Kismat Konnection (Movie Review)

Welcome back Mr. Aziz Mirza, the master of romantic comedies.

In the five years that the director has been away from the Hindi film industry, Bollywood has taken giant strides, both in its story-telling techniques as well as subjects. Will the 60-plus filmmaker's no-frills, no-thrills approach work in today's times when the techno-savvy thirtysomething directors are redefining filmmaking and the audiences are younger than ever before?

Well, if you love simple stories, totally even more simply, you'll connect with "Kismat Konnection". It's breezy, it's sweet and it's from the heart ... and it'll touch the heart, at least of all those who still believe in clean, light-hearted cinema, the kind we relished many moons ago.

In true Aziz Mirza tradition, the protagonist here is a common man. Though he lives in Toronto, Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapur) is no cash-loaded NRI, the mould in which Bollywood often presents the overseas Indians.

Though a top-ranked student, Raj remains an out-of-luck, struggling architect even 5 years after passing out of college. Desperation and dejection leads him to a quirky oracle, Haseena Bano Jaan (Juhi Chawla), who then helps Raj notice Priya (Vidya Balan) as the lucky charm in his life. When Priya is around, fortune favours Raj. So he needs to hang on to her, at any cost. Thereafter, ambition leads to deception and then love to repentance.

All said and done, "Kismat Konnection" is primarily Shahid Kapur's movie. The director has put him in practically every frame of the film and Shahid does full justice to this confidence Aziz Mirza has placed in him.

All of Mirza's past 4 films had Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. He was too old for Raj's role, Mirza has said. Yes, Shah Rukh would not have been suitable, however, Shahid gets into the character so seamlessly that he makes it seem that no one else but Shahid would have been the right choice.

With this film, the young actor gets better than before. Be it comedy, emoting, dancing or just looking good - Shahid shines. His on screen chemistry with friend Hiten (Vishal Malhotra) is noteworthy and together they raise quite a few laughs.

There has been much speculation about the appropriateness of the Shahid-Vidya pairing, and it is no surprise that they don't set the screen on fire. A fine actress otherwise, Vidya is too caught up here with looking and behaving ‘young' and forgets to showcase her acting skills, her main asset. This surely is the least impressive performance of her 6-film-old career. Often criticised for her bad dressing, she does no better in the style stakes either.

But the smooth flow of the narration is such that Vidya, the support cast and the beautiful Canadian backdrop just blend into the proceedings, which are punctuated by some good music by Pritam. Though the film has just four songs (and one for the end credits), they are diverse. The two romantic numbers are well picturised and warm the heart.

Yes, though the film's all about kismet, it's the heart that it aims for. Mr. Aziz Mirza, the master of romantic comedies, has not lost his touch.

Cast: Shahid Kapur, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla, Om Puri, Vishal Malhotra, Boman Irani

Director: Aziz Mirza

To read the music review of "Kismat Konection" go to:

Music of Kismat Konnection