Customer Reviews

I Have Found It (Kandukondain Kandukondain)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Tamil-language "Kollywood" film provided an interesting contrast to the Bollywood films I have recently seen. There are differences between the two Indian cinema styles, although both present their stories in similar ways. Not only the language, but the gestures and facial expressions differ between this Tamil film and its Hindi cinematic cousins. Kandukondain Kandukondain (I Have Found It) didn't seem as flashy or energetic, and the music and dancing also seem to reflect a more subdued different style. As I was watching the film, I thought to myself that this was a four-star film, but once it ended and I began reflecting upon what I had just seen, I realized that I was more impressed than I thought. Inspired by Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, I Have Found It does deliver great drama and romance, wonderfully rich characters, and - of course - great entertainment of both mind and soul.

This is basically the story of two sisters - one serious and pragmatic, the other wide-eyed and idealistic. Products of a good family, they enjoy an easy lifestyle, but all of that is put in jeopardy by the death of the girls' grandfather. Forced to leave their own home, they move to Madras and struggle to get by on almost nothing. The older daughter, Sowmya (Tabu), has trouble finding work because she is overqualified, and she is also burdened with the social stigma of being jinxed after the death of her fiancé and a string of reluctant suitors. She meets a young filmmaker in the most embarrassing of circumstances, but their possible marriage has to be delayed until such time as he makes his first film - and time and distance pose new problems that have Sowmya coming to believe that she truly is cursed in love. Meenakshi (Rai) is a hopeless romantic who fully expects the man born for her to ride in on a white horse and sweep her off her feet. She thinks she has found him in a flashy, brash stockbroker who can quote Bharathi, but he is besieged by severe financial problems and basically leaves her hanging for months on end. This is all rather disheartening to Major Bala, a family friend, who has fallen in love with her. Bala isn't a natural match for Meena; he's older, he lost a leg in the Sri Lankan campaign, and he has a tendency to turn all conversations to guns and fighting. No matter what his head tells him, though, he can't change his heart.

The film runs about two and a half hours, which is almost short for Indian cinema, but it tells a beautiful, multi-layered story full of great drama. You don't witness the kind of passionate romance that Hindi films tend to portray, but there's a realism to this story that makes it special. Mahmooty is wonderful as Bala, a bitter man who really turns his life around because of Meena. Tabu's emotional performance as the unlucky Sowmya who almost gives up on love in the interest of practicality is also marvelous. Aishwarya Rai is, of course, absolutely wonderful as Meena, although I must admit I wasn't completely enamored with her character early on. Sowyma and Neena represent sense and sensibility in their individual characters, but it is a combination of both characteristics that will finally lead them to the romance each one dreams of.

The film's music, composed by the brilliant A.R. Rahman, is excellent, although I much prefer the music of your typical Bollywood film. This music is just slightly different from what I'm used to - less energetic and heart-pounding. The music, like the film itself, just seems less energetic than what would find in a Bollywood offering. This isn't a bad thing, it's just different. As for the subtitles, I had no problem with them whatsoever. If there was any lag in my Kino DVD of this film, I surely didn't detect it. The bottom line is this: Kandukondain Kandukondain is a feast for the senses and an impassioned human drama. You just can't find storytelling like this in the canned movies coming out of Hollywood.

For those unfamiliar with Hindi and Tamil popular cinema, this Tamil film, directed by Rajiv Menon is a great introduction, featuring not only Aishwarya Rai but Mammoothy (the biggest actor of the Malayalam film industry), Tabu (playing Ms. Rai's sister, and who is typically seen in Hindi films) and an upbeat soundtrack by A.R. Rahman, lavishly shot by Mr. Menon. The counter-intuitive pairing of Mammoothy and Aishwarya Rai works, and the former in particular is fabulous as a one-legged (and embittered) veteran of India's Sri Lankan adventure. Mr. Menon handles his film deftly, and most viewers will probably not notice or mind its length, running close to three hours. For Bollywood fans who generally prefer to steer clear of Tamil cinema, this film is Exhibit "A" for how and why the Tamil film industry is producing some of the smartest, freshest, commercial cinema in India today, cinema which nevertheless remains true to its traditions. I wouldn't make too much of the notion that the film is an "adaptation" of Austen's novel; the two share a kinship, but no more (that is not a criticism of "Kandukondain Kandukondain," which does just fine with what it is). Wish I knew Tamil, as Vairamuthu's lyrics are fabulous in the Kino DVD's subtitles.
Note: I have also viewed the Aingharan DVD of this title; the subtitles are much better in the Kino version, and the latter doesn't leave dialog untranslated as the Aingharan DVD occasionally does; plus the subtitles are of better quality, and the Aingharan DVD does not subtitle the songs. All in all one is better off spending the extra few bucks for the Kino version.

