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By Taran
Adarsh, April 13, 2007 - 12:58 IST
 Packing multiple stories in one film is slowly
becoming a practice. In 2007 itself, SALAAM-E-ISHQ,
HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT. LTD., HATTRICK and JUST MARRIED
had assorted stories running parallel, culminating
into one finale. LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE also
narrates five stories and unlike some films that gave
an episodic feel to the viewer, the stories here run
simultaneously, leading to one climax.
LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE raises a serious issue. It
mirrors a truth you can't shut your eyes to. Most
youngsters today are driven by ambition, power, greed
and money and can resort to all possible shortcuts in
life to realize their dreams. Vikram Bhatt narrates
this aspect quite convincingly. The film also drives
home one pertinent truth: You can't 'buy' happiness.
There's no denying that the storyline of LIFE MEIN
KABHIE KABHIEE is its USP. However, the best of
stories/concepts/ideas fizzle out if the storyteller
is inept. Thankfully, Bhatt treats the subject with
maturity and the ride to the destination is sans
roadblocks most of the times.
LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE isn't your run of the mill
saga. There are sequences you identify with. There are
portions you relate to. There are incidents that you
know occur in reality as well. All this and more is
penned and presented with conviction.
But there's a flip side too…
One, the story gets too serious after a point. Now
that's a major hiccup since a majority of viewers tilt
towards feel-good/light entertainers.
Two, while the first hour is captivating at most
times, Bhatt should've put a leash on the second hour.
Simply put, the post-interval portions tend to get
lengthy and need to be trimmed for a better impact.
Besides, a film like LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE caters
to the sensibilities of those frequenting the
multiplexes mainly and that also limits its prospects.
 To cut a long story short, LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE is
an engrossing fare that should find its audience at
big centres mainly. Sadly, the lack of names having
box-office draw will curtail its prospects.
LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE is the story of five friends,
five years, one goal -- happiness.
Manish [Aftab Shivdasani], Rajeev [Dino Morea], Jai [Sameer
Dattani], Mona [Nauheed Cyrusi] and Ishita [Anjori
Alagh] get drunk and have a bet that who out of them
would be the happiest in life. They give themselves
five years. At the end of five years, Manish would
decide who was the happiest.
All of them have different ideas of happiness --
Rajeev thinks that to be the best in what you do is
happiness
Mona thinks fame is happiness
Jai thinks power is happiness
Ishita thinks money is what happiness is all about.
LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE is the journey of these five
friends. It talks of success and failure, triumphs and
tribulations, hope and despair, happiness and sadness
and of course, the final question. Who will win the
bet?
Of late, a majority of Vikram Bhatt-directed films
failed to deliver since the emphasis wasn't on script
as much on cast/technique. But LIFE MEIN KABHIE
KABHIEE stands tall in Bhatt's repertoire. Bhatt
handles the complex subject with sensitivity. Despite
juxtaposing five stories in the film, not once do you
feel that the storyteller should've finished one story
first and moved on to the next. Bhatt gets abundant
support from screenplay writer Manoj Tyagi, who
creates the right drama.
 Amongst the five different tracks, at least three are
highly absorbing [Nauheed/Anuj/Rajat Bedi, Anjori/Raj
Zutshi and Dino/Mohnish Bahl/Ekta], one is plain
average [Aftab/Koel] and the fifth [Samir Dattani]
starts off well, but totters subsequently. The
conclusion to the five stories is in fact the icing on
the cake. Almost every story has a sad end [completely
justified] and it's this aspect that makes it very
real and identifiable, since life is not just a bed of
roses. But, as mentioned at the outset, the film tends
to get too serious and intense, which may be difficult
for an average moviegoer to absorb.
Lalit Pandit's music is soothing. 'Hum Khushi Ki Chah
Mein' is a lyrical gem [Sameer], while the title track
[at the start of the film] is foot-tapping. 'Gehra
Gehra' [the party track] is interesting.
Cinematography [Pravin Bhatt] is striking. Dialogues [Girish
Dhamija] are excellent. They're the soul of several
scenes.
The performances are topnotch! Dino Morea delivers his
finest performance so far. Watch him in two sequences
-- one, when he wins an award and taunts his brother
in his thanks-giving speech and two, when he
apologizes to his brother in the end. This film is
sure to earn him respect as an actor. Aftab Shivdasani
is lovable. He plays the seedha-saadha guy to
perfection. Sameer Dattani springs a pleasant
surprise. He's slightly stiff initially, but conveys a
lot through his eyes subsequently. This youngster has
the potential if offered the right roles.
Anuj Sawhney is a complete natural. It's sad that
people haven't utilized this talented actor. Even
though he's not the focal point of the story, the
actor manages to make a strong impact. Nauheed Cyrusi
does a good job. From LAKEER to ANWAR to LIFE MEIN
KABHIE KABHIEE, she's really evolved into a fine
actor.
It takes time to take to Anjori Alagh at the start,
but as the reels unfold, you realize that this
debutante is indeed talented. She handles a number of
dramatic scenes - difficult, since this is her first
movie -- with rare maturity. Only thing, she needs to
shed a few kilos. Koel Purie is highly dependable yet
again.
 Raj Zutshi is excellent. Nikita Anand is adequate.
Ameen Haji is fair. Ashwini Kalsekar [Raj Zutshi's
first wife] is exceptional in the sequence when she
confronts Anjori. Rajat Bedi is competent and suits
the role. Pinky Harwani and Mushtaq Khan are alright.
On the whole, LIFE MEIN KABHIE KABHIEE is a well-made
film, but its serious theme and also its genre will
restrict its prospects to multiplexes mainly. At the
box-office, the film has the chances to grow with word
of mouth.
Rating:- * *
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