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By Taran
Adarsh, December 7, 2007 - 13:13 IST
 To
recreate the bygone era is not only strenuous, but a
challenging task as well. It's equally arduous to
capture the essence of Bollywood of 1950s and 1960s
with precision on celluloid. In that respect, Sudhir
Mishra's KHOYA KHOYA CHAND succeeds in transporting
the viewer to the golden era.
Although the story doesn't focus on any person in
particular or highlight any incident or event, the
director drops enough hints to draw parallels with
real life characters. So far, so good!
Wait, you can't turn a blind eye to the deficiencies…
KHOYA KHOYA CHAND looks like an assemblage of smartly
executed sequences. You remember KHOYA KHOYA CHAND not
because of its stirring and gripping storyline and the
impact it creates in totality, but the recall value is
thanks to the individualistic scenes.
Also, the pace dips at several points and what also
goes against it is its length. The film goes on and
on, testing the viewer's patience towards the second
hour. Ideally, Mishra should've shortened the
narrative by 20 minutes at least. Besides, the
execution of the subject restricts its appeal to those
who tilt towards offbeat cinema.
 To
sum up, KHOYA KHOYA CHAND does not hold universal
appeal. It's for a niche audience with an appetite for
unconventional movies, catering more to the festival
circuit and a tiny section of moviegoers.
Set against the Hindi film industry in 1950s and
1960s, KHOYA KHOYA CHAND is the tumultuous story of
Nikhat [Soha Ali Khan] and Zafar [Shiney Ahuja].
Nikhat, a fledgling actress, becomes a big star with
the help of superstar Prem Kumar [Rajat Kapoor]. But
in return of favours.
Zafar helps Nikhat get free from the iron grip of Prem
Kumar. But the relationship is short-lived.
Sudhir Mishra captures the behavioural pattern of
stars, budding actors and film-makers to perfection.
Note the tantrum-throwing heroine or the finicky
producer who's more of a 'Yes Man' to the superstar or
the heroine's mother and her companion who live off
the heroine's money -- only an insider who knows
Bollywood inside out or has watched them from close
quarters would get it right.
 Mishra's
execution of a number of scenes is exemplary. But the
grip to keep you hooked non-stop, from start to end,
is missing. The film dips at regular intervals in both
the first and second hour. Also, the culmination to
the story is abrupt.
Shantanu Moitra's music is in sync with the old-world
charm. The title track is lilting, while 'Ye Nigahen'
is equally exuberant. Sachin Krishn's cinematography
is striking. The production design [Gautam Sen] is
first-rate. Ditto for the costumes [Ashima Belapurkar
and Niharika Khan].
It would be erroneous to give the credit to just one
actor, when the fact is that all three -- Shiney, Soha
and Rajat Kapoor -- deliver sterling performances.
Shiney is a complete natural, expressing the anguish
through his eyes. Soha is a revelation. This film
exhibits her potential to the optimum. Rajat Kapoor is
only getting better with every film. Sonya Jehan is
effective. Saurabh Shukla is in terrific form.
Sushmita Mukherjee deserved more footage. Vinay Pathak
is excellent. Dipannita Sharma is okay.
 On
the whole, KHOYA KHOYA CHAND has some interesting
moments, but the impact it ought to create as also its
slow pacing and excessive length dilute the effect. At
the box-office, the film caters to a tiny section of
moviegoers, but that's not enough!
Rating:- *
1/2
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