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Fardeen, Richa star in an insomniac's delight
Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein is another yawning family drama.
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Seema Pant
Producer D Rama Naidu's love story / social thriller Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein stars Fardeen
Khan. Khan, who desperately needs a hit (he hasn't given us one after
his moderately successful Jungle
and Pyaar Tune
Kya Kiya), now tries his luck with debutante Richa
Pallod.
The subject is as old as time -- two feuding families. Someone has to
come along and make things right.
Vishnu Pratap Singh's (Vikram Gokhale) sister is married to Virendra
Pratap (Govind Namdeo). They are next-door neighbors but the past stands
like a wall between the two families.
In comes Vishnu Pratap Singh's grandson Abhay (Fardeen Khan) to make things alright. Incidentally, Abhay's father was responsible for the feud. The result: Vishnu Pratap Singh does not want anything to do with his son and his family. Of course, circumstances lead to grandfather relenting and inviting the now dead son's family over.
A plethora of aunts and uncles fill up the ancestral home Abhay that visits with his mother and sister. Since his father
is no more, the son faces the wrath from his grandfather. Meanwhile Abhay manages to win the hearts of the other family members, ailing grandmother (Farida Jalal) being one of them.
The mandatory romance is taken care of by the presence of Mangala (Pallod). Of course, the path of true love is not smooth, and the grandson must sacrifice his love for the two warring families to unite. Will he do that? Not
much guessing required.
KTKKHK is a remake of the popular Telugu hit and National-Award winner Kalisundam Raa. The film was also the biggest Telugu grosser in 1999. While the original was directed by debutant Uday Shankar, its Hindi remake has K Ravi Shankar at the helm.
K Ravi Shankar has earlier directed family entertainers like Sindoor and Swarg Se Sunder, and action-thrillers like Apradhi and the Govinda-Shilpa Shetty starrer, Aag (1994).
KTKKHK, unfortunately, does not have a single moment worth a mention. The scenes have been handled very carelessly. The dialogues are below average. And the direction is sketchy. The film is based in a village, but the lead pair reaches New Zealand in the songs! Why are Hindi films not authentic?
Some Viraasat, some Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and some Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, but KTKKHK is nowhere close to any of the above mentioned movies. Be it by way of performances, direction, soundtrack, screenplay or dialogue.
Fardeen Khan has been cast opposite a newcomer for the third time after Reema Sen in Hum Ho Gaye Aapke and Amrita Arora in Kitne Door
Kitne Paas. This film will probably meet the same fate as the other two. Khan looks embarrassed and uncomfortable through the film. He just fails to deliver, especially in the emotional scenes.
Maybe Fardeen is better off modelling. He looks good, but that is about it. As an aside, he has even lent his voice to the instantly forgettable track Aa ra raa ra (with Sonu Nigam).
Pallod (who played junior Sridevi in Yash Chopra's Lamhe), has already bagged the best actress award for her Telugu debut film Nuvve
Kavali. In this film you wonder how she managed that. Although some of the fault goes to the director and the shoddily handled scenes, Pallod does not help much by screeching through the film.
Vikram Gokhale, Farida Jalal and Govind Namdeo do their parts well.
The mediocrity of the script and characters rob the film entirely of its generic warmth --- a facet normally associated with the Indian family drama.
The director K Ravi Shankar claimed it was a wholesome family entertainer and a touching love story. It disappoints on both counts.