Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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143 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful film well worth discovering, October 30, 2005
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.
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124 of 135 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to contemporary Tamil cinema, March 10, 2005
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.
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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, January 29, 2005
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.
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