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Chori Chori
Chupke Chupke Movie
Review
The answer to all the above questions is,
Yes!
Emaar Films International's CHORI CHORI CHUPKE
CHUPKE, directed by Abbas-Mustan, is a love
triangle. A look at the character sketches of
the principal players:-
· Raj Malhotra (Salman Khan) is the scion of a
rich industrialist family, who is adored by all
his near and dear ones.
· Madhoo (Preity Zinta) is the third angle of
this triangle.
· Kailashnath Malhotra (Amrish Puri) is Raj's
grandfather. He adores his grandson, while Raj
simply worships the old man.
· Ranjit Malhotra (Dalip Tahil) is Raj's father,
but behaves more like his friend. Totally
involved in his business, for him work is
worship.
· Asha Malhotra (Farida Jalal) is Raj's loving
mother.
· Dr. Balraj Chopra (Prem Chopra), the most
trusted friend and adviser of the Malhotra clan,
also happens to be their family doctor.
· Pappu Bhai (Johny Lever) is brought up like a
son of the family. He has friends in high places
and is great at making things work with just one
phone call.
But first the
negative points!
To start with, the first half of the film is
plain mediocre. The love story is hunky-dory
till Rani has a miscarriage and the doctor tells
Salman, Rani's husband, that she would never be
able to conceive again.
With Preity's arrival, things start looking up.
However, Preity's initial scenes with Salman
aren't in sync with the mood of this family
entertainer. A bar girl resorting to cheap
stuff, using filthy language, is implausible in
an enterprise like this.
But the interval point brings the story on the
right path. It is sequences in the second half
that make all the difference. Sequences that
stand out are:
· Rani and Preity meeting each other, for the
first time, at the airport;
· The intimate scene between Salman and Preity
in the night, while Rani excuses herself and
stays at the church;
· The 'goad-bharai' sequence just before the
climax;
· The end of the film that is sensitively
handled.
In a country where the concept of a surrogate
mother is unimaginable, directors Abbas-Mustan
have tackled the theme with care by padding the
narrative with loads of emotions and family
values.
The post-interval portions of the film change
the graph of the story altogether. Preity
falling in love with Salman gradually and in the
end, doing a somersault by refusing to give the
child to Salman-Rani make the proceedings
immensely watchable. The drama is convincing and
does not hurt the sensibilities of an average
Indian viewer.
Thomas Xavier's cinematography is eye-catching
and the Swiss locales are a visual treat. Javed
Siddiqui's dialogues are excellent. Shyam Goel's
screenplay maintains the grip right till the
end.
This is one performance fans of Salman Khan will
love him in. He is controlled, classy and
mature, unlike the oft-repeated roles that
exhibit his physique more than talent. This role
has substance and the actor handles it with
utmost sensitivity.
Between Rani and Preity, it is difficult to
choose who's the better performer. Both have
been given equal footage (length-wise) and
importance. Both are incredibly competent in the
respective roles, although Preity does go
overboard in the initial portions. Amrish Puri
plays the lovable grandpa to the hilt. Prem
Chopra is nice. Johny Lever's comedy will appeal
to the hoipolloi.
· On the whole, CHORI CHORI CHUPKE CHUPKE has
generated a lot of heat before its release. But
the film lives up to the towering expectations
thanks to the solid drama. Coupled with a hit
musical score and an excellent opening, CHORI
CHORI CHUPKE CHUPKE should emerge the first hit
of 2001 and pump oxygen in the lungs of the film
industry. Class 'A
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