I don't watch a lot of Bollywood musicals, but I was intrigued by the premise of this one: loosely based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, and set in modern-day India, it follows the story of two sisters and the men who court them. Since I am a big Jane Austen fan, I simply had to see how this was done, and I am very glad I took a chance on this marvelous film.

Beautiful costumes, great song-and-dance numbers and some gorgeous scenery--one scene appears to be shot in Egypt at the Pyramids, another at a Scottish castle. My only problem with the film is the hilariously bad subtitles, which start lagging about 30 seconds behind the action on screen around halfway through the film. I had to give up on them about three quarters of the way through the movie, but the story was easy to follow, and I didn't feel lost.

Overall, an excellent film, and highly recommended.

Edited to add that I should have rated the film 4 stars instead of just 3.

This is a very enjoyable adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. The heroines are wellcast and the two young men are sensual and attractive. The characters are well developed and the viewer cares for them all. I've had the DVD for 6 days and have watched it through twice and my favorite parts MANY times.

The scene where the Major rescues Meenu in the rain was unique enough that I had my husband look up from his newspaper to watch it when I was watching the highlights last night.

In the Special Features section, the Kino DVD has the songs which I enjoy playing while I work around the house.

For anyone who enjoy musicals and romance, this is a great movie.

The movie itself is enjoyable. A great story about a family where one daughter dreams of being married to her true love while the other daughter is just grateful if she gets married at all. So, different suitors come and a couple actually stick around by the movie's end. The fun part of the movie is seeing who will end up with who. The plot takes a really bold turn when daddy dies and an unexpected party ends up with the will, and the house! The songs are also well done. The song used during the filming of a movie (towards the end) is a really nice and catchy tune. The romantic daydream scenes were also done very well.

But one star was lopped off because of those horrible subtitles. Misspelled words, incomplete sentences, and even the songs were poorly translated. And keep that pause button handy because when the subs do show up they are wicked fast. However, I was still able to follow the story along. The bad subs don't totally ruin the experience but it does create a minor inconvenience. Hopefully, someone will remaster this little gem and redo those translations. Otherwise, this is more substantial proof that India knows how to make great cinema.

If this title caught you, perhaps you are a Jane Austen fan, or a Bollywood fan, or both. I count myself among the former, and am new to Bollywood, but I'm here to say, if you enjoyed Bride and Prejudice (and I did), check this out. It is much better -- I'm guessing because it is the real deal, Bollywood I mean. The dance numbers are fabulous; the first one alone has 5 or 6 costume changes! And you have to love that the filmmakers take you to exotic and incongruous locations like Egypt and Scotland for musical numbers. Lush visuals, great story, wonderful music and dance, appealing stars -- it's got it all!
If you didn't like B & P, but you thought the premise had promise, try this movie.

Having been semi-introduced to Bollywood thru Bride and Prejudice and thus to Aishwarya Rai, I was eager to see another Indian film done ala Jane Austen. I'm pleased and somewhat relieved to say that Kandukondain Kandukondain (I Have Found It), based on Austen's Sense & Sensibility, comes up a definite winner. This is another superb film effort teeming with bright colors, lavish costumes, bright sets, eye-popping song & dance routines, well-cast actors and a classic storyline.

I Have Found It is the tale of two sisters and their travails, romantically, financially, socially. Tabu plays Sowmya, the pragmatic, somewhat withdrawn sister, who feels she is bad luck when it comes to love; Aishwarya Rai is Meenakshi, the romantic sister, brimming with life, not afraid to dream and then pursue that dream; Ajith portrays Manohar, a would be director who spurns his father's offer to work for his business and vows to marry the emotionally fragile Sowmya as soon as he directs his first film; Mammootty's character is Bala, a bitter one-legged, ex-soldier drunkard who nevertheless is steadfast in his unrequited love for the unattainable Meena and seemingly is always there when Meena needs him most; Abbas plays Srikanth, a rich businessman who recites poetry and becomes the center of Meena's world, much to Bala's quiet despair. Anyone who has read Sense & Sensibility should be able to recognize the characters and somewhat follow along with the story's unfolding.

