Director: Kunal Kohli
Producer: Kunal Kohli, Vicky Bahri & Sunil Lulla
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Prachi Desai (sp.app) & Neha Sharma (sp.app).
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Rating: 3/5
Kunal Kohli is a director who’s never really done anything path breaking. ‘Hum Tum’ (2004) sailed through because of Saif and Rani’s chemistry, ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge’ (2002) was a disaster, ‘Fanaa’ (2006) relied heavily on Aamir-Kajol, and ‘Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic’ (2008) was a poor saccharine sweet rendition of ‘Mary Poppins’.
With regards to ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’ the overall impression was that he was banking on star power again by casting rumoured ex flames Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra after Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed ‘Kaminey’. But the leads chemistry aside, for a change, he brings something fresh to the table – a somewhat experimental film which is predictable but has an inherent charm and freshness and doesn’t drag on incessantly with over the top melodrama and unnecessary theatrics.
The film’s premise is relatively simple, Kapoor plays Javed, Govind and Krish, and Chopra plays Rukhsar, Aradhna and Radha – all characters in a love story that spans three eras (1910, 1960 and present day). The film oscillates between the eras, and highlights the trials and tribulations that couples have to endure in any relationship and how relationships themselves have evolved – from being demure, chaste, rooted in values and tradition (1910, 1960) to becoming more like ‘fast food’, so to speak (feel a vibe, click with someone, add them to a social network, Skype, dump and move on to the next – present day).
The Javed-Aradhana track is the strongest of the film – it has an innocent charm to it and Kapoor’s poetic recitals and cheeky wit are unmissable. The weakest, unfortunately, is the Krish-Radha track – its culmination is bland and lacklustre, and some of the couples interactions in that era are cheesy, lifeless and dull.
To be honest, the individual plots themselves throw no surprises. At the back of your mind you know, that each of the couples will inevitably overcome any obstacles and go on to live happily ever after. It’s the plots’ treatment, the films witty, crackerjack script, the sparkling performances from the lead pair and their easy chemistry that make the film watchable in its entirety. And, as already mentioned, at a running time of just over two hours, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The frames of the film have been lit luminously, with crisp camerawork, and good attention to detail, and even though some of the backgrounds in the 60s era seem jerky and repetitive, overall the look of the film is consistent.
Usually, a film’s soundtrack tends to grow on you after you’ve watched the film and that’s the case here too. Special mention has to be made of ‘Mukhtasar’ ‘Allah Jaane’ and ‘Jabse Mere Dil Ko Uff’ which do a great job in representing the era that they’re played in.
The highpoint of the film, of course, are the performances by both Kapoor and Chopra. Kapoor, especially is brilliant and renders his characters so well that his characters actually seem like they’re played by different actors. His Javed is the best, and his turn on Chaplin and, to a degree, his homage to Raj Kapoor in the 60s are noteworthy. Chopra too, who had some rather inconsequential roles in this year’s ‘Agneepath’ and last year’s ‘Don 2’, is as dependable as ever, looking gorgeous besides. In their cameos, Prachi Desai is good, whilst Neha Sharma is loud and hammy.
Overall, ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’ is that perfect weekend romcom, that should hopefully see Kapoor’s career come out of the doldrums and give him that hit he so definitely deserves.
Worth a watch and far better than some of the tripe audiences have been subject to lately
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