New Poster of TERI MERI KAHAANI

Mohit Rajhans of OMNI TELEVISION with SHAHID KAPOOR and PRIYANKA CHOPRA

A good friend and amazing Anchor MOHIT RAJHANS with Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra last Friday during the TERI MERI KAHAANI Premiere (courtesy of Omni Television and Mohit Rajhans)

Teri Meri Kahaani Movie Review

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

Video: Making of TERI MERI KAHAANI

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Filmfare Magazine: SHAHID n PRIYANKA

Check out Shahid and Priyanka, Bollywood's best on-screen couple posing for Filmfare Cover to promote their film TERI MERI KAHAANI. Get your copy today and find out whether they are a couple or not;)

TERE MERI KAHAANI New Dialogue Promo

Shahid, Priyanka's 'Uff' moment at IIFA Rocks

Actors Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra rocked the stage as they performed on song "Uff" from their upcoming film "Teri Meri Kahaani" at IIFA Rocks, a fashion and musical night organised as a part of ongoing 13th International Indian Film Academy Weekend and awards here.

The Esplanade concert hall was filled with excitement as Shahid brought Priyanka on stage and both of them matched steps on the song together.

The IIFA Rocks night saw a perfect blend of fashion and music with star-studded performances and ramp shows adding a dash of glamour to it.

Designers Varun Bahl, Masaba Gupta and Suneet Verma showcased their collections with star showstoppers.

While Nargis Fakhri and Vivek Oberoi walked for Bahl, Gupta had three showstoppers Shazahn Padamsee, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Zoa Morani. Verma's show had a surprise showstopper in actress Bipasha Basu.

The event, organised by Wizcraft International Entertainment, saw some star-studded performances.

First on the stage was Shahid and Priyanka, and after that the baton went to Punjabi singer Mika Singh, who performed on songs like "Chinta ta ta", "Pungi", "Jugni", Dhinka Chika and "Subah hone na de".

Next up on stage was girl group Blush, composed of five members from the Philippines, India, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.

Wearing maang tikas and bright shimmery outfits Alisha Budhrani, Angeli Flores, Ji Hae Lee, Natsuko (Nacho) Danjo, Victoria Chan, they performed on their songs "Love me" and "All star".

Model-turned-actress Gauhar Khan grooved to her popular songs like "Jhalla" and "Chokra Jawan" from "Ishaqzaade".

Shafqat Amanat Ali took to the stage and had the audience grooving to his tunes as he sang songs like "Mora saiyyan", "Tum mile", "Bin tere" and "Mitwa".

Sonu Sood, Neha Dhupia and Hazel Keech of "Bodyguard" fame danced on "Aa Ante" from their upcoming film "Maximum". The energetic performances by music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar brought the curtains down to the night of fun and frolic with songs like "Sheila ki jawaani", "Chammak challo", and "Bharat mata ki jai"

That's All I Really Wanna Do - TERI MERI KAHAANI New Song Promo

Javed's Nikkah - TERI MERI KAHAANI New Promo

New Promo of TERI MERI KAHAANI from 1910 Era

TERI MERI KAHAANI New Dialogue Promo

HUMSE PYAAR KARLE TU - TERI MERI KAHAANI

CHECK OUT THE LATEST SONG PROMO OF SHAHID AND PRIYANKA'S UPCOMING FILM "TERI MERI KAHAANI"

 HUMSE PYAAR KARLE TU

Bollywood goes back in time

Whether it is rewinding back to the 1910s or fast forwarding into 2050, Bollywood filmmakers are going back and forth in time with films like "Teri Meri Kahaani" and "Dangerous Ishq", whose stories span over decades.

And what's their biggest challenge? It's in creating the right ambience and weaving a well-connected story.

Kunal Kohli's upcoming romantic offering "Teri Meri Kahaani", starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, is set in three time periods -- 1910, 1960 and 2012. Each has its own flavour.

Similar is the case with Vikram Bhatt's "Dangerous Ishq", the story of which spans over 500 years. Though said to be based on the theme of reincarnation, the movie will see actors Rajniesh Duggal and Karisma Kapoor in varied looks as the story travels from one era to another.

According to film historian S.M.M. Ausaja, it is the writer's prerogative to pen a lucid script, the director's job to track trivial details, and the editor's work to cut a film in a way that the audience doesn't feel distracted.

"I feel content is king in such films. If a director makes the narrative less complex, it will be easier for the viewer to grasp it. Any confusion has to be credited to the script. Also, a lot depends on the depiction and the art direction. When you show a certain period in a film, it has to be well-researched," Ausaja said.

Bhatt, who went back to the 15th century for "Dangerous Ishq", says it took a good amount of team effort to shape up the film with the authenticity for each era intact.

"We did a lot of research in terms of setting, costumes, dialect and colour palette. Otherwise, we could have lost the authenticity. So whether it was art direction, costumes, dialogues or colour...all departments did their individual research and worked as a team to perfect the look of the film," Bhatt told IANS.

In the recent past, the transition in the looks of characters and the ambience have been portrayed in films like "Veer Zaara", "Bachna Ae Haseeno", "Actionn Replay", "Love Aaj Kal", "Mausam", "7 Khoon Maaf" and "Rockstar".

Kohli, who had portrayed these changes in his hit 2004 love story "Hum Tum", says more than the sets, costumes and research, it was important to focus on how the story holds over the time zones.

"It's very important that the story holds over time zones. And how do I overcome the challenge of covering different time zones in a film? Well I write a good story," he quipped.

Kohli admits "Teri Meri Kahaani" reflects his perception of the 1960s and his fantasy about the 1910 period.

"Most of my research for the 1960s era came from my passion for films. I have watched a lot of Shammi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor films and enjoyed watching them. So the setting came naturally to me. Capturing the 1910 period was complete fantasy for me.

"But unlike the way many filmmakers show the pre-independence period with serious, khadi-clad individuals, I wanted to show it with some fun. I'm sure people had fun back then and fell in love; so, that's the aspect I have tried to capture. In the 2012 era, I wanted to show a contemporary take on relationships and how love is taken forward through SMS and BBM," he said.

Filmmakers, who chose to deal with the subject of reincarnation in movies like "Madhumati", "Prem", "Milan", "Kudrat", "Karan Arjun" and "Om Shanti Om", were also posed with the challenge of showcasing different time zones.

Bhatt insists the idea of going back and forth in time is not distracting for the audience.

"Whether there are three eras or five eras in a story... one film has one story, and that shouldn't be disjointed," he added.