Friday, January 14, 2011
Hum Aapke Hai Kaun? (Who am I to You?)
Salman Khan seems to have come full-circle once more. He started out in the Rajshri productions "Maine Pyar Kiya" (I Loved) and became an instant sensation and hit after hit followed. Then he had a bad spell when he all he did was produce flop after flop. Then came "Hum Apke Hai Kaun?", again from Rajshri productions and he seems to have struck gold again. Two other films of his have become box-office smashers since then and he seems to be on a winning streak once more.
At the recently concluded 40th Filmfare awards "Hum Apke Hai Kaun?" bagged two awards for it's director, Sooraj Barjatya - one for best director and one for best screenplay and his become one of the biggest box-office hits of all time - if not the biggest. But how is the film itself?
Whatever the awards and kudos it has garnered, in my opinion, it cannot compare with it's predecessor, "Maine Pyar Kiya". While "Maine Pyar Kiya" was a formula story, it still had a freshness and a beauty this film lacks. Anyway, this has basically the same cast as "Maine Pyar Kiya" except perhaps for the replacement of Bhagyashree with Madhuri Dixit for the role of heroine.
The film is indeed a refreshing change after all the pelvic thrusting, gyrating dances and the double-meaning lyrics that have pervaded Hindi cinema in recent times but the story is conspicuous by it's absence. There isn't much of a story-line and the songs don't compare with those of "Maine Pyar Kiya" though Raamlaxman, the music directors, seem to have been trying to recapture the earlier magic. The story, as such, is about these two families where the elder sister (Renuka Shahane) of one marries the elder brother (Mohnish Bahl) of the other and the younger sister of Renuka (Madhuri Dixit) falls in love with the younger brothers of Mohnish (Salman Khan). Then Renuka dies at child-birth and the elders of the two families - who know nothing of Salman's love affair with Madhuri - decide to marry off Madhuri to Mohnish. The story goes on from there.
Salman Khan's performance is really bellow par and it is I think only fair to say that this is Madhuri's film more than Salman's. She does carry out her role admirably. Though it is no great shakes compared to "Maine Pyar Kiya" (as I keep on repeating), this is a film that can be watched and enjoyed by the whole family.
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