Kya
Kehna Movie
Review
What happens when a college student gets
pregnant? What happens when she decides to give
birth to her baby, thereby defying the norms of
society? What happens when the lover shuns his
responsibility of marrying the would-be mother?
Can the girl face the ruthless society alone?
Tips Films' KYA KEHNA, directed by Kundan Shah,
provides the answers to these questions!
Priya (Preity Zinta) is a spirited girl, just
out of school and in her first year of college.
As the only daughter, she is the apple of her
father's (Anupam Kher) eye. Her mother (Farida
Jalal) and three brothers also dote on her. So
does Ajay (Chandrachur Singh), her childhood
friend. But Priya is unaware of his feelings and
considers him to be a mere friend.
In college, Priya meets Rahul (Saif Ali Khan)
and is swept off her feet by his charming
personality. Rahul is a known casanova and is
always flirting with some girl or the other. He
notices Priya and is immediately attracted to
her. Her family warns her of his wild
reputation, but Priya refuses to listen. And
then a tragedy strikes, which changes her entire
life -- Priya gets pregnant.
From being everybody's darling, Priya finds
herself alone and defenceless, facing the barbs
of a hypocritical society. There is just one man
who can save her -- Rahul -- but he too turns
his back on her. Much against everyone's wishes,
Priya decides to fight for her belief and gives
birth to a baby girl.
Director Kundan Shah has opted for a bold
subject this time -- an unwed mother who defies
the norms of society. The film has been treated
with sensitivity it deserves and there are
several scenes that linger in your memory for a
long time, notable among them being: [i] Priya
slapping her Vice-Principal at a farewell
function in her school, [ii] Priya's parents
learning of her pregnancy at the wedding
function, and the looks they exchange, [iii]
Rahul refusing to marry Priya, first in Priya's
house and later, at his house when Priya's
father begs him to marry her on learning of her
pregnancy and [iv] The ending of the film
wherein Priya rejects Rahul and opts for Ajay.
These are a handful of scenes that prove Kundan
Shah's command over the script and medium.
Hindi films rarely try to showcase the other
side of a woman -- bold and determined to
achieve what she desires. KYA KEHNA is one of
those films where the characterisation of the
central character, Priya, is shown powerful, not
meek and helpless. Whether it is slapping of her
Vice-Principal or her wish to deliver a baby,
thereby defying the norms of the society, or
rejecting the baby's father and opting for the
other man in the end, the story is a welcome
change from those oft-repeated themes which
degrade a woman no end.
If the first half of the film is promising
enough, the script falters in the second half.
In the post-interval portions, several scenes
have been stretched unnecessarily and could've
been done without. For instance, the Deven Varma-Daisy
Irani track seems incomplete. Ditto for Rahul's
characterisation, as to why he behaves the way
he behaves. The meeting at the town hall,
convened at the instance of Rahul's mother (Navneet
Nishan), also seems far-fetched. The college
skit is very dramatic as well, although the
speech by Priya thereafter is justified.
The film needs to be trimmed in the second half
for a better impact. The 'Oh Soniye' song should
be deleted in the pre-climax, since it comes as
a hindrance in moving the story ahead.
Otherwise, Rajesh Roshan's music is soft on our
eardrums. 'Aye Dil Laya Hai Bahar' and 'Jaaneman
Jaane Jaan, Tumsa Koi Kahan' are the pick of the
lot; easy to hum and well picturised too. Honey
Irani's script deviates from the routine, but
the blanks in the script could've been avoided.
Dialogues are well penned. Cinematography is
inspiring.
In a role that has negative shades, Saif Ali
Khan makes his presence felt, although the film
gives the heroine more scope than the heroes.
Chandrachur Singh does not get much scope to
perform and even length-wise, the role is not
substantial enough. He does not impress much.
Preity Zinta, the central character, tries hard
to deliver a punch-packed performance, but a
role as strong as this required a seasoned
performer, someone like Kajol. Preity does not
have the calibre as an actress to rise to the
occasion and her dialogue delivery too is not as
fiery, something this character demanded.
Both Anupam Kher and Farida Jalal prove yet
again that they are mature performers. Navneet
Nishan is excellent, although her
characterisation disappears after the meeting
called by her. Her exit seems incomplete and
should've been more impactful.
To sum up, KYA KEHNA is an honest attempt at
tackling a bold theme, but one factor that goes
against it is its face value. Had the film
boasted of bigger and more talented names, its
fate could've been different. Yet, the sole
factor that can help this good effort is word of
mouth publicity. For, it has been proved time
and again that small films turn big with this
strong factor.