- K3G is a bit long and fails to hold your interest in some scenes. But some of the scenes in the movie are brilliant. Emotion-charged, dramatic scenes. Lots of emotional scenes later family unites.
- The crew faced enormous difficulties while filming an emotional scene between Jaya Bachchan and Khan at the Bluewater Complex, as a massive crowd had gathered there to watch them at work. The situation, eventually, got worse and the complex officials asked them to.
Readers write!
Dear Karan
If you are targeting the film at NRIs, perhaps you should have spoken to a few more before assuming you knew their lifestyle, education, and general behavior. Little research does go a long way. I can and do suspend disbelief as necessary for cinema - but this film was a stretch. And I have this unfortunate tendency to wonder about facts and logistical details.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is Team MissMalini‘s favourite Sunday movie and for good reason!The movie is perfection and in my opinion Karan Johar‘s best work.So obviously I decided to dig into the trivia section of IMDb and old Koffee With Karan interviews to collate 10 things you might not know about this magnum opus. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. (English: Sometimes there's Happiness, Sometimes there's Sorrow), also known as K3G, is a 2001 Indian family drama film written and directed by Karan Johar and produced by Yash Johar.The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor in leading roles, with Rani Mukerji appearing in an extended special appearance.
I am still attempting to analyze how a group of proven, talented actors could project such a limited emotional range. As an Indian film buff, I have probably seen the majority of the performances by all of the principal actors and have seen their capabilities. The only conclusion I can arrive at is that they were not given appropriate scope and /or direction.
The extensive use of glycerin reduced the possibility of evoking a delicately balanced, wide range of human emotions into pure pathos. Where I should have been moved to pity or tears, I was instead, reduced to embarrassed laughter.
A pity Yash Chopra didn't remind Karan to review films such as Dharamputra, Shakti and Silsila. A review of these films could have helped him to understand that sometimes, less is more.
The performances:
SRK appeared to be just going through the motions; where was his passion, previously seen in Dil Se and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?
Kajol -- Only one word is applicable and necessary: Loud. Tried too hard to project the outgoing, bubbly personality. She failed. Miserably. She was just annoying. One fails to understand why SRK would prefer her to Rani Mukherjee.
AB -- Same role, different movie. I was grateful that he shed less tears than the others.
Jaya -- Wasted in the role of a spineless wife. She has always cried well. Director should have reviewed the confrontation scene with AB in Silsila for tips.
Hrithik -- Nothing to do but dance.
Kareena -- does she know how to do anything but pout and display her torso?
Saving graces:
- Great costumes in the title and Bole Chudiyan songs.
- Some good music, even though heavily reliant on prior films released through Yashraj films.
- Good choreography, with a couple of exceptions. Karan, WHAT were you thinking of in the Suraj Hua Maddham sequence?
Veena Rai
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham opened to packed houses in Sydney and it will run to packed hoses for a few more days before the usual 'visit India' time begins.
K3G is long film with a lot of songs, a lot of emotions, a lot of melodrama and of course a lot of tears.
Mother weeps, father weeps, both sons weep, daughter-in-law weeps and the would be daughter-in-law weeps, the audience weeps and every one is glad that the exercise is over.
A few interesting points:
The film has Amitabh singing Aati Kya Khandala years ago. My wife says 'Arre chalta hai, hindi film hai'
Kareena and Hrithik end up at the same university where Hrithik is doing his MBA. Kareena is looking for a date to the prom (Proms only take place in the schools.. perhaps this University was different). My wife says 'Arre chalta hai, hindi film hai'
Shah Rukh takes 10 years to set up a huge mansion in London. A lot of NRIs keep wondering how he managed that. My wife says 'Arre chalta hai, hindi film hai'
NRI sentiments are touched upon as Kajol frets over her son who cannot understand Indian culture. All of us here suffer from that syndrome. The chanting of the Gayatri mantra and soft glimpses of the tri-coloured duppattas add to the sentiment. Also the sincere effort put in by the London NRIs to maintain and celebrate the Indian festivals touches the heart.
Performance wise the entire cast did a good job except Kareena. She deserves a special mention for she effortlessly makes the elegant salwar kameez look obscene and vulgar.
A suggestion -- Arm yourself with a box of Kleenex tissue before you enter the hall else you'll end up with a wet shoulder. Courtesy the wife. When I objected to the tears, she says 'Arre chalta hai, hindi film hai'
Akhil Verma
Yash Johar's Kabhi Khushi Khabie Gham is not 'all about loving your parents' like how director-son Karan Johar proclaims. The lesson taught in the film is more about 'loving your children!'
