Kabhi Albida Na Kehna

(Drama)

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan,

Rani Mukerjee, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Kirron Kher

Direction: Karan Johar

Showing at: Jai Nepal,

Kumari Cinema

Kathmandu :

Finally there’s something to brood over as the feel-good flicks take a back seat in Bollywood. And different from the times when relationships romped on mushy romance and saccharine sentimentality, this new one from the assembly line offers a regimen on breaking marriages. Old hat of course, but Johar knows it well enough by now to make it look zanier and genial, even when resilient relationships crumble and collapse. So you have something that’s engaging while it still retains the trademark traces of the director’s earlier stomping grounds.

The director traverses into a tale of twisted relationships and substitutes the neighbourhood war-mth with a portentous premonition that settles even as Dev (Shah Rukh Khan) and Maya (Rani Muk-herjee) unravel the Gordian knot to becoming par-tners in perfidy. The flick begins on a peppy note as soccer player Dev scores a penalty, and then abruptly leads us to the lanes where messy marriages meander. Dev is married to Rhea (Priety Zinta), and (Rishi Talwar) Abhishek Bachchan is married to Maya (Rani Mukherjee). And much as they seem convinced, the rifts widen as yet another romance revs up. Despite the sombre tone of the story, it never holds you long with sagging spirits as the screenplay is replete with witty one-liners coming from Shah Rukh and the Big B himself.

While it’s the crackling libretto ladled screenplay that holds together an engaging story of cluttered relationships, the flick also scores with stellar performances from the cast. The panoramic backdrop of New York City is a visual feast for the eyes. While SRK brings the petulant character of a peeved hubby with chutzpah, Zinta carries her bearing as a career-oriented woman with equal éclat. Even Abhishek as the besotted hubby is endearing and comes as a revelation in the climax. It’s perhaps Rani Mukherjee’s best performance, much different from Paheli where she was last seen as a strayed wifey. Amitabh Bacchan proves his undying libido yet again with a sexy-at-60 spirit as he bursts out from boudoirs with blondes and brunettes.

The movie also scores with the musictrack, especially Mitwa and the title track that keeps ringing in your ears even long after you leave the movie hall.