Well for this movie, a good place to begin is the end. I don't want to be a spoiler, but seriously what happened in the end. I have never seen such a hash of a climax like the one that I saw here (And thats entirely the reason for the below average rating). Surely, Vijayadan Detha's novel, Duvidha, on which this movie is based could not have had such an abrupt ending and even if it did I am sure that there would have been a lot more finesse and emotion attached then the one that we got to saw in this movie.
But now the good parts. The beautiful Rajasthani culture is brought to light in this wonderful saga about relations and the yearning for a husband by his wife. The colour and dresses in the initial song sequence as Lachchi (Rani Mukherjee) gets married to a trader husband, Kishan (Shahrukh Khan) are quite spell-binding and true to the form and culture of Rajasthan. The seamless deserts, the well-decorated banyan tree bring to life the people and lore of Rajasthan as we know it. The Rajashtani haveli, the bania mindset and the rainbow bangles intermingle beautifully in this melancholy of songs and dance. But I must warn you that songs it is that this movie has too many off. At times I felt it could fill up two whole cassettes!
However, lets get back to the story. Lachchi and her husband Kishan on the way back from their marriage halt for lunch at a rest house which has a very old banyan tree and is supposed to have more than a hundred ghosts. It is here that Lachchi meets various incarnations of the ghost, whom she will come to love very soon. As they return home, Lachchi is devastated to learn that her merchant husband will be leaving her the next day, only to return five years hence much like his elder brother who went away seven years ago and never came back. As she watches him leave the next morning, the yearning for a husband and love is all too visible in her eyes. Along comes the ghost who transforms himself to look like her husband but also reveals himself to her. It is at this very precarious moment that Lachchi must decide whether she will wait for a husband, who like his elder brother, might never return or learn to love this man who will show her the endless joys of life. It is no small wonder that she chooses the latter and what follows thereafter is miracle after miracle as he not only wins her heart but also makes her his very own. The story then moves through various small incidents as he proves her love again and again to her and their family. Things take a turn when Lachchi turn pregnant and it is time for the ghost to reevaluate his role in the scheme of things. At this point he realizes how true his love for Lachchi is, and how unwilling he is to let go of her. It is at this time that the original Kishan returns home and has to now prove that he is the real Kishan and not the ghost who has been haunting their house since the past 2 years.
The portrayal of Lachchi and Kishan are quite unforgettable by these two very talented actors. Who else to better fit the role of the bania father than Anupam Kher, a role he played to perfection long ago in the Aamir Khan-Madhuri Dixit starrer, Dil. Rajpal Yadav as a comedian is here to stay and it would not be very wrong to say that some of the most entertaining moments in the film were provided by him. Its probably a story of the times that a gorgeous well-talented actress like Juhi Chawla has to play the bit role of Lachchi's bhabhi. Sunil "Suneil" Shetty disappears faster than a ghost with his role as Juhi's husband and we shall never really know the purpose of these two otherwise talented actors in such small roles. Amitabh Bachchan is in that unique place in his career where roles are being made for him. Though it might have anyway been in the original script, his personification as the shepherd who solves the "Paheli" will not be forgotten soon. Naseruddin Shah as the voice behind the puppet makes a forceful presence.
All in all, at the end, the movie leaves you with a lost feeling. The story really does'nt move anywhere in the middle in the time between the ghost arrives and the real Kishan returns. The two hours in between is just a combination of songs, more colour and dances and piecemeal sequences which I am sure do no justice to Vijayadan Detha's novel. One wishes the story could have dealt more deeply with human relationships, about the feelings of a woman torn from her household of 20 years to be brought into a new place only to be left behind by a man she might never see. The actors gave it their all but one would have to place the blame at the door of the director for treating us to this sorely mediocre score in which so much more was possible. But the heartening thing for me from this movie is the trend that I believe we shall see more often. Much like Hollywood, we shall see more movies based on books which would mean a stronger story line (hopefully), well-sketched protagonists and though-provoking emotions. And when you have a starry cast backed by astute marketing in such an artsy movie, you are bound to pull in the crowds, at least in the opening weekend.
