Customer Reviews

Kal Ho Naa Ho [VHS]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie is simply beautiful. It is a story of love and sacrifice and friendship and all that is good in us.

In an age where there are so many movies coming out of Hollywood that glorify our baser instincts, it is wonderful to see a movie like this that celebrates what we can be is we simply choose to be good, kind people. It is ironic that a film that celebrates what Christians would call 'traditional values' should come out of Bollywood.

I cannot give away the plot, but I want to say that SRK really brought his best to this film. If you can watch this film without tears, you have no soul.

There is one minor problem with the DVD itself. The subtitles are about 3-5 seconds late. Otherwise, this is a perfect movie.

BUY IT NOW.

I bawled like a baby! And that takes some doing. Great movie. Granted it contained it's own fair share of Bollywood Cheese, but thats to be expected. The story was good, the cinematography (did I spell that right?) was good, the songs were great, and it had real emotion. This was one of those movies that after I watched it I had to have it. And now I do. I was so excited. It's a good introduction to Bollywood. Not too much all at once. Anyway, if you like Bollywood watch this movie. Loved it and Shah Rukh Khan is one of my favorite Indian actors.

This film has English subtitles for those of us who do not speak Hindi. Our friend who is Punjabi told us about the film and so we went and shared a delightful experience. The music is fantastic, the costumes are as colorful as you can imagine them to be, there was humor, drama and romance. If you get the chance be sure to see this film. I hope is comes out on video or DVD.

I love Indian movies. This is the best one I've seen. It's funny,sad, and romantic. I never tired to watch it again and again ;-)

I highly recommend this movie to everyone!!! If you have never seen a Bollywood movie before then this is the perfect first one. If you are a Bollywood fanatic then you better have seen this movie multiple times by now.

this was an excellent movie for those of us who speak hindi and those who don't. excellent acting done by Shahrukh, Preeti, and Saif!!!! Funny and heartwarming. i reccomend this movie to all those who are interested in watching a new and interesting kind of hindi movie,along with those just looking for something different. FAB MOVIE!!!

Spoilers ahead!!!

The plot is fairly simple. We have a love triangle with a twist. Boy loves girl, girl loves another boy, other boy loves girl. The twist comes when everyone finds out that Aman (Shah Ruhk Kahn) is dying. He has a bad heart. He knows this and pushes Naina away from him and towards her long time friend who has fallen in love with her.

There are several subplots: Naina's family is in financial trouble. Jennifer, (Naina's mom) and her mother in law always fight. There is a family secret that no one knows. There are acutually many subplots so you have to pay attention. American viewers who haven't seen any Hindi films may find it difficult to get used to some things. They use buckets of those glycerin tears which look terrible. This movie is a musical as most Bollywood films are. Some of the artists tend to overact and movements are sometimes over-eggerated and jerky. Hindi films tend to be much longer than american films so be cautioned. By the way, there are about 200 dancers in the film. The musical numbers usually tend to be dance numbers as well. Beware of the subtitles. They move pretty quickly.

There are 6 songs in the film, not a lot for a Bollywood movie. The title song, Kal Ho Naa Ho is the hit song and it's a lovely tune. My other favorite is Maahi Ve. It's the time for Disco, another of the films tunes, is just silly.

As for the film's star, Shah Ruhk Kahn, I don't think he is a particularly great actor but he's got a good screen presence. His looks don't hurt him either. He's very cute. He's also a very capable dancer.

Kal Ho Naa Ho is constructed to be a tear jerker (A Bollywood staple. Most of their films have the same formula). It is and oh so obvious. It's colorful and energetic and funny in places. It's also meant to be a comedy. It is funny, even in some places it's not supposed to be.

This makes a good first film because it was filmed in Manhattan. It's nice to see places you know even when the film is a foreign one. The more I see this movie the more I like it. I can overlook it's flaws and concentrate on it's main point. Kal Ho Naa Ho (tomorrow may never come). How true. If you'd like to see something different please buy this. I won't give away the end. See it for yourself.

Of course, looking at many good reviews, we all know the movie was a great hit with a great storyline, so I'm going to focus and review more on the blu-ray side of things. This a great movie for the collection and now released on blu-ray, I had to buy it for the high-definition quality! I was un-sure as to whether this movie would truely be on blu-ray and had my doubts when Amazon put the blu-ray edition on sale. I received the movie 4-5 weeks after I placed my order and sure enough, it was the blu-ray edition! The high-def video quality is great and makes it all that much better and exciting to watch! Great High-Definition (Blu-ray) version of the movie!

I saw this movie at the cinema with some indian work friends and was blown away. It was my first Bollywood movie and made me want to see more and I have watched Bollywood since.

The lead actors are all great. Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta are my favourites. I know Shah Rukh Khan is an exponent of a particular mix of comedy and melodrama but I found his performance to be too heavy on the emoting at times. But that is a personal thing and I did tear up in the appropriate scenes which shows his mastery.

There are some Bollywood cliches that have to be accepted at face value eg some sexism, mild xenophobia etc and a one song (Pretty Woman) that is cringeworthy.

However most of the songs and associated dances are so great. I bought the CD and have listened to it many times (sans Pretty Woman).

The phrase "suspension of disbelief" applies to movies in general but for Bollywood I think you have to add "suspension of cliche" and just accept that the world is hyper emotional, mother in laws are nasty, passers by will become the lead's back up dancers and that co-incidence is the norm.

The American dream isn't always everything it's cracked up to be. There may be lots of opportunities in the U.S., but success and happiness are still hard to come by here. 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' is a story of three Indians living in exciting New York City, struggling personally, and stuck in an impossible love triangle.

Naina (Preity Zinta) is a young woman working on her MBA and dealing with problems at home. She's depressed over her father's suicide and worried about her stressed-out mother, Jenny (Jaya Bachchan), who's trying to raise her much-younger brother, Shiv, and sister, Gia, while working to keep the failing family restaurant afloat. Jenny's mother-in-law, Dadi, lives with them, and she cruelly blames Jenny for her son's death and ignores Gia because she's adopted. Dadi is also pressuring Naina to agree to an arranged marriage, but Naina is incapable of giving her heart to anyone.

Naina has one bright spot in her life--her friend Rohit (Saif Ali Khan), who attends business school with her. Rohit is a nice, good-looking, wealthy guy, who's constantly hitting on women, and for some inexplicable reason, he keeps striking out. He doesn't find the drab and doleful Naina attractive--nor is she interested in him--but they enjoy each other's company.

Things get so bad at Naina's house that the family prays for an angel to rescue them--and one arrives when Aman (Shahrukh Khan) moves into the neighborhood. He immediately endears himself to everyone he meets--except Naina, who finds his forwardness off-putting--and he starts solving all their problems, including Naina's, because he loves her. He eventually inspires her to smile again, and she begins to love him back, but they can't be together, for reasons revealed later in the film. Rohit sees the new, lively Naina differently--as more than a friend.

The film was helmed by debutant director Nikhil Advani (who went on to direct 'Salaam-E-Ishq' in 2007 and 'Chandni Chowk to China' in 2009), but it was co-written and produced by Karan Johar, who's known for directing romantic dramas set in Western countries, such as 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' (2001) and 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' (2006), and Johar's earmarks are all over 'Kal Ho Naa Ho.' His signature themes and style--ranging from parent worship to gay innuendo--make the film sing. And the Naina-Aman-Rohit love triangle gets straightened out in typical Johar fashion--with an emotional bulldozer.

- The Bollywood Ticket: The American guide to Indian movies (Subscribe: The Bollywood Ticket)