Okay, now that we’ve had a few days to digest our holiday film feast, Julie and I are back with Part II of the new reviews. It seems like I’m spending an inordinate amount of time at the Loehmann’s Cinemas in Falls Church, VA, even for me! I’m blaming it on Kathy and Pat for enabling me…and Shah Rukh for refusing to age, and continuing to ensnare us, year after year in those fathomless dimples of his.
Jenny K: Well…finally over my latest crazy costume deadline, and I decided to celebrate by going out to see the latest food comedy out there in Hindi Movieland, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana (2012). It had me thinking two things…one, why does everyone in this film remind me of someone else (not necessarily in a bad way) and, two, where can I get some hot parathas after this movie lets out!!! Every third shot has someone flipping the bread over on the griddle, over an open flame and someone slathering ghee all over it! It’s a crime they don’t have any Indian food at the concession stand…I’m hungry! And that may be partly inspired by our star…Kunal Kapoor has his first solo starring hero role since his debut in Meenaxi. Here’s the trailer, with optional subtitles.
Julie M: Oooh, baby, food AND Kunal Kapoor? Let me at it!!
Jenny K: Kunal does a nice job in a slightly quiet role, and only falls short a bit in the dancing aspect (as exhibited in the final number over the credits, particularly). Madhuri must have been riding him like crazy in Aaja Naachle, because I didn’t notice a particular lack, in that one. He’s cut his long hair and shaved his beard, and though I thought I would miss them, he’s quite dishy in this new look. Sort of a cross between Aamir and Hrithik, if you can imagine that.
Julie M: Mmmm…tasty…but I like Kunal’s long hair and slightly scruffy look he’s known for better than this, dishy or not. It about killed me to see Don 2 and he had cut his locks for that one!
Jenny K: Kunal plays Omi, a sad sack, would-be player who steals money from his family and goes off to make his fortune, supposedly, in London, but when the story starts he’s come back with his tail between his legs, and an NRI-Indian mob boss who he owes money to, hot on his trail. He tries to get more money from his family while making them think he’s changed his ways and become a hot young lawyer back in LimeyLand. His grandfather, played by Vinod Nagpal, who reminds me a bit of Pankaj Kapur for some reason, has had a stroke or something and no longer remembers his relatives or, more importantly, the recipe for his famous chicken khurana which made his restaurant thrive. Of course, Omi’s return is central to the rebirth of the family fortunes, but it takes a reaaaaaly long time to get there.
Kunal’s leading lady Huma Qureshi, has been in a few films lately, (Gangs of Wasseypur, Trishna) but this seems to be her first try at romantic comedy. She plays the role of Omi’s young love, Harman, who he left behind and she’s gone on to become a doctor.
Harman is now engaged to Omi’s adopted brother Jeet (Rahul Bhagga), but neither one of the engaged pair seem particularly enthused about this turn of events. Huma is a nicely rounded beauty, who oozes intelligence and a shy sex appeal that sort of harks back to the early Kajol charm, say in DDLJ. She depicts her resistance to Omi’s return and the gradual crumbling of her resolves in a very believable way. I look forward to seeing her again. Here’s the video of the title song.
Julie M: That’s kind of a big topic: “Who is the Next Kajol?” You like Huma, I like Genelia, and for a while there Anushka Sharma had some possibilities. At least we know it’s not Priyanka Chopra, right?
Jenny K: Kajol has a much more girl-next-door quality than most of the new girls have, and that Priyanka isn’t really shooting for, is she? I sort of thought she was gunning for the Next Madhuri or the Next Aish, at best…however, her performance in Barfi! may be showing her aim for more substance over the glamour angle.
Julie M: We’ll reserve judgment until we see her performance in the upcoming Zanjeer remake, where she plays the role made famous by the feisty Jaya Badhuri (Bachchan). Although substance that’s not…more about that when we review the 1973 original.
Jenny K: Where Luv Shuv’s concerned, I think that the plot had a few too many extra characters for clarity, and a few dead-end red herrings that made me go “Really?” too often. Although the script could have benefited from at least twenty minutes off of it, I enjoyed the end result. Especially liked the pagal Uncle Titu played by Rajesh Sharma, who I feel like I’ve seen before, and I must have in The Dirty Picture, but can’t really place him. Here’s a nice article on him. 
When watching this sort of unfortunate final-credit item number, I just kept wishing that Javeed Jaffrey had played the gangster in this one…someone in the number should know how to dance. Liked the soundtrack, though, by Amit Trivedi.
Julie M: LSTCK looks very sweet, kind of Today’s Special vibe-y and very indie-feeling. EVERYTHING is at my local theater but I have no time to go!!! I don’t know about Jab Tak Hai Jaan, it’s gotten mixed reviews but it would be nice to see SRK in a Yash Chopra film again.
Jenny K: I’m going to see JTHJ with Kathy and Pat tonight, I think. I’ll let you know where I stand.
