By Paul Carvill, July 26, 2008 - 16:59 IST 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Kismat Konnection (named spelled all krazy to satisfy the fortune tellers of Bollywood) is a typically lightweight and inoffensive bit of fluff, the kind that Bollywood churns out every week. While not unenjoyable, you won't be pining to spend time with the soppy lovers of the story any more than necessary.
Raj (Shahid Kapoor) was an extremely promising student, and is now an underachieving architect in Toronto. He is also chronically unlucky. His bad luck manifests itself often, ranging from a broken alarm clock to the death of a proposed business partner. Despite this he manages to get his foot in the door of a building firm, and the chance to submit a tender to build a shopping mall. Unfortunately for Raj his erstwhile school classmate Dev also works at the firm. Dev is slick haired, flamboyantly goateed and pure, mischievous evil, hell bent on ruining Raj's chances at getting the contract. Wow, what happened back at school, boys? Did Dev get his head flushed down the toilet (that would account for the hairstyle)?
So in the usual fragilely constructed conflict, the whole deal rests on Raj's being able to perform a spectacular and impossible pool shot for his potential boss. Why? Because he is an architect and, as he says,
"I know angles!"
Enter Priya (Vidya Balan) who, it turns out, is Raj's antithesis - a lucky charm. And more importantly, HIS lucky charm. We know this because in a confused dream Raj went to a bonkers fortune teller unfortunately underplayed by Juhi Chawla - there was much room for improvement in this freewheeling character) - and she told him so. Whenever Priya's around Raj's bad luck turns good.
Well, Priya seems like a real bitch to start with, as she storms across the bar and whacks Raj's pool cue with the intention of screwing his shot up. But she's unaware of her magical effect on him, and so pulls of the amazing shot with aplomb. Champagne, contracts and pats on the back ensue, as Priya strides out unaware. There follows strangely homoerohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giftic scenes of Raj and his mate sawing wood and measuring things (I thought they were architects, not labourers? Shouldn't they be behind a desk with a set square?), flexing their tank topped muscles at each other.
Eventually Raj finds Priya again and know we get to the crux of the story. And it's that old chestnut, a community centre sits exactly where the tycoon's shopping mall is due to land. Priya volunteers there, and the mad old men and women feel like her family. They appear to consist of five patients from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and rather than ensconce them in a public library somewhere so they can stink it up instead, Priya is set on saving their centre for them.
Raj, stuck in a quandary - he needs to build the mall, but he needs Priya near him so he sats lucky, comes up with a plan doomed to fail on every single level. He tells Priya he'll save the community centre. He tells the tycoon he'll build his mall. The liar.
Shortly after this he discovers that Priya is going to get married and move away to Australia, taking his luck with her. Terror struck, he is desperate to find a way to keep her in Toronto. Conveniently he discovers her irritable husband in a clinch with the blonde bombshell from the office. Threats are made, and coincidences planned, changes of heart occur. Priya spends time sitting by river, next to what appears to be an industrial waste outlet. There's a weird doddery old man who sits opposite her and waves. That's right nothing goes without being heavily signposted, people.
The film climaxes in a melodramatic boardroom scene where Raj reveals his chosen design - one that features both the shopping mall AND the community centre - in a grandstanding display of altruism. Arise film archetype number 1, Heartless Businessman.
"We care about profit, nothing else."
he declares. Disgraced by Raj's humanity and innovative thinking - how dare he allow the community centre to continue to exist - the tycoon throws him off the project. Evil nemesis Dev sneers from the sidelines. But wait, here comes weirdo Waving Man. It only turns out that he's the co-founder of the building firm, and is a sucker for Raj's public-spirited design. He reinstates him - both the community centre and the mall shall be built!
The pairing of Kapoor and Balan is pleasant but insubstantial, and I expected much more of them. Balan's smouldering debut in period piece Parineeta highlighted her strengths, and perhaps she is miscast somewhat here as the bubbly, feisty Priya. Kapoor improves a little on his fey character from Jab We Met, but he needs to loosen up a lttle. He looks constipated. The chemistry grows as the film moves on, but never sparkles.
In between the film is full of the dull new corporate language of modern India - people talk about projects, contracts, boards of directors and deals. Raj is supposed to be desperate for work, yet lives in a glossy apartment with flat screen TV and decor out of an IKEA catalogue. Toronto looks grubby, and all the action takes place in an underpopulated, hermetically sealed world. It feels flat and lifeless, and really needed an injection of energy from the songs that wasn't forthcoming. And only 3 songs!
What I liked about the movie:
Vidya Balan
What I didn't like about the movie:
Not enough songs!
Would you recommend this movie to your friend: Yes
