Halfway through this film, I found myself wondering whether Subash Ghai would ever recover his magical touch.
Fortunately, the second half suggests he hasn't lost it completely, but it's still a far cry from his last great movie, Taal (1999). Ghai used to be a visionary. His banner, Mukta Arts, was Bollywood's first publicly listed company, and he set up the impressive Whistling Woods Film Academy. He was also once the man with the Midas touch. Up to Taal, all of his films enjoyed blockbuster status. But now the vision and the touch are lacking. This movie is packed with characters and has a plot straight out of the 1980s. It's regressive but not retro. Retro (think Mini Cooper or an ABBA classic) is cool, whereas this is plain cold! It features a scheming wheelchair-bound mamajee (maternal uncle) complete with an eerie glass eye, a sneering mamee (aunt), their good-for-nothing sons and a conniving daughter-in-law, all of whom are intent on getting their paws on the estate of three brothers who are at war with each other. Ghai would have been better served by focusing on their personal battle and leaving out the other peripheral nonsense, as it clutters what had the makings of an engaging story. Unfortunately, he uses the only approach he knows, and while it worked once upon a time, it's definitely not a case of happily ever after! Deven (Salman Khan) is booted out by his father for repeatedly abusing his autistic half- brother, Gyanesh (Anil Kapoor). Proceedings open with Deven based in Austria, where he is a backing singer for a group fronted by his lovely girlfriend, Anushka (Katrina Kaif). They want to marry, but her father, Dr Bun- ton (Boman Irani in an Einstein get-up), won't allow her to marry a worthless individual. When Deven learns of his father's death, he makes a pact with the good doctor, asking him for 40 days to show what he is worth. If he fails, the doctor can get her married to whom- ever he wishes — and there's a willing bachelor from South Africa lying in wait. Deven returns to London, thinking there is a fortune awaiting him. His younger brother, Danny (Zahed Khan), shares his optimism, but at the reading of the will, his father's lawyer (Mithun Chakraborty) informs them that Gyanesh, who is under the guardianship of their extended family, has inherited it all. At first, the brothers try to bully Gyanesh into submission, but they are forced to take a different approach, to use compassion to try to win him over or, more to the point, to take advantage of his passion for music. Deven invites Gyanesh to Austria to spend time in his music class, where he can work alongside the gifted Anushka. Danny is required to keep a low profile, and although he agrees, he is constantly suspicious of Deven's motives. "Music binds love" is the movie's tagline, and Ghai tries to show how music contributes to the establishment of love and trust among the trio. He also suggests that when love is driven by a motive, sooner or later it must unravel, and that's the direction the story takes to set up a climax which is vintage Ghai, melodramatic and all too predictable. For a director who once exercised total control over his cast, Ghai allows the two Khans to get away with murder. Puffy-eyed Salman ad- libs his way through the film, contributing nothing other than his "I'm so cool, I don't have to try" persona, while Zahed is all anger and frustration. The only interesting aspect of both is that while they display negative shades, their characters are flawed, rather than villainous. Kapoor is the only one who acts, but watching him is like ob- serving a politician convincing cartoonists to take him seriously. It just doesn't happen! Whether Ghai intended it or not, he embroils lovely Kaif in a hairstyle battle with Chakraborty. She looks Garbo-esque, he wears a pony-tail, and both look uncomfortable. To add to this, AR Rehman's music sounds good on CD, and while it is presented lavishly, it's not moving. Still, it's not all doom and gloom. Austria is beautifully filmed, and the presentation is glitzy and opulent. However, if I were to choose between this Bollywood version of Yuvvraaj and cricket's master blaster Yuvraaj, Singh on song, hitting fours and sixes, would get my vote ahead of this extended song-and-dance! E-mail your comments to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.thetimes.co.za/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=894676 -- regards, Vithur
