movie. Yes, the movie has its share of dull moments with things not ready to move at a number of points, the performances [especially Salman Khan and Jackie Shroff] and a 'lump-in-the-throat' ending is what stays with you long after the movie is over!
A perfectly normal looking/behaving Anand [Salman Khan] is admitted to a mental hospital by his elder brother. He has been declared mad after being accused of murdering his lady love Maya [Rimii Sen]. Till about 15-20 minutes into the movie, you keep wondering if Anand is indeed mad or just acting up. Meanwhile characters like Dr. Khurana [Om Puri], who heads the hospital, his daughter Dr. Tanvi [Kareena Kapoor] and Dr. Sunil [Jackie Shroff] who knows Anand since childhood, are introduced. Meanwhile Anand befriends other patients in the hospital and becomes the cynosure of Dr. Khurana's eyes due to his pranks.
Dr. Khurana is autocratic in his approach to treat the patients while Dr. Sunil is his complete opposite. Dr. Tanvi is indifferent towards Anand during his initial stay at the hospital before she picks up the baton to bring him back to his normal self after reading his diary that tells about the tender moments shared between him and Maya.
She gets to know the entire story of how Anand wooed Maya and eventually got her. She also gets to know that Maya was a prankster and it was these pranks that were actually responsible for her accidental death in the hands of Anand. He couldn't take this shock due to which he lost his mental balance. In her attempt to cure Anand, Tanvi ends up falling in love with him.
Anand gets well too and now both want to get married. But this is not agreeable to Dr. Khurana who instead wants her to marry Karan [Suneil Shetty, in a 3 scene appearance]. Dr. Sunil makes a plan to get Anand run away from the hospital. But is it too late by then.......?
While the first half of the movie focuses on Anand's life in the hospital and his past, the second half concentrates on Tanvi trying to help Anand regain his normal self. There are some occasional laughs in the first half but things continue to painfully drag till the interval point. Sequences in the first half remind of Munnabhai MBBS at a number of places. A patient in coma, Anand challenging the rules of the hospital, a cruel hospital head, a song'n'dance sequence in the hospital - everything gives you a feeling of deja vu.
Even Salman-Rimmi romance is hardly exciting and the steps that he takes to woo her are also plain stupid [first he fakes an immolation, then paints the roads with his claims of his love, then puts up larger than life hoardings on the crossings proclaiming his love- everything looks so immature]. Sequences trying to prove Rimmi's prankish nature are also more self-destructive rather than exciting!
Thankfully Salman's act saves the day and doesn't allow 'Kyon Ki' to become an utter disappointment in the first half. Second half too begins slowly and just when you thought that it was all drag for the movie, the skillfully and sensitively executed last 30-45 minutes of the movie completely change the graph. Drama continues to build from the point Anand starts getting treatment from Tanvi in the outdoors and things take a turn for the better as soon as he is back to his normal self. Just when one thought that the movie may have reached its culmination point, the subsequent drama that follows makes even the strong hearted melt. Priyadarshan and his entire team of actors come up with a masterstroke in this portion of the movie and give 'Kyon Ki' a touching end.
Undoubtedly it is a Salman Khan movie all the way. His mannerisms never once go over the top and redefines the way a conventional mentally unstable person has been shown in Hindi movies for all these years. He just tweaks a little when it comes to enacting a normal versus an abnormal man and this is where all his experience as an actor comes into play. Another actor who impresses in a big way is Jackie Shroff who is subtle and likeable in the first half but absolutely brilliant towards the climax. His outburst in the end is very well filmed.
Kareena Kapoor is good but neither her role nor her performance is of a kind that could turn this into an award winning performance. Rimmi Sen is fine in her brief role but that's about it. Suneil Shetty is hardly there and he himself would forget his role sooner than a viewer. Om Puri wins in making you hate him all the way. Asrani and Manoj Joshi are so-so.
 A factor that strikes about the movie is its overall look. Inspite of most of the movie being shot in a mental hospital, never once does the setting seems to be gloomy. Sabu Cyril's sets are imaginative while shades of blue are used throughout this part, for which credit should go to cinematographer Thiru. The outdoor locations are lush and rich. Dialogues by Sanjay Chhel go well with the movie's genre. Himesh Reshammiya's music is good but in the movie it turns out to be the case of too many songs. A glaring example is the last song 'Aa Jee Le' that appears to be there in the movie for the sole reason of showing Salman-Kareena together in a song'n'dance routine. Nevertheless, the entire movie [including the songs] has been shot quite well and gives an ice-cool effect on the eyes.
Some of the things that do not work for the movie is its painfully slow first half and some glaring lapses in a few scenes being shot. Picture this - when Rimmi Sen is about to die, there are two men shown remotely in the background who don't even attempt at saving her. A better editing could have definitely saved the day. Also, when Anand's elder brother sees his brother being brutalized in the hospital, he hardly demands an explanation!!
Nevertheless it’s the ending that makes you forget all the lapses as it leaves you numb. 'Kyon Ki' is for those who wish to see an intense drama being played on screen. But if you want to have some real fun and entertainment this extended weekend then better wait for a few days to get the festive mood over before embarking onto 'Kyon Ki'. |
