16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Hey, Mr. America!", May 26, 2007
This review is from: Mujhse Dosti Karoge (DVD)
MUJHSE DOSTI KAROGE! (Let's Be Friends) is yet another example of why I'm hooked on Bollywood films. More often than not, Bollywood eschews Hollywood's veneer of modern sophistication (but, really, is nothing more than cynicism). These exuberant, unabashed Indian films, instead, prefer to tell stories which cling to the traditional values of family and friendship, love, sacrifice, and moral steadfastness. I find this refreshing and even comforting and, time and again, I'm compelled to return to this well. Good thing for me, with Bollywood being such a thriving industry, there's no fear of this well drying out.
The plot? Let's see: Raj, Pooja, and Tina are childhood pals in India. Raj has a crush on Tina, who is oblivious; Pooja is crushing on Raj, who is oblivious. On the verge of Raj and his family moving to London, Raj promises to faithfully correspond with Tina, who really couldn't care less. In London, Raj begins to send e-mails to Tina, but it's Pooja who writes back and who then signs off as Tina. Raj and "Tina's" correspondence continue for fifteen years, and Raj becomes even more enamoured of "Tina." One day, Raj declares that he and his folks are visiting India for two weeks. This throws Pooja in an anxious state as she confesses what she's done to Tina. The gregarious Tina agrees to pretend that she's been the one writing to Raj. But will the real Tina live up to Raj's expectations of his dream girl? And will Pooja be content to merely be the friend and the third wheel in the equation? Either way, only two of the three will have a happy ending...
By the way, if you think that's all there is to the story, then you obviously haven't experienced a Bollywood film before. My plot summary covers only about one third of the film. There's more soap opera developments to come as complications pile up to frustrate the lovers. Fans of CYRANO DE BERGERAC and even of ROXANNE will be in familiar territory in MUJHSE DOSTI KAROGE! This film drips with scenes of unrequited love, wrenching looks of longing, and quiet, selfless sacrifices made in the name of friendship. The lovers' misery and yearning for each other are so tangible here that even Romeo and Juliet feel bad for them.
The gorgeous trio of Hrithik Roshan (Raj), Rani Mukerji (Pooja), and Kareena Kapoor (Tina) play their parts to the hilt. I won't lie, my allegiance, from the get-go, was with Rani's Pooja, but Kareena's extroverted Tina won me over in the film's latter stages. Hrithik once again proves that he's more substantial than a handsome face and a buff body who can dance. Even when I was getting aggravated at his acting like an insensitive prat, this was actually a reflection of his effective performance.
Plenty of songs here, mostly of the upbeat variety. The one I liked best is the fun and poppish "Oh My Darling," where Raj and Tina perform onstage. "Jaane Dil Mein" is an initially attractive love ballad which then suffers from too many callbacks, to the point where I finally grew immune to its melody.
MUJHSE DOSTI KAROGE! is about friendship being chosen over love and how that choice ultimately affects three longtime friends. There aren't any bad guys here; instead, bad luck and ill circumstances combine to mess with everyone's lives. You'll end up wishing a happy resolution for everyone, but, of course, that can't be. It's a bittersweet outcome for someone even as that person graciously accepts it. Ah, old school romance. As I've mentioned, Bollywood has no qualms about being sentimental and over the top when it comes to matters of the heart. And I like it that way.
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