Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

A superbly crafted movie by debutante director Karan Johar, much in the Yash/Aditya Chopra mould, the pride of the project being the performance of the lead pair.

Shah Rukh Khan (Rahul) and Kajol (Anjali) are the best of friends in college. She's a thorough tomboy, who beats her buddy at basketball every time. SRK does care for her romantically deep down, but whenever he expresses it in a playful way, she doesn't take it seriously, due to which he begins looking elsewhere. He discovers a deep physical attraction for the principal's daughter, the new college entrant Rani Mukherjee (Tina) who is shown to be the epitome of feminine beauty, the focus of all male attention, and who simply adores SRK. This development makes Kajol realise her intense feelings for SRK, but now her attempt at getting his romantic attention is too late. When SRK confesses to her that he loves Tina, she gives up and runs away from him and the college and never gets in touch with him again.

Meanwhile SRK and Rani get married and have a baby daughter whom they also name Anjali. Rani dies at childbirth, leaving behind sealed letters to her daughter to be given on each birthday. SRK does not marry in spite of his mother's constant nagging to do so.

On the child's eighth birthday, her mother's letter contains the story of the original Anjali (Kajol). Rani explains that although she did become SRK's wife and friend, she could never become his best friend and never share the special kind of relationship that he shared with Kajol, his first and only real love. She pleads with her daughter to find Kajol and unite her to her lover forever. And the child Anjali resolves to do this with the help of her grandmother.

After a whirlwind of situations, SRK and Kajol do meet and their latent feelings for each other surface and SRK is in the seventh heaven when everything suddenly comes crashing down, because Kajol is engaged to be married to Salman Khan (in a special appearance). The despair that hits them is then painfully turned into an acceptance of their fates. The climax is poignant and sensitive with Salman providing the verbal histrionics and both SRK and Kajol emoting the way that they do best - just with their eloquent eyes.

The exaggerated, westernised sets notwithstanding, the film's strong point is its sensitive handling of relationships. For the first time, a special and beautiful friendship between a girl and a boy is depicted. It shows the main heroine as a complete tomboy, not interested in dolling up to attract men and yet shows the tenderness and passion in her when her best friend starts showing interest in another outwardly more attractive and feminine girl. Rani's characterisation - a mixture of overt sex appeal and a sweet nature - is very well done.

The dumb charades game is a novel idea for non-song-based entertainment. A very special relationship between SRK and Kajol is depicted, who know deep down that underneath their close friendship, is an intense love, which they cannot express it in time. And their love is strong enough to present itself so effortlessly when they meet after a long gap of nine years during which SRK remains a widower and Kajol remains unmarried.

The chemistry between the lead pair (SRK and Kajol) is legendary, but in this movie it takes on a new dimension altogether. Above all are the performances of the lead pair - SRK's intensity is intact and makes him truly the most impressive and explosive actor of recent times. Kajol is incomparable - she is simply too good to be true. In fact, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has her in her finest performance to date. Her transformation from a buddy-boy kind of spitfire as a college student to a beautiful, elegant, passionate woman in the later half is done with a finesse rarely seen in Hindi movies. One must mention that she looks extremely cute and trendy in her track suits and jeans in the first half and she looks simply gorgeous and stunning in the second half in saris.

The music by Jatin-Lalit is as usual melodious, and has the quality of growing on you with catchy tunes. The choreography is refined, especially the two versions of 'Ladka diwana...ladki diwani' and 'Ladka anjana...ladki anjani'. That was a novel idea - to have similar songs as before-after versions.

Technically the film is good; editing is very good and economical with not too many unnecessary scenes.

( Courtesy: mahal.org)