Thursday, December 16, 2010

Break Ke Baad- Review


If you remember, the ‘transition phase’ has always been a very interesting and essential part of 80s Hindi Cinema. It would all start with a small kid running to save himself from the goons or perhaps after picking someone's pocket. And in due course the credits would roll down and by the time 'all that jazz' was over; he would suddenly transform into a handsome,young, grown-up alpha male. The transition in BKB has been shown in a similar way. Aliya and Abhay’s (Deepika and Imran) journey in the beginning is depicted in a very cute way until love blossoms. If you are a Bollywood lover, the opening credits of BKB are sure to fascinate you. A teenage Deepika doing a Pooja Bedi a la Marilyn Monroe 'wind beneath the skirt' scene atop a bench and the credits flashing on the black board is one such example of how the 
the thinktank of the film showed utmost creativity (at least in the beginning). It didn't take much time for my enthusiasm to fizzle out and I realized that plain innovation applied in the unspooling of introductory credits isn't enough to hold your attention for a long time, there needs to be more meat and (an occasional sprinkle of masala on it). C'mon it's nowhere close to a realistic flick, so all hard-nosed cinema lovers, don't get all ruffled up, please! There are scenes which make you drool over Imran and there are also parts that will put you off to sleep. But don't worry the scalding coffee will wake you up soon, yes the same coffee that the ticket seller fast-talked you into buying along with some combo that you have absolutely zilch clue about. 


So Abhay and Aliya are childhood lovers who have been courting right since they hit puberty(I guess!) . Aliya is an aspiring actress in the movie. Now isn't that supremely ironical, considering in real life she's a famous starlet who's thespian skills suck to the hilt. She wants to pursue her dreams, make it big and the whole 'relationship thing' gets cumbersome for her. Abhay on the other hand is pure old-school. He's a veritable optimist for whom 'being in love' is the most important thing in life (such a loser, I say!). Without bragging further, if I have to give a much clearer picture, then the best way to do it is, label it as a 'yet another insipid rom-com'.  Although the the songs composed by Vishal-Shekhar are truly hummable, I suggest if funky clothes, great locations, bright colors, soulful songs appeal to you; the movie is worth watching at least once.

Also I must say Ms Padukone  has come a long way from simply waving her hand in Om Shanti Om to finally showing a hint of emotion in Break Ke Baad. I like Shahhana Goswami's bohemian style in the movie. Rest assured this movie is sure to feature in the list of the many banal movies that you have wasted your time seeing in the past...