KANK: Worth the time?

I still can't believe after wasting 4 precious hours of my life, I have the courage to spend another 30 mins of my time to write about a film I find rediculiously preposterous. Its the King of Romance trying his hand at a more serious yet delicate topic of modern day marriage. And I don't think he could have done worst. Right from the day Shobha De saw the preview she was all gaga over what could have been one of Indian cinema's worst attempt at dealing with Fornification and Adultry(AND NOT DIVORCE).

Apart from a weak script the movie seriously lacks a sence seriousness about the topic. It seems Karan has made it with a confusing vision half-baked with borrowings from the past (which were all non serious issues of love lost and gained) and one borrowed from the so called glitterazzi who find divorce, infidelity and feminism all sub-sets of the "new Woman" coming out of the shakles to her new found liberty.
The first most important scene is where Rani is sitting confused in her wedding Joda thinking if Abhiseikh is the right person for her or not? Is he the person she can spend her lifetime with? At this point SRK enters(so who borrowed from whom? Ekta borrowed from Karan or is it the other way round) to suggest that Rani should go with her gut feeling. Rani obviously doesnt have any. Going with the flow Rani marries Abhi(btw Abhi is as confused as Rani) to found out that he's more or less a spoilt brat! She is perpetually pissed with Abhi's unhygienic habbits. SRK on the other hand is loser kindda football coach with a 'my-career-is-happening' wife. Preity's character again is typically borrowed over from Kal Ho Na Ho 'happy go grumy girl'. This time she turns dark, rather than turning grumpy.

Karan on the larger picture is unable to deal with a subject in a formidable manner. His confusion to make it a melodrama or a 'substance film' with hints of seriousness have fallen flat due to his own perplexity with the story. Also, is the film really about failed relationships or it just about four people so confused with life that they find solace and bits of similarities in whats going on in their life with others. SRK therefore finds solace in Rani and Abhi and Preity start to meet occasionally too hinting that they might hook up too. They don't.
The problem is that the movie raises some real serious questions but the answers(not even one of them) can be located in the movie. Some like... "because women today are much more liberated (remember they live in New York and not New Delhi) men find it difficult to handle their success?". But at the same time Karan forgot to induse even a single New Yorker characteristic in any of the characters apart from loading them I Love New York t-shits, I-pods (and in case of Big B with blonde girls being potrayed as loose and bimbos).
So how can Karan deal with characters shown with typical conservative Indian mentality, born and brought up in New York but deal with everything as if they are from Jhumri Tallia? So there's also a contrast, when it comes to the outer structures of characters they are all western in both look and outlook but when its comes to dealing with relationships they become as Indian as it gets. And Karan through his film has been unable to explain this contrast. Infact to me the only character worth talking about is not SRK or Preity but its Amitabh( duuno why he looks like pimp all through out the movie) who through his sharp and witty comments impresses everyone and the only one in the movie to have a SOUL... Thanks and Alvida....

PS: (As Paul would have said: its ok but who the hell gonna bring me back those 4 precious hours of my life I wasted watching this movie with torturous Haryanvis)

KANK Rediff Review