 |
HUM KISISE KUM NAHIN (2002)
Produced by: Afzal Khan Music: Anu Malik Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai, Satish Kaushik, Annu Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Mukesh Rishi, Ashish Vidyarthi
Running Time: 163 Minutes
CineRating: 3 out of 10
|
A poster child for much of what's gone wrong with Bollywood cinema in the past few years, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin is a big, lumbering Masala movie from former hitmaker David Dhawan that tries to cloak its glaring lack of any particular reason for being behind the visage of an attractive but befuddled cast and some snappy but unengaging song-and-dance routines. It's all pretty pointless, but still might have been fun if anyone associated with the project had demonstrated the least bit of passion. Instead, what we get is a patchwork of recycled bits and pieces sewn together with the cynical belief that even a dumbed-down retread of a mediocre Hollywood hit can sell tickets if it's wrapped up in enough slick packaging.
It's been referred to as the Bollywood version of Analyze This, though the similarities between that film and Hum Kisise are actually rather nominal, extending mostly to the basic plot device of a mentally unbalanced gangster and the harried doctor who is forced to treat him. Here, though, the doctor is not merely a psychiatrist but an actual physician/surgeon -- one of the many headscratchers in a carelessly plotted storyline. Another is having Amitabh Bachchan and the much younger Aishwarya Rai play brother and sister -- rather than father and daughter -- for no apparent reason it seems other than that someone neglected to make the appropriate changes to the script after final casting choices were made.
Sleepy-eyed Sanjay Dutt (Vaastav [1999]) portrays the Underworld Don "Munna", who chases his arch enemy Pillai (Ashish Vidyarthi) into a dance studio where the gorgeous instructor Komal (Aishwarya) is running her students through a flashy routine. When Komal witnesses Munna's thrashing of Pillai, she intervenes and reprimands the bullying thug by slapping him in the face. Munna is instantly smitten by Komal's beauty and later finds himself haunted by her image, which continues to verbally berate him for his immoral behavior. When the problem threatens to destroy Munna's reputation as a ruthless Don, his men take him to see Dr. Rastogi (Amitabh), who decides to help the gangster rather than risk his ire. Rastogi realizes that Munna has fallen in love and must take the proper steps to court his object of desire -- not realizing that the woman Munna is obsessed with is none other than the doctor's own little sister Komal.
A few running subplots materialize (ie. Munna's rival trying to kill him; a police commisioner [Paresh Rawal] trying to arrest Munna), but the movie simply lets them fritter away into nothingness or abruptly brings them back into the narrative when the main story begins to sag. After a sluggishly paced first half, the movie at least turns mildly interesting when a love triangle develops between Munna, Komal and the man she really loves -- the benevolent Raja (Ajay Devgan). The tone turns noticeably darker as Munna's obsession for Komal threatens to turn ugly and violent, but any hope for a marginally exciting finale is eventually squashed by the ineptly staged action scenes and hamfisted sentimentality.
Prolific Director David Dhawan has had his share of blockbuster comedy hits (Coolie No. 1 [1998]; Biwi No 1, [1999]), but there's little here to indicate that he has much feel for comic pacing or inventive camerawork. His direction is utterly flat and entirely impersonal, suggesting the work of an uninterested hack. Or perhaps he's simply on the decline in the way of latter-day John Landis.
Of the cast members, only Amitabh Bachchan seems aware that he's in a slapstick farce, and his hammy but animated performance manages to generate a few snickers. Neither Sanjay Dutt nor Ajay Devgan is well-suited to broad comedy and their stiff playing (and dancing) is only partially offset by the lithe physicality of Aishwarya Rai, who dances up her usual storm. She also parades around in a stunning variety of form-fitting outfits that could make a Barbie Doll jealous, except for the fact that Ash's woefully underdeveloped character almost comes off like a life-sized Barbie herself. Anu Malik's songs are perfectly serviceable, but the colorful and sometimes epic-scale picturizations are rendered irrelevant by the lack of a single emotionally resonant lead-in from the hopelessly vapid storyline.
The Spark DVD presents the picture in a 2.20:1 aspect ratio that looks decent if a bit dull and fuzzy on bigger screen TVs. Flaws on the print source occasionally pop up but are a minor distraction. The double disc set includes a rather forgettable Making-of featurette (not subtitled but most of it in English) and various TV promos.
|
|
|
DVD Specs:
Spark 2-DVD Set
All Regions
Removable English Subs (None for the songs)
Trailer for Yeh Hai Jalwa
Making of the Movie (22 Minutes)
TV Promos
|
|