Bollywood review: Pakistan's Fawad Afzal Khan gives love a royal touch in Khoobsurat'
Bollywood fashion queen Sonam is no match for the Pakistani heartthrob, reducing what could've become a fun chick-flick into something mediocre
- Sneha May Francis
Love sells in Bollywood, and how. Whether it's packaged rather subtly in out-and-out action masalas or brash comedies, or pushed into the spotlight in mushy musicals, there's always a damsel in distress waiting to be swept off her feet by her prince charming.
Keeping that essence intact, and having borrowed generously from Hollywood's Princes Diaries' and the Hindi classic Khoobsurat', the Kapoors (Anil, Sonam and Rhea) team up to give love a regal twist.
Only, their love story appears rather flat, much unlike its excessively hyper leading lady.
The fairytale is pitched between opposites. One's a dignified blue-blooded prince, while the other is an eccentric physiotherapist, dressed in shades that's becoming of a circus clown.
It's a mismatch from the word go, but one that debutant director Shashanka Ghosh hopes to turn into a happily ever after'.
So, we are forced to witness this great reveal over 130 minutes, as the two personalities, who occasionally step out of their own worlds into one another's.
While it's those rare, uninhibited moments of romance and laughter that make rom-coms turn into delightful tales, Khoobsurat' refuses to work towards it. The rare banter the lovers share are far too few to show promise.
Instead, it lazily embraces a tone, similar to that of Kapoor clan's earlier family venture Aisha', and follows Hollywood's chick flick' format blindly.
The hero is undoubtedly charming, and not in the customary body-flexing, six-abs kind of way. The heroine is the Kapoor girl, dressed in fashion finery, and allowed to flash her cover girl' pouts and poses even when the story doesn't ask for it. And, since their love story is in Bollywood, they also sing and dance.
Set in an opulent palace in Rajasthan, Khoobsurat' unfolds as the high-profile physiotherapist Dr Mili Chakraborty struggles to cure a wheel-chair-bound king who refuses to be treated, and adapt to the queen's alarmingly disciplined way of life.
Even Prince Vikram Singh Rathore appears conceited and unfriendly, forcing the lonely Mili to find solace in the late-night parties with the butlers, and skype-chats with her boisterous mom.
As the days pass by, the royal family begins to warm up to her madness, and suddenly transforms their personalities considerably. The grouchy, yet obedient king turns confident and authoritative. The tyrant of a queen abruptly blushes, while the stiff prince turns soppy. Only, the doctor remains high-pitched and clumsy, and so does her animated mother.
But, this is light-hearted entertainment, where logic and characterisation don't hold much prominence. Where a single kiss is enough to ruin one love-story and start another one.
Sonam Kapoor is perpetually high-pitched, shrieking and giggling without much purpose. For someone with limited acting talent, Mili appears to be a fun part to play, especially since it doesn't require much skill. But, even that Sonam doesn't pull off.
Sonam ends up wearing hideous clothes, possibly to establish the disconnect with her real (fashionista) image. But, where her real and on-screen image connect is in their eagerness to speak their mind without (ever) filtering their thoughts. At least, that she manages to crack!
It's a treat to watch seasoned actor Supriya Pathak take on Nirmala Devi Rathore and her quirks. It's sadly wasted in a movie like this. Even her king, played by imposing Aamir Raza is noteworthy. Kirron Kher repeats her loud-mouthed Punjabi mother act in loud strokes, but manages to inject some humour into the madness. It's those rare moments when she shuts up and lets her facial expressions do the work that exposes her true genius.
Fawad's Bollywood debut attains incredible charm and dignity. He's spot-on as the tight-lipped prince, who refuses to let his emotions overcome his stately duties. It's when he finally sheds his image, that he weakens a bit. But, that's forgiven considering it's easy to slip into exaggeration in a Bollywood frame.
With some hits and misses, Khoobsurat' remains fairly grounded in its genre, and comes with the disclaimer - "strictly for girls".
Warning- Slight spoilers ahead.
- Image Credit:
More than an hour into Khoobsurat, Prince Vikram Singh Rathore (Fawad Khan) looks deep into the eyes of a preposterously-attired Dr Mili Chakraborty (Sonam Kapoor) and suggests that she should filter her thoughts before she blurts them out.
He stole our words. Our next thought? What took him so long to get there? Khoobsurat, Disney's first Bollywood film, regurgitates their time-tested formula of love conquering all. It's appealing in places, but don't expect that feel-good, happily-ever-after feeling to last, because the film has pitfalls that cannot be ignored.
Kapoor, in the role of a klutz amongst royalty, aims at being adorable; but ends up gratingly annoying. Kapoor plays a high-profile physiotherapist (her clients include cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sehwag) who is enlisted to treat Rathore's father, a wheel-chair bound patriarch. He is surly and has the knack of shooing away doctors. That is until Miss Sunshine " Dr Chakraborty " walks into his palace.