But now the good parts. The beautiful Rajasthani culture is brought to light in this wonderful saga about relations and the yearning for a husband by his wife. The colour and dresses in the initial song sequence as Lachchi (Rani Mukherjee) gets married to a trader husband, Kishan (Shahrukh Khan) are quite spell-binding and true to the form and culture of Rajasthan. The seamless deserts, the well-decorated banyan tree bring to life the people and lore of Rajasthan as we know it. The Rajashtani haveli, the bania mindset and the rainbow bangles intermingle beautifully in this melancholy of songs and dance. But I must warn you that songs it is that this movie has too many off. At times I felt it could fill up two whole cassettes!
However, lets get back to the story. Lachchi and her husband Kishan on the way back from their marriage halt for lunch at a rest house which has a very old banyan tree and is supposed to have more than a hundred ghosts. It is here that Lachchi meets various incarnations of the ghost, whom she will come to love very soon. As they return home, Lachchi is devastated to learn that her merchant husband will be leaving her the next day, only to return five years hence much like his elder brother who went away seven years ago and never came back. As she watches him leave the next morning, the yearning for a husband and love is all too visible in her eyes. Along comes the ghost who transforms himself to look like her husband but also reveals himself to her. It is at this very precarious moment that Lachchi must decide whether she will wait for a husband, who like his elder brother, might never return or learn to love this man who will show her the endless joys of life. It is no small wonder that she chooses the latter and what follows thereafter is miracle after miracle as he not only wins her heart but also makes her his very own. The story then moves through various small incidents as he proves her love again and again to her and their family. Things take a turn when Lachchi turn pregnant and it is time for the ghost to reevaluate his role in the scheme of things. At this point he realizes how true his love for Lachchi is, and how unwilling he is to let go of her. It is at this time that the original Kishan returns home and has to now prove that he is the real Kishan and not the ghost who has been haunting their house since the past 2 years.
The portrayal of Lachchi and Kishan are quite unforgettable by these two very talented actors. Who else to better fit the role of the bania father than Anupam Kher, a role he played to perfection long ago in the Aamir Khan-Madhuri Dixit starrer, Dil. Rajpal Yadav as a comedian is here to stay and it would not be very wrong to say that some of the most entertaining moments in the film were provided by him. Its probably a story of the times that a gorgeous well-talented actress like Juhi Chawla has to play the bit role of Lachchi's bhabhi. Sunil "Suneil" Shetty disappears faster than a ghost with his role as Juhi's husband and we shall never really know the purpose of these two otherwise talented actors in such small roles. Amitabh Bachchan is in that unique place in his career where roles are being made for him. Though it might have anyway been in the original script, his personification as the shepherd who solves the "Paheli" will not be forgotten soon. Naseruddin Shah as the voice behind the puppet makes a forceful presence.
All in all, at the end, the movie leaves you with a lost feeling. The story really does'nt move anywhere in the middle in the time between the ghost arrives and the real Kishan returns. The two hours in between is just a combination of songs, more colour and dances and piecemeal sequences which I am sure do no justice to Vijayadan Detha's novel. One wishes the story could have dealt more deeply with human relationships, about the feelings of a woman torn from her household of 20 years to be brought into a new place only to be left behind by a man she might never see. The actors gave it their all but one would have to place the blame at the door of the director for treating us to this sorely mediocre score in which so much more was possible. But the heartening thing for me from this movie is the trend that I believe we shall see more often. Much like Hollywood, we shall see more movies based on books which would mean a stronger story line (hopefully), well-sketched protagonists and though-provoking emotions. And when you have a starry cast backed by astute marketing in such an artsy movie, you are bound to pull in the crowds, at least in the opening weekend.