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Kismat Konnection**1/2
*ing Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla and Om Puri
Directed by Aziz Mirza
Tagline: Better luck next time! |
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Kismat Konnection is a simple and at times enjoyable, yet incredibly
flawed film. The interesting thing is that its flaws are just as
predictable as the film itself. KK is the story of Raj Malhotra
(Shahid Kapoor), an architect by profession, who'se been out of
work since graduating five years ago. Reason? Well, its just his
bad luck and bad luck is apparently the only thing between him and
a successful career. If he's taking a shower, the water runs out.
If he's late for a meeting, his car won't start and if he manages
to stop a taxi on the road, he discovers that his wallet is empty.
Anyone who has watched 'Just My Luck' will get the drift.
To fix his problem, Raj visits a voyeur - Haeena Bano Jan (Juhi
Chawla)- who predits that his chakra will change if he manages to
pin-point and hold on to his 'good luck charm' in life. That charm
turns out to be - surprise! surprise! - Priya (Vidya Balan) who
is engaged to be married to another man. However, whenever she's
in close proximity to him, he strikes gold. The story continues
with a project that Raj wants desperately to work on. He needs Priya
to accompany him on decision making meetings and (again predictably)
they fall in love.
The catch is that by building the multi million dollar mall for
Batra and Gill, he will be demolishing the community centre where
Priya lives with the old and homeless. If you think this sounds
like her role in Lage Raho Munnabhai, you're absolutely right. And
so continues his struggle with love, luck and lies.
Kismat Konnection is Aziz Mirza's return to direction after a break
of five years - his last film Chalte Chalte was released in 2003.
And more interesting is the fact Kismat Konnection is the first
film in which he has tried his box office luck with anyone but Shahrukh
Khan.
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Mirza's
previous films - Chalte Chalte, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani,
Yes Boss and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and even his TV serial
Circus all boasted the superstar King Khan. In Kismat Konnection,
Mirza desperately tries to create another Shahrukh in Shahid.
He is given the name 'Raj Malhotra' which by no coincidence
is a trademark name of SRK. In fact, Raj Malhotra is Shahrukh's
exact name in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, the film that turned
Shahrukh's luck around in Bollywood. One doesn't see it having
the same effect on Shahid.
Nevertheless, Shahid's role is stamped with characteristics
from Shahrukh's closet. He |
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laughs the same way (in one scene he does the whole SRK 'Stayin
Alive' sequence from Kal Ho Na Ho), dances the same and even
cracks the same jokes. When Aziz Mirza said in an intervew that
Shahid was a younger SRK in the making, he definitely wasn't
wrong and that is exactly how he has directed Shahid's role.
No originality there. |
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that's not all that is wrong with the film. Vidya Balan could
easily pass for Shahid's elder sister, even mother and there
is absolutely no compatibility, let alone chemistry between
the two. The big screen unfortunately enhances her flaws and
there are many. Vidya is over weight, badly dressed (an entire
story could be written about Vidya's lack of style) and miscast
in a western role. Her movie journey post Parineeta has been
downhill and Kismat Konnection hasn't managed to change her
luck. She isn't a bad actor - that must be said - but even the
best of actors in the wrong roles are inclined to fail. With
Shahid as the lead of this movie, someone younger would have
been more appropriate. |
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that's still not all that is wrong with the film. As a jobless
person, Shahid is too well-settled for logic. He drives a fast
car, wears a spanking wardrobe of business suits and has an
impeccable apartment. As one young boy sitting in the audience
at the DHA Cineplex, Lahore exclaimed: "Hey, I wish I had
that kind of life without having to work for it!" His lifestyle
just doesn't make sense as neither does the fact that the film
is picturized in Toronto. Bollywood most certainly is exploring
new markets all over the world but there is nothing in the story
or cinematography of KK that binds it to the city. It does seem
a rather useless extravagance and one can't help but think that
the movie would have been far more effective if it had been
set in urban India. |
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That more or less rounds up Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection.
There are moments that encourage a smile - Shahid Kapoor is
a likeable actor and the roles undertaken by Om Puri and Himani
Shivpuri are rather entertaining but that's about it. Even
the soundtrack sounds immensely contrived. With so many different
playback singers on the soundtrack - Atif Aslam included -
the hero doesn't manage to find a voice of his own. At the
end of the movie, one cannot help but wish it were a good
hour shorter and that Kismat Konnection had somehow managed
to make some kind of connection with the viewers.
– Aamna Haider Isani
*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME |
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