Subhash K. Jha speaks about Karzzzz 
By Subhash K. Jha, October 18, 2008 - 11:58 IST
This is it. 'Indiana Joan' & 'The Temple Of Dhoom Macha-oing dhoom' in motions of staged hysteria is Himesh Reshammiya without his trademark cap but with so much hair you wonder if it's there to tear after you go through of 2 ½ hours of drama, nakhra, hysteria and dhamaal.
Our Indiana Joan is Urmila Matondkar reprising Simi Garewal's villainous gold digger's act with a vengeance. She not only creates dhoom, she also crashes into a temple of doom (literally) before being declared dead by the script. RIP. Yup, now we know what the blurbs mean by 'Vengeance Is Back'. Many of Urmila's chic gowns capture her in backless splendor. Whether matching steps with the roke star (array yaar, koi to issey roko!) or pulling out all stops to mow her reborn lover-boy (Dino Morea turns into Himesh Reshammiya after the first 15 minutes) down with her zooming airplane (it was just a car in the original for poor Simi)…Urmila is mean and seductive, in kill-kill measures.
We don't see much chemistry off the dance floor between apna Himeshbhai and our sexy Matondkar. But is anyone really bothered with the telling of the story? And honestly, was the original Karz anything but a kitschy compendium of montages motivated by the theme of reincarnation? If Rishi Kapoor did Monty, Himesh does full Monty. Between the two Montys is a molehill masquerading as a big potboiler. This reincarnation of the blockbuster on reincarnation is a bit of a contradiction in terms. On one hand it's high on production values generating what one would call a cinematic adrenaline that takes audiences into the an exotic embrace. Every stage performance by the roke star is accompanied a bevy of international chorus dancers (mostly female) who prop up Himesh' set pieces and complement his energy level.
On the other hand, the drama is distilled by an absence of inner-drawn energy. As an actor, Himesh has his limitations, which come bubbling to the surface in the long monologues about punar janam, present tense, and past mostly imperfect. Rishi Kapoor, where art thou? To his credit Himesh takes you beyond the performance. He has a disarming simplicity bordering on naivete to back up his claims to stardom. The actor is honest. But he connects with his audience. And the man playing the character is aware he isn't trying to achieve an award-winning level in his performance.
Having got that in place, Himesh just has himself a ball. His enjoyment in the songs and dances is sometimes contagious, sometime amusing, never dull, never exasperating.
As for the narrative, it doesn't seem to believe in an updated progress report. Like a recalling of a past life, Satish Kaushik's seems frozen in the 1970's. The contemporized props and locations hardly help wipe out the feeling of watching a film that belongs to another time zone, far beyond the theme of reincarnation. The big confrontation sequence where Kamini (Matondkar) breaks down and confesses to having killed 'Monty The Rock Star', is staged in a sprawling set representing the outer flank of a mansion.
Who lies what beneath the exterior? Who cares?
If you treat Karzzzz as an ongoing Chitrahaar of Himesh's songs strung together by a bristling bead of sweaty players you just might end up enjoying this kitschy homage to a potboiler that boasted of great songs and a wonderful central performance. Himesh Reshammiya aims for the same.
No harm in being ambitious.
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'Karzzzz' premiered at Abu Dhabi Fest