Karan Johar's second film is a disappointment. The story is old and oft-repeated, no breaking of paths here. The music is generally bad. And the screenplay is cliche-ridden oozing high-octane melodrama and mush.
The film is like a mix of Hum Aapke Hai Kaun,Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,Mohabbatein, andEk Rishtaa.
As far as narration and treatment is concerned Karan shows his style -- the shots are well executed and some of the dialogues are very powerful.
Amitabh Bachchan doesn't dissapoint, but his role is so boring and bad. He is just a glorified guest in the film. Jaya Bachchan has a slightly more lengthy role, and is brilliant. SRK is pure class. Hritik is very good. Kajol and Kareena Kapoor, though good, sometimes overact.
Not a great film, but made with style. Definitely not a classic. Good, but only in parts.
Wacky Geezer
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was a joyful, colorful and extremely enjoyable film. So what if it was a re-mix of Mohabbatein and KKHH? If that trend works, why change it!? The movie was high quality entertainment. Isnt that what cinema is all about, 'ENTERTAINMENT!'
Shah Rukh was up to par with the film and Kajol was a hoot. She was meant to be loud, its called 'role playing'. She was hilarious!
Hrithik is nothing but a looker and a dancer in this film and Kareena, well let us not mention Miss Pre-Madonna! So what if little Hrithik didn't have six fingers or sea green eyes? This is not an FBI investigation, its a film!
Tahnya Fatima Rizvi
It must be said. To make such a bad film with Big B, Jaya, SRK, Hrithik, Kajol and Kareena must require some real divine qualities!
Despite being one of the biggest fans of the Big B, despite having waited for this film for months, despite making sure of first day first show tickets, I found the film unbearable to sit through. K3G is a disgrace to cinema.
Some of the endless flaws are the shamelessly superficial use of the national anthem and the national song [Vande Mataram], extremely artificial and cardboard like emotions, a very loud Kajol, a wasted Jaya, an intolerable Kareena and above all the complete lack of originality.
The saving grace of the film is an excellent SRK and a sincere, honest and lovable Hrithik. Big B does well what he's told to do and is the cause of the only cheer in the auditorium when he shakes his legs in the song Shawa shawa.
Overall, we suggest you miss this one and go out and spend an evening with your family. As Karan Johar himself says, its all about loving your parents.
Anshuman Rawat
What does one expect from stalwarts like the Big B, Jaya, SRK, Kajol, Hrithik and Kareena, some great music, fantastic pre-release promos, the added bonus of the Queen Mukherjee and Karan Johar's much acclaimed direction ?
Certainly not what I saw last night in the mammothly long film. A film that you yearned would end soon, albeit with several lumps in your throat, partly for the emotions in the film and majorly for the fact that you felt sorry for the above named persons that this also was one not-so-damp squib, but nevertheless a disappointment.
The film that started at 10pm and ended at 1.35am, had you wondering, whether this was Manish Malhotra's magnum opus? Lagaan, though equally long or longer, made you yearn that the match and the film would not stop!
As my wife put it this morning..KKHH was about a small girl getting two lovers together, K3G is about a son geting two people together. Karan Johar's next film may as well be AMKB -- Aayee Milan Ki Bela!
Karan, you disappointed me and a lot more who walked out of the theatre when Jaya cried, or SRK and Kajol sang the best penned song of K3G. At the end of the day is was SRK's and Kajol's show all along. They are the undisputed Gods of India's Showbiz.
Snehal Kulshreshtha
I Mp3 volume booster software free download. had greater expectations from Karan. He tried to weave a story around family values but that came undone halfway through the plot.
He tries so hard at times that it shows. He came across as a desperate filmmaker who wants to use all the tricks available to hold the audience.
Amongst the ones I thought were a dead giveaway of his desperation were Kajol's repetitive Mera Bharat Mahaan theme and the bhajan overkill. The scene where Kajol sprints to the podium just after the rendition of our national anthem is absolutely absurd.
Just what was Karan trying to prove? At times when he's in I-love-Sooraj Barjatya groove he openly copies dialogue from SB's films and also uses the Raam jee line to start another unwanted song. Just as the other B-graders he uses a couple of unnecessary songs to prolong the viewer's misery. The title track has been played to death - it gets on your nerves.
