KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA
Rated:NR
Rating 8/10 Excellent
Cinemas: Yishun, Bishan Tampinese and Jurong Point GV
" Don't say goodbye but hope to meet again". A thought that would
forever change the lives of two seemingly ordinary people , Dev and
Maya. Complete opposties of each other but somehow share a spark
which is so heavenly it sizzles on screen
Imagine if Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks agreed to star opposite
Reese Witherspoon and Tom Cruise (pre-Katie Holmes, of course) in a
lavishly produced marital drama directed by Steven Spielberg.
That's the kind of star power on display in the new Bollywood film
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (Never Say Goodbye), which pairs some of
India's most recognizable screen faces with popular filmmaker Karan
Johar. The movie has gathered a lot of advance publicity at home
and abroad, not just for its cast, but also for its potentially
risqué subject matter. Set in New York, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
follows two married couples who come to realize they might be
happier separately than together. While Hollywood has regularly
tackled the subject of divorce, it's something that is rarely
addressed in Bollywood, where screen lovers are expected to mate
for life. Toss an adulterous liaison into the mix and you've got a
film that's clearly out to raise eyebrows, even as it provides all
the over-the-top spectacle that mainstream Indian cinema is famous
for.
Veteran heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan heads up the ensemble as Dev, a
superstar soccer player married to ambitious magazine editor Rhea
(Preity Zinta). While taking a stroll after winning a big match, he
stumbles upon a nervous bride-to-be named Maya (Rani Mukherji) who
is having second thoughts about going through with her wedding to
Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan), a man she cares for but doesn't love.
Dev advises her to marry the guy anyway, assuring her that, based
on his personal experience, "love will come after." As they part
ways, Maya swallows her fears and walks down the aisle and Dev
continues his promenade...until he's hit by a car and knocked
unconscious. Left with an aching leg for life, Dev says " She has
given me a pain that would last me a lifetime". True to the fact,
Maya had given him a symbolic pain of rememberance.
Flash-forward four years later and Dev's soccer career is history
thanks to extensive leg injuries he sustained in the accident.
Bitter, angry and full of self-pity, he takes his frustration out
on everyone around him, including Rhea who continues to put in long
hours at the office and their young son Arjun. Meanwhile, Maya and
Rishi's marriage isn't going well either. Even though he'd do
anything for her, she's just not that into him. It's at this point
that Dev and Maya cross paths again and together they discover a
spark that's missing from their respective marriages. This
tentative romance soon blossoms into a full-blown affair, complete
with a late-night dalliance at a fancy hotel. As much as they care
for each other, neither one can find the courage to utter the word
"divorce." Eventually, that decision is taken out of their hands
when their relationship is discovered and they have to confess the
truth.
Of course, the movie isn't all tears and heartache. Johar stages
several appropriately dance sequences, including one set in a
Manhattan dance club that answers the burning question of what a
Bollywood techno number would sound like. There are also a number
of laughs to be had, both of the intentional and unintentional
variety. Much of the movie was actually shot on location in New
York and Johar makes good use of the city, even though he's shaky
on the geography at times. apart from Khan's stylish performance.
Perhaps the film's biggest flaw is its excessive length. Three
hours may be the standard running time for most Bollywood
spectacles, but in this case, the story is too small and intimate
to be blown up to such an epic scale. The last hour is particularly
tedious as we wait for Maya and Dev to put their spouses out of
their misery and commit to each other. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
certainly gets its point across though its heartwarming climax, but
it comes close to wearing out its welcome in the process and the
audience will be left feeling happy for the couple and leaving the
theatre with a heavy heart.