There is a certain sense of realism here, mostly brought about by the acting of Mammooty, which nevertheless doesn't take away from the romantic feel of the movie; I Have Found It doesn't have the overblown, all-encompassing love affair of a movie like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Taal, for example (although Meena's romance with Srikanth is giddy enough). Bala (played to world-weary perfection by Mammootty) seems to be old enough to be Meena's father and is not at all your typical Romeo, in the looks or amorous behavior department, yet it's pretty obvious he is the one viewers will be rooting for. I found Sowmya and Manohar's relationship interesting enough but to be honest, I couldn't wait for the movie to refocus on Meena, Srikanth and Bala, which, to me, was the more intriguing storyline (maybe my bias for Aish sneaking thru).

There are great songs here but I have 3 favorites. "Yenna Solla Pogirai?" (What Will Your Answer Be?) features Manohar (Ajith), with pretty cool dance steps, wooing Sowmya; "Kanjun Meinakalei" (Song to the Mynah Bird) is the first song in the movie and it pretty much sums up Aish's optimistic, the world-is-my-oyster sensibilities; but the best one is "Kannamoochi Yennada" (Hide and Seek), which shows off Aishwarya Rai dancing at her most ravishing (in fact, "Kannamoochi Yennada" might be my favorite Aish music number of all time); the exquisite choreagraphy in this showstopper, the way Aish moves and expresses herself...geez, you literally cannot take your eyes away from her.

I Have Found It is two and a half hours long, quite short by Bollywood standards. But it is a few hours that will pass by very enjoyably; and when the movie is over, you will sigh, romantic viewer that you are, and ruefully shrug away the spell that was cast over you and then resignedly go back to reality, but hopefully taking with you the knowledge that there are movies out there infinitely better than the Son of the Mask.

This is a great Kollywood film that can definitely be enjoyed by fans of the genre, or those who have never seen this type of film before. For those of you unfamiliar with the Kollywood films of India, they combine action, romance, drama, comedy and musical numbers (some that appear to be straight out of an Indian music video) into one complex piece. They also differ from Bollywood films, because they are filmed in the Southern region of India, and, like this one, are presented in the Tamil language. In the case of I HAVE FOUND IT, the storyline is taken directly from Jane Austen's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. The tale of three daughters (two of them, grown), their widowed mother, and the men who court the young women has been updated from 19th century England, to modern-day India.

I HAVE FOUND IT is intelligently written (and very well translated), the photography is rich, beautiful and really makes you feel a part of the story. It pulls you in with lovely colors, intriguing camera angles and makes poetry of the beautiful faces and forms of the lead actresses, Aishraya Rai (Meenakshi), the "sensibility" sister, and Tabu ("Sowmya"), the "sense" sister. All the actors dance and act beautifully (and also lip synch very convincingly to the songs--another hallmark of Bollywood). This film is refreshingly well thought out, compelling and warm.

I am hoping that more people come to appreciate Indian film, through watching movies like this. Of course, the Bollywood productions are not the only great thing about Indian cinema (we can't forget about the late, great Satyajit Ray and the contemporary filmmaker Mira Nair, whose productions didn't need flashy costuming or crowdpleasing moves to appeal to our hearts and minds). However, this is an outstanding example of when Bollywood goes deliciously right!
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Growing up in Toronto I would go to my friends houses after school and some of their parents would be watching Bollywood movies. I didn't understand the language but I loved the sound of the music and the colourful outfits. Two years ago I decided to watch Bollywood, Hollywood and I was taken back 20 years to my youth. Then came Bride and Prejudice because I am a Jane Austen fan, which then made me want to see I Have Found It (Sense and Sensibility). And boy did it find me. At first I found it hard to keep up with the speed of the subtitles but once I got used to it I fell head over heels for this film. I don't know anything about Bollywood or Kollywood films yet but I hope this is a good indication of what they will be like. I loved the music, the emotion, the romance, the energy, the colour and the humour. I still have some of the music playing in my head and it has been 2 days since I saw the DVD. There is a whole world outside of Hollywood waiting to be explored and I am ready....

This is my favorite movie, because it is something so different from everything I've seen before. The plot is well conceived and loosely based on Jane Austen's classic, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Each character is deep and complex and the musical numbers are absolutely fascinating scenes of color, fabulous music, and exotic masks and costumes. I got this out of the library, and half-way through, I knew I needed to buy it because I would watch it so many times.