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Kismat Konnection Review

2 stars

Cast: Shahid Kapoor,Vidya Balan,Juhi Chawla  Director: Aziz Mirza  




Other Critic Reviews
Aziz Mirza is known for movies with simple characters. An underdog achieving success is the theme of most Aziz Mirza movies and Kismat Konnection is no different. But the problem with this unlike his previous movies is the journey of the lead characters is dull and lifeless.
By Ashok Nayak  2 Stars
Read Review

Yup, all's well with the world. This working-class romance really works.
By Subhash K Jha  2.5 Stars
Read Review

2 stars
By Jahan Bakshi  Fri, 18 Jul 2008
Quentin Tarantino, while explaining why he deleted one of the scenes from his 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction said, "It sounds like someone trying to write like me, (rather) than me."

No line could better describe Aziz Mirza's new film Kismat Konnection, which marks his return to direction after a span of nearly five years. It feels like Aziz Mirza trying to make an Aziz Mirza film, which is a pity- for despite their apparent ordinariness, it was the effortless charm and generosity of heart that characterized his previous films that made them so very endearing.

On the face of it, Kismat Konnection has all the trademark themes of an Aziz Mirza film- the struggle of the everyman to survive and succeed, the conflict between morals and ambition, and of course love and romance- why, even the main leads are called Raj and Priya. But while even the rather unsatisfying Chalte Chalte was irresistibly romantic before it became unbearably screechy, that Mirza magic that never failed to connect with us feels strangely amiss here.

The attempt to make everything oh-so-familiar clearly shows from the beginning, and in an emotional scene Shahid almost seems to be unconsciously channeling Shah Rukh Khan, which also makes you yearn for the original Raj- perhaps the only actor who can make doing mush, look like mush.

Shahid Kapur does a decent job but never really manages to come totally into his own, alternating between earnest and trying-too-hard. To be fair, he is an actor who is always easy on the senses- and that sure does help- but the angst of his character never really comes through effectively. Then again, maybe that's also because despite the number of times it is mentioned in the film, Raj never really seems to be 'struggling'. Frankly, if you ask me, he seems having quite a gala time in picturesque Toronto, attractively lensed by the ever-dependable Binod Pradhan.

Vidya Balan, who quite literally plays 'lady-luck' here, could do with some luck herself, or perhaps some better choice of roles and hairdresser/stylist. Her woefully vapid character is a sorry rehash of her roles in Lage Raho Munnabhai and the disastrous Heyy Babyy. The film does absolutely nothing to justify her presence, and it is sad to see the immensely talented actress do little more than well, just look immense.

A great supporting cast can often raise a film by many notches (like we saw two weeks back in another rom-com that has since become the flavor of the season), but that doesn't happen here either, as all we see are loud stereotypes playing themselves out here.

Having said all this, it's not as if the film's all that bad- it's never exactly unwatchable, and after seeing most other films this year, trust me when I say I've seen much worse. But a feel-good film should make you feel good, and that's not exactly the emotion I'm feeling right now. Well, well- what can I say, Mr. Mirza, except- better luck next time?
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