(*: least, *****: highest)
Dear Mr. Karan Johar,
Why? Karan why? Why did u make Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna? and why did you make it the way you made it? What in living hell were you trying to achieve? Didn’t you realize you would be ridiculed… the movie laughed at and forgotten by almost everyone?
That being said, After the credits started rolling(@ the end of the movie) I looked at a friend who had this expression that he had lost 3.5 precious hours of his life and asked “Is it bad if I liked the movie?”
Let me explain my stand… Simple question… complete the sequence 1,2,3, _. Any kid will tell you the answer is “4” well if 1,2,3 were KKHH, K3G, KHNH and if the sequence follows up with KANK then the answer is “854762034”(give or take a few)…
The first three movies you made were simple entertainment… a circus show if you may. You go into the theater *don’t think* laugh and say stuff like “that’s so cute”(mostly the girls) and “she is so hot”(the guys mostly) and “There is Kajol, I did not know she was in this movie”(everyone). Come out grab a bite and forget about the N Rs. u spent on the movie.
KANK is different… you tried to make a movie with a decent story and that is very realistic, which is an amazing leap of faith for you considering KKHH was possibly the most unrealistic movie you made and the characters in the next movies(except a couple here and there) were equally unrealistic.
People sat there expecting something and got something else… imagine sitting in a circus ring and getting a Martin Scorsese movie(I would not dare compare you to Scorsese but the comparison here is between the circus show and his movies not his movies and yours). They sat there trying to wonder why the background score was absent for most scenes like an Art film and suddenly there are scantly clad women on the screen like one of those recent sex-based (cheap) movies.
Why could you not go the whole 9 yards and totally avoid the ‘tricks’ to make this movie a hit. The promos had people believing the movie is something and you cheated them(not like its not been done before and I’m certain it will happen again). You should hv killed the disco songs and pointless parts of the movie put in to make ppl feel nice… A movie like this must be made with conviction, with a single idea to get a message thru… You hv made a complete mockery of your own brilliance.
So where did you do it:
* Story: Was it the story that you messed up. Yes, mostly. There was no need for those glamour sets and no need for this movie to be in NY. Hope you hv watched Silsila… You hv I am certain, KANK had traces of it in its core. Why was Silsila so successful, Reason was the director respected the the story and his only motive was to get the idea through. He did not worry if the sound track would sell and if the movie would be liked by ppl in the age group of 8-… etc etc.
* Acting: This is what made the movie run(as much as it did). You can go wrong with Shah Rukh and you proved that right. I hv not seen that charm in his eyes since Darr and Anjam… I practically loathed “Dev” on screen and Shah Rukh was no longer Shah Rukh… he had become Dev, a husband who strayed from his loveless marriage.
I can swear Amithabh Bachchan was the next best person you cast. I cant think of anyone who could hv played the role of the wise-playboy better than him… I believe the role gave him a new dimension something he had not tried(in a long time if he has done similar roles before). Abhishek was brilliant, I think his best performace ever… even better than Sarkar(where I felt his father was 10x brilliant). I hv a new found respect for AB jr and respect him for standing up to the brilliantly tough role. Preity Zinta was also perfectly cast… That scene when she speaks to Dev calmly and stands up and slaps him(unexpectedly) drew out a clap from me. She has clearly outdone her self for the comparatively small role she had.
The biggest mistake was casting Rani. My apologises for her fans but she was just not there. I never saw the belief in what she was doing… seemed like she questioned Maya’s reaction and opinions, when she had to embrace them. She cost the movie dearly but not as much as the harm you did your self. Frankly, Kajol should hv played the lead role.
* Music: Can you be wrong with Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Javed Aktar, no you cant and you were not. Just that you should hv avoided the songs in the movie… The felt out of place at times and you spent a lot of screen time trying to give meaning to the songs and make them “situational”, making the movie 3.5 hrs long when the major part of the story was in just the 2nd half.
In my personal opinion, you stated with Silsila and tried tell the story in a different way in a different time in a different place… well that works only sometimes.
Lastly I want to say one more thing Karan: THANK YOU, Thanks for making Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna even if the movie turned out so bad. People who hv been in relationships which they know for sure were dead and stuck to it because of various reasons will relate to this movie. Most ppl will walk out of the theater and forget this movie but those few who see their old/current friends, lovers and (ex)spouses in the places of your characters will never forget KANK and never forget Karan Johar.
Another Movie Critic who is on your ‘To Kill’ list now,
Haas