Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna by Karan Johar
Stars Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta
Sep 17, 2009
A young bride meets her future lover just before her wedding. What strikes the viewer is the outcome. The ending is somewhat unexpected for a Bollywood film, possibly due to the fact that the film is believed to be inspired from the 1984 Robert de Niro and Meryl Streep Hollywood flick Falling in Love.
Two Unhappy Marriages
A chance meeting between two strangers Maya (Rani Mukherji) and Dev (Shahrukh Khan) will one day alter the course of their lives. Maya is to be married to her childhood friend (Abhishek Bachchan) but she is not convinced that she loves him. However she grows increasingly disillusioned after marriage as she perceives her husband to be rather insensitive to her feelings.
Dev is married to his college sweethear (Preity Zinta) . Dev, a former soccer player, forced to retire from active sports due to an injury, now takes care of their four year old son since his wife is busy at work.
Dev and Maya run into each other again, this time on the suburban trains of New York City. Maya, now confused about her marriage, turns to Dev for support as she tries to figure out how to make it work. The two grow closer as Dev too has his own share of marital problems, and the fact that his wife has little time for the family makes him bitter. He looks forward to his daily meetings with Maya aboard the local trains.
All Does Not End Well
After a bitter quarrel with her husband on their wedding anniversary, Maya runs to the train station to find Dev waiting for her. It is then that Dev realizes that they are in love. They have a brief passionate affair, and then decide to come clean with their spouses. Both expect forgiveness and a return to normal married life.
However Maya is thrown out of the house by her husband, and Priya too asks Dev to leave.
An Unconventional Ending
Director Karan Johar takes a major risk with the Indian audience that may be accustomed to see traditional values triumph at the end. He has a well written script to to work with, but the effect is somewhat diluted by his attempts to incorporate the customary song and dance routines and some humor that sounds contrived. Consequently the film turns out to be longer than it should. Shahrukh Khan is at his melodramatic best. Preity Zinta is a shade artificial as the modern ambitious career woman. Amitabh Bachchan goes overboard as he tries to create the image of a merry widower. Rani and Abhishek are convincing in their unhappily married young couple act, and they bring the story to life.
- Released in: 2006
- Directed by: Karan Johar
- Starrring Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta
- Rune time: approximatelyt3 hours
- Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