She's wide-eyed, clumsy and has the table manners of a puppy. She's a misfit (takes selfies with her phone with the mansion as a backdrop) and the first thirty minutes of the romance is filled with contrived situations to drive home that point.
Her clothes, which looks like something that Mary Poppins and a circus clown would cobble together, is a distraction that we could have done without. Kapoor proves she can carry even the most outlandish patterns, colours and prints together, but we wish her acting wasn't as loud as her clothes.
For instance, on her first night at the palace, the physiotherapist stumbles into the formal dining room late and grabs a chicken leg before it can even be served by the waiter. She then turns around to ask a teen royal member if she has a boyfriend yet. It looks like the doc needed a crash course on etiquette and maintaining boundaries.
In sharp contrast is the pearl-adorned Nirmala Devi Rathore (Rathna Pathak) who looks on disapprovingly. We don't blame her. There are times when even we wish we could tell Kapoor to calm down a bit.
But there's hope in the horizon. The best parts of the film feature Khan. He's bang on as the emotionally-unavailable, brooding prince. He's a man of few words (thank God) and his acting is as sharp as his tailored suits. There's no over-the-top melodrama and we buy into his royal, ruthless act. In his presence, Kapoor blooms as an actress too. Their sensually-charged repartee is engaging, but we wish there was more of that. After all, it's supposedly a fairytale romance by Disney, the factory that owns the happily-ever-after endings.
Kirron Kher plays Kapoor's wacky Punjabi mother. It's not her career's first (Dostana) but she still manages to inject some freshness into it especially in the climax. Veteran actress Rathna Pathak does well in her role as the snooty matriarch of the mansion.
Khoobsurat, which means beautiful, has its sparkling moments. The songs, such as the one where Mili breaks into a dance with the palace's help, doesn't serve any purpose and just makes the romance sluggish. Tighter editing and trimming off of Kapoor's shrill, cute act would have elevated this engaging film into a riveting one.
Gulf news review.
http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/celebrity/india/bollywood/review-khoobsurat-1.1386794
One of the Bollywood movies to be released this Friday (19th September 2014) is Khubsurat. The movie is directed by Shashanka Ghosh and produced by Shashanka Ghosh, while is produced by Anil Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor and Siddharth Roy Kapoor under the banner of Walt Disney and UTV Productions. The lead characters in the movie include the Pakistani sensation Fawad Khan, the style icon Sonam Kapoor along with Prosenjit Chatterjee, Kirron Kher, Ratna Pathak, Aditi Rao Hydari, etc. The music comes from Sneha Khanwalkar, while the numbers are composed by Badshah. Ikram Rajasthani, Sunil Choudhary, Badshah, Sneha Khanwalkar and Amitabh Verma jotted down the lyrics.
The story of the movie is loosely based on the Hollywood movie priceless diary and a Bollywood movie with the same title of 1981 starring Rekha, Dina Pathak and Ashok Kumar. You have two different characters, one happens to be cultured, decent and royal played by Fawad Khan and his family who showcase discipline and composure in their characters and conducts, while on the other hand, you have a brat called Milli played by Sonam Kapoor. She is one of the noisiest people on this planet, who somehow have entered the palace of Royals wherein peace, tranquillity, discipline and right order flourish. You have rules for everything in this place, right from eating, walking, talking, dancing, and doing any damn work we do in our daily chores. However, the rot fish comes into the house wherein the mesmerising and adoring Fawad Khan stays. She leaves no stone unturned to blend with the family with her uncultured and notorious acts and simply love to break the rules of the lofty mansion. Amidst all this, the love blossoms among the two that is interesting to watch.
Talking about the performance, let us start with Fawad Khan. This is his debut Bollywood movie wherein he plays a polished and royal prince character. He is a well-known actor of Pakistan, having known for giving some of the best performances in TV serials and Movies made in his home country. The director is smart enough to choose him considering his incredible acting skills and dynamism in his language and dictum. He was simply the perfect man to play this character. In fact, he has surpassed the expectations of his audience and critics while playing this character in the movie. Sonam the bubbly girl too was incredible in her performance; at least she has improved a lot if you compare with her previous movies. Right from playing the noisy character in the movie to the doing all the naive and childish acts, she has been superb in her home production movie. The others like Kirron Kher, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ratna Pathak and Aditi Rao Hydari too were good.
The music seems soothing with some good collection of soundtracks in it, giving both pleasure and soothing comfort while listening to them. The songs are diverse in nature but at the same time fill in the right gaps making things better for the movie. The director though seemed new in B Town, but she has left no stone unturned to shoot the movie in a right passion and pace. Overall, the movie is good and can be called as a watchable stuff both for the old and young crowd. However, the oldies have too many loo breaks especially when they are going through the different diverse songs, as they have hardly one slow and soothing song for them. Nevertheless, the youngsters have too many opportunities to stand over their seats and enjoy the songs.
