Rab ne bana di body!

Took some advice.. and went and watched 'Rab ne bana di jodi'. Heres my two cents on it.
I maintain that I am not an SRK fan. I loved him in Swades, liked him in Chak de. THAT'S WHERE THE LINE ENDS . Im done with the song and dance routine, the over-emotive crying, the typical voice modulation and the benevolent, unrealistically nice roles he plays.

After forgettable (and seemingly repetitive)perfomances in KKHH, Mohabbatein, KANK, DTPH and the likes, I heard he's playing a person suffering from Autism in the next one. That'll be a challenge for him, I should think. I don't think anyone can ever outdo Sean Penn (I am Sam) though, or even Hrithik (Koi Mil Gaya).
'I am Sam' is arguably one of the most moving films I've seen, with commendable performances by both, Sean Penn as well as Dakota Fanning. Such Mature expressions, in depth understanding of the character and a crisp, strong portrayal of a young girl by Dakota were unforgettable.
(If you haven't got the hint by now, PLEASE RENT THE DVD AND WATCH IT, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY)

Coming to Rab ne... I had serious issues with the script. While one cant hate the movie (one can rarely hate mellow, non violent, pretty actress song and dance movies can one), Id say i came pretty close. Its a good concept, and a good scriptwriter couldve done wonders, considering the gamut of emotions he had to play around with. Grief, new beginnings, hesitation, simplicity, love, ache, want, long, quiet desperation.. all could have been woven into a beautiful interleaved tale. I don't know why most Hindi movies make me feel as though the writers get carried away halfway through the movie and decide that since people have anyway come all the way to a theatre, lets try and make them sit for as long as possible. I had similar problems with Dostana, which could've ended a good 15-20 mins sooner, and not gone into predictable Hindi movie style chaos.

A movie is funny, cute, adorable etc, only till a certain point. If someone keeps tyring to prolong it, in a hope that it will make the story more intricate or interesting, then what they are achieving in effect is boring the audience. I was groaning when (ANOTHER) dream sequence song started playing. That's another problem. When you have more than one song which is a dream sequence, you should realize that since you don't have places to put songs in your movie (cos they are not required maybe?) you make dream sequences out of them.

I did like Surinder though. So many of him exist in a typical non metro Indian society. He was surely likable, his simplicity, the Unsure gait, the moustache proclaiming his masculinity, his scooter, the Reebok shoes (which are the cheapest in the range but Reeboks nevertheless), dedication and love for his tutor - he was simply difficult to dislike.

My next problem was the transformation. I refuse to buy a quiet mouse like character suddenly unleashing a lecherous, Over the top, loud and distasteful character like Raj, unless the character is suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. That too, slipping in and out of the characters with ease, and no conflict or friction during the transformation. Even leaving my brains behind and going for a movie after a gap of nearly a month (and what a month its been), I simply couldnt get myself to let go of this absurdity. Cinematic liberties are all good, but come on, the characters were not that complex that asking for a semblance of sense is asking for too much.

The new girl is refreshing, cute and is undeniably fit for the role... that of a typical Gori-chitti pretty North Indian girl. I adored her clothes... the patiala's and dupattas she wore were pretty, classy, vibrant and yet, simple. I WANT. Other than the muddle of emotions that she was made to undergo (I wasn't sure what she was supposed to be feeling at many points in the movie), I don't have too many issues with her. I did like her long flowy hair, young and innocent face, and her body - tall, slim yet curvy. A refreshing break from thin and flat. =)

All in all, it couldve been better, or even bearable had it been at least 40 mins shorter, less dramatic, entangled and slightly crisper in terms of story line. If the scriptwriter isn't sure where the story is going, the audience wont either. And simply uniting the hero-heroine in the end just doesn't a good movie make.