Tonight’s movie is Kareeb.
Birju (Bobby Deol) is a charming rogue in need of the love of a good woman to straighten him out. The good woman is Neha (Neha), daughter of a local schoolteacher (Moushumi Chatterjee). When Birju first catches sight of Neha, he’s so captivated that he promptly falls into a river. Birju tries to win Neha’s heart through the usual good-natured trickery, but she quickly shuts him down, telling him that the man she loves will not steal, and will be willing to confess his faults in public. Birju manages a pretty convincing reformation, and finally wins Neha’s heart mid-song. (I’m not entirely sure how, since the songs are not subtitled.)
Birju and Neha plan to marry. Unfortunately, Birju’s wealthy father wants a girl who can provide a sizable dowry, and Neha’s only relative is her schoolteacher mother, so no dowry will be forthcoming. Birju resorts to trickery once more, but his plan backfires just before the ceremony, leading to public humiliation for Neha and a heart attack for Neha’s mother (followed by an attack of Bollywood Mystery Disease.) Birju shows up to try and fix things, but Neha’s in no mood to listen to him; she’s busy trying to get her mother into the hospital. She says she doesn’t want to see him, and Birju swears that she won’t see his face until he’s managed to pay for her mother’s treatment. Birju follows Neha to the hospital in Shimla, and, in order to be near her and earn money to pay hospital bills, takes a job in a laundry business run by a Britain-obsessed Johnny Lever.
While a bit melodramatic, that is a fine set-up for a Bollywood film, with the hero toiling away incognito in order to serve the woman he loves. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the movie we get. True, Birju toils away dutifully, but the entire medical bill plotline quickly grows more and more complicated, making Birju’s sacrifice more and more irrelevant. It’s as if the writer thought of five different ways to wrap up the film, and rather than choose one, decided to use them all.
The pacing in Kareeb is unusual for Bollywood. At its best (particularly during some of the early romantic scenes) the film is pleasantly languid. At its worst, it drags on like a Saturday Night Live sketch that’s lost sight of its punchline. The lack of big dance numbers adds to the generally slow pace. Despite the lack of dancing, the songs are quite pleasent, with the exception of the first number, which features Bobby Deol dancing maniacally to the tune of “Happy Birthday To You.”
The acting is generally pleasant but low-key. Even Johnny Lever underplays here; his character is eccentric, yes, but he’s only given one real chance to ham it up, and even that is related to the plot.
Kareeb isn’t really a bad movie, but, like Bobby Deol’s hair, it really needs a good trim.
Birju (Bobby Deol) is a charming rogue in need of the love of a good woman to straighten him out. The good woman is Neha (Neha), daughter of a local schoolteacher (Moushumi Chatterjee). When Birju first catches sight of Neha, he’s so captivated that he promptly falls into a river. Birju tries to win Neha’s heart through the usual good-natured trickery, but she quickly shuts him down, telling him that the man she loves will not steal, and will be willing to confess his faults in public. Birju manages a pretty convincing reformation, and finally wins Neha’s heart mid-song. (I’m not entirely sure how, since the songs are not subtitled.)
Birju and Neha plan to marry. Unfortunately, Birju’s wealthy father wants a girl who can provide a sizable dowry, and Neha’s only relative is her schoolteacher mother, so no dowry will be forthcoming. Birju resorts to trickery once more, but his plan backfires just before the ceremony, leading to public humiliation for Neha and a heart attack for Neha’s mother (followed by an attack of Bollywood Mystery Disease.) Birju shows up to try and fix things, but Neha’s in no mood to listen to him; she’s busy trying to get her mother into the hospital. She says she doesn’t want to see him, and Birju swears that she won’t see his face until he’s managed to pay for her mother’s treatment. Birju follows Neha to the hospital in Shimla, and, in order to be near her and earn money to pay hospital bills, takes a job in a laundry business run by a Britain-obsessed Johnny Lever.
While a bit melodramatic, that is a fine set-up for a Bollywood film, with the hero toiling away incognito in order to serve the woman he loves. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the movie we get. True, Birju toils away dutifully, but the entire medical bill plotline quickly grows more and more complicated, making Birju’s sacrifice more and more irrelevant. It’s as if the writer thought of five different ways to wrap up the film, and rather than choose one, decided to use them all.
The pacing in Kareeb is unusual for Bollywood. At its best (particularly during some of the early romantic scenes) the film is pleasantly languid. At its worst, it drags on like a Saturday Night Live sketch that’s lost sight of its punchline. The lack of big dance numbers adds to the generally slow pace. Despite the lack of dancing, the songs are quite pleasent, with the exception of the first number, which features Bobby Deol dancing maniacally to the tune of “Happy Birthday To You.”
The acting is generally pleasant but low-key. Even Johnny Lever underplays here; his character is eccentric, yes, but he’s only given one real chance to ham it up, and even that is related to the plot.
Kareeb isn’t really a bad movie, but, like Bobby Deol’s hair, it really needs a good trim.
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