Last Word Khubsurat
The movie though seemed some old stories from Princess Diary or the 1981 Rekha starrer Khubsurat, however, it has something unique and interesting elements, which makes it captivating and compelling to catch this Friday. It has the tussle between the decent and indecent people. The royal and non-royal lifestyle, filled with comedy and humour elements, thanks to Sonam Kapur and her mother Kirron Kher. Moreover, you have some remarkable performance from Fawad Khan, which is worthy to catch and appreciate. Considering so many elements in the movie, a rating of 4 justifies Khubsurat.
By Lokesh Dharmani Thursday, 18 September 2014
Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Afzal Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kirron Kher
Rating: 3 stars
Shakira once observed, "Underneath your clothes, there's a story." Clearly, she hadn't met a certain Ms Kapoor who has clothes, many clothes and just clothes that my-daddy-richest' showcases every now and then in a film or two. I can almost imagine the conversation between the actor daughter and producer papa.
"Dadddyyy... uummm... I have shopped so much... all my parties fall short to showcase my new wardrobe... what to dooo..."*puppy face*
"Don't worry beta..." strokes his beard, "Jhakaas, Rhea beta let's rehash an old classic, watsay?"
So last time it was Jane Austen who twirled like a top in her grave after Aisha's release. This time it is our very own Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
But Khoobsurat is not a bad film. Okay, let's just say it wasn't as offensive. I was sceptical because you don't touch a Hrishida classic, especially not the one that had memorable performances by Rekha and Dina Pathak, but the film didn't ruin the old classic so badly. So what's the difference between the old and new Khoobsurat? In a line, it's like a rainbow puked all over the old Khubsoorat on its Disneyland vacation in Rajasthan.
Mili (Sonam-Chanel-goes-high-street-Kapoor) is a physiotherapist. That's established well with deep insightful dialogues like, "Aapki taango mein sensation hain...aap theek ho sakte hain." She comes to the royal family of Rathores and discovers that there is an unsaid, unspoken competition of snobbery --- a grumpy wheelchaired father, a disciplinarian mom, a frustrated daughter and a busy son. And like all good physiotherapists in the world, she gets the royal daddy back on his feet, literally and helps the ambitious daughter realise her dreams, loosens up the uptight her highness and in the process kisses the prince and breaks his engagement with a certain Kiara (Aditi-ab-side-roles-milenge-kya-Rao.)
If old Khubsoorat was about the clash of lifestyles between two families, the new Khoobsurat is more about the young couple's love story. And hence how the snooty sasu maa has a personality transplant in the end looks slightly superficial and contrived.
But the film doesn't bore you at any point. If Dil Kabaddi used the technique of talk to the camera' to reveal the inner battle/confessions of its characters, Khoobsurat has the invisible thought bubble' technique. Behind their happy-hello-how-are-you smiles, both Mili and Vikram whisper through their teeth and greet each other with tags like, "khadoos" and "aafat." Full points to director Shashank Ghosh for canning some interesting scenes. For instance, there is a beautiful scene in which Mili and Vikram meet to talk how cool' they are after their first kiss. The unspoken dialogues (like invisible thought bubbles) reveal how badly shaken up both are under those we-are-cool-unaffected' facades.
Sonam Kapoor plays the clumsy Mili and manages to impress occasionally but the problem is that she never surrenders to the character completely. The invisible Chanels and Guccis come in the way. She might call her mother with her name and scream "MANNNJUUU yaar" but falters at many occasions to play the loud Delhi lass. There is something too petite, too posh about her, even when she crushes papad with her manicured hands or makes gargling sounds when she downs wine. Her acting is much like how she speaks in real life -"Ummm...you know like...ohhh myyy gawwwddd...but you know like...like but you know...like...whateva!" Though I must admit she has an undeniable star presence and a gorgeous, infectious smile and that works well for her in the film.
Fawad-SUAVE-Khan is simply FABULOUS! Under his sharp suits and I-am-ready-for-a-GQ-shoot look, he packs a controlled, underplayed performance as he portrays Vikramaditya Rathore. The man has big, dreamy eyes and makes good use of them on various occasions in the film.
Ratna Pathak Shah tries her best to fill in mommy's big shoes (Dina Pathak) as she plays Niramala Devi but suffers heavily from the Sarabhai hangover. I could almost see her address Mili as Mooonishaaa and add a that's too LS' at the end of her sentences. But she scores high in the climax of the film when she breaks down and bursts into tears.
Kirron Kher, despite her 38963th Punjabi mom performance, does evoke a few hearty laughs but she really needs to discover new characters or newer ways of portraying Punjabi moms. She no longer plays a Punjabi mom these days but cuts, copies and pastes her last Punjabi mom performance that turns these characters into caricatures. Taking a cue from Amrita Singh in 2 States won't be a bad idea.
Khoobsurat is pretty much like Sonam Kapoor and her collection of bags, clothes and shoes --- feel good, easy, breezy, gorgeous and inoffensive. Watch it once. It won't hurt
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