[the next day…]
Jenny K: Well, I survived the evening, and enjoyed Jab Tak Hai Jaan (As Long As I Live, 2012)…somewhat. Nice being out with the girls, but even they, who are the ultimate SRK fans, seemed a bit underwhelmed. Paraphrasing Kathy’s verdict, “Good, of course, but I’ve seen it before, and done better.” We all sort of felt that Veer Zaara had that thwarted love thing pretty well perfected for director Yash Chopra, and wondered why he wanted to have his last film seem like a slightly watercolor version of that earlier film.
SRK looked pretty good, but I think that his own personal digital effects company may have de-aged his face a bit for the first half when he was supposedly playing 28.
I liked the look in the second half, at “38,” almost better, though with the amount of gray hair in the stubble, I’d think that 38 was a kind estimate. He is in good shape, pretty buff, not too buff or too skinny, both of which we like him to avoid. His performance was the strongest in the movie, charming and touching without overacting.
Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma were both pretty and endearing leading ladies. Neither had the Kajol certain-something in the chemistry with him, but certainly not as bland as all the reviews have said.
Katrina sort of danced him off the floor in the following number, “Ishq Shava,” though it has more impact during the actual scene. This clip has been edited down from about three separate sections of the number, in the dance hall, on the ship and outside the dance hall on the dock. It’s a much longer number and has more drama, especially at the beginning where SRK is encouraging Katrina’s character to “let it all out” and finally be herself. She dances with at least three other guys before he joins her, and you can’t take your eyes off her. Kat may not be a flawless actress, but no one should say she can’t dance.
Julie M: I don’t think she’s as bad as everyone says. Maybe because my first experience with her was in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which you said was an unusually good performance for her, but really, she’s no better or worse than any of the other beauty queens out there now.
Jenny K: The thing that may bring the audience out in droves is Shah Rukh’s first on-screen kissing…yep, at the ripe old age of 47…he’s given in. Maybe not open mouth kissing, they still block those shots with the back of Katrina’s head, but definitely several lip on lip shots, where he seemed not to be able to get enough of Katrina. Each time he made the plunge there was an audible “OOOOhhhhoooohhhhh!” from the audience. Even the young college age guys were hooting and laughing a bit.
My main reaction was “Why, and why now?”…maybe it was a business decision. I can almost hear his wife, Gauri, who’s often an executive producer on his films, brainstorming with him, “What can we do to put people in the seats?…old fashioned romance, separated lovers, FABULOUS shots of Ladakh scenery, all sorts of visual reminders of DDLJ, a bit more skin, and, yes, Shah Rukh, you’re going to have to follow Hrithik’s lead and lay on the lips…I know it’s tough, but, heck, your lips are twice as big as HR’s so you should get twice the hoopla, hai na?”
Julie M: !!!! OK, you’ve got me. Gotta see this.
Jenny K: The negatives are all on the writer’s side, I’m afraid: the plot…big holes, especially in the second half, and the length. Anushka (so cute in Band Baaja Baaraat, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) did as much as she could, but the plot had her playing the “door-prize role” Preity Zinta rather perfected in Dil Se… and the writers chose to have him pine and whine, as usual, for his old “ideal” girl. My hopes for a more healthy ending were dashed. In addition, my stand on three hour films is weakened when it doesn’t actually advance the story. Note to Aditya Chopra: you really needed to credit the writers of The Hurt Locker for a large chunk of this movie.
Julie M: I didn’t see The Hurt Locker. Can you expand on that…is it a direct rip-off, or did they actually write some of it? Pardon my lack of currency here.
Jenny K: Well, no, not a slavish copy, of course. The original would have been too unrelievedly depressing for the audience SRK usually draws. But both deal with a man who is so cavalier about his own life that he can defuse bombs with complete cool and apparent disregard for his own safety (no special suit, very little back-up, if any, etc.). They both come on like Army Supermen…Shah Rukh, of course, does it with a tight black tee, dark shades and a cool motorcycle. Bet Jeremy Renner wishes he wrote that last one into his contract!
Next time, we’ll see what Aamir Khan has up his sleeve with Talaash!
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Jenny Ketcham
julialmoore
Filmi-Goris 
OK, I finally saw JTHJ and I must say I was 67% bored. You know me and romances. It felt too comfortable for SRK–the same old thing, guaranteed to entertain–but it broke no new ground except the kissing, which he totally did not look comfortable with. Anushka Sharma seemed to get her groove back after “Ricky Bahl” and I was really rooting for her in her part of the story, but I guess the lure of obsessive love was too much for the writers to resist.
I agree with you that SRK looked much better than he did in Don 2 and I really dug the scruffy beard. I hope this is the last of his “lover” roles because frankly, his best scenes were not the sappy love stuff but the good character stuff in the 2nd half. Accept your age, sir, let the kids take over that particular genre and look for more meaty roles. Surprise us.