The songs that stood out were, without doubt, those of AB and Hrithik. The latter is just electric and the former still so articulate in his movements.
Performance wise - the whole cast has done well. I thought Kajol was a standout. Her Punjab-kudi rendition would have made the Devgans proud. She shows phenomenal energy and has SRK eating humble pie whenever they are together.
No matter what people say about Kareena, her performance as the tomboy was refreshing. She blended in well with her looks. Hrithik again has been handed down a fur-fee; his role is hardly of any consequence. SRK hogs the limelight. AB is awesome. Jaya should seriously lose weight; her face is too bloated. Rani only hangs around for a song or two.
The production values are rich and lavish but leave you yearning for someone or something ordinary. That's what I thought of Karan's contribution - Pretty Ordinary.
Sudhish Nayyar (Sydney)
The long wait is over..probably the most anticipated movie in recent times, Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham arrives with much fanfare and the enormous hype following it. The question on everyone's minds is whether this movie will strike gold at the box-office. And if you are looking for an honest answer, it is Yes and No. Because of the pre-release publicity, this movie has already taken a fantastic opening all over.
K3G is a bit long and fails to hold your interest in some scenes. But some of the scenes in the movie are brilliant. Emotion-charged, dramatic scenes. The scenes involved mother-son and father-son relationships.
Shah Rukh is very good. Nobody can beat him when it comes to emoting.
Bachchan is the legend that he is. He is particularly impressive in the last scene when he breaks down. Jaya Bachchan has her moment of glory too. The first scene where she keeps staring at the door for SRK to arrive brings a lump in your throat.
Kajol is OK, overacts in some scenes. Kareena kapoor has nothing much to do apart from moving aroud in skimpy clothes. Hrithik is good and impresses in the confrontation scene with Bachchan.
A family movie..highly charged with emotions. Karan Johar handles some of the emotionally charged scenes brilliantly. He is no doubt a fantastic director in the making and he proves that KKHH was not a fluke !
K3G may not rewrite box-office history but it has all the necessary ingredients to make it a winner !
Dev Kasi
Powerhouse performances, great visuals, gloss and sheen, lilting tunes, the tangy taste of patriotism, good old family values and tear-gland titillating sequences -- K3G has something for everyone. To his unquestionable credit, Karan Johar has packaged a not-so-fresh script in such a gorgeous new bottle that you hardly smell the old wine.
Amitabh's baritone, his facial expressions, the steel-cold stare, and the overall Bachchan aura is an out-of-the-world experience. He exudes glamour and has never 'looked' better in his second innings. Watch him in the sequence where he describes to his son how he always wanted to emulate his father, or the scene where the son walks out of the house and the father talks only with the expressions on his face, or the scene where the younger son confronts him with allegations of his ego destroying the family or the Shava shava number or the epic climax and you get to know what makes Amitabh an institution by himself.
Shah Rukh turns in a very mature performance in an author-backed role. He plays all the stages of his character's life with equal ease, and portrays his forte in romantic sequences. He carries off trendy casuals, traditional desi outfits and three-piece suits with equal grace.
Kajol is wonderful as the chirpy, vivacious Chandni Chowk girl in the first half and the patriotic desi housewife in UK in the second. The on-screen chemistry between the two creates some unforgettable moments in the movie - the first encounter, for example. Kajol holds her own in her scenes with Amitabh and is extraordinary as the ecstatically delighted mother watching her son crooning Jana Gana Mana 'just for his mom' on stage in a school social in London.
Hrithik does what he is best at being - the cool dude. He has all the 'item' sequences to his credit including winning the college cricket match with a Miandad-esque last ball six and the much publicised dance number in the British Museum. He acts well too, especially in the emotional sequences. Kareena, of course, has an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny role.
Karan Johar pays a lot of attention to the overall look and feel of the movie and you have the likes of Alok Nath, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Simone Singh and Himani Shivpuri stepping in for the extras. And a word of praise is due for all the child artistes in the movie-the child brigade including Aryan Khan, who plays SRK junior.
Overall, a must-see. Just the kind of movie that lives upto the expectations out of an ideal Indian movie, which, the Big B himself described ages ago, as being a movie which makes one come out of the theatre with a smile on the lips and a dried tear on the cheek.
Sourabh Mukherjee
Here we go again.. castles, choppers, staunch father, loving sons, the works. Its all about loving your parents, he says. And we are expected to believe that.
How may I ask? Even Chandni Chowk looks unbelievable. I wonder how directors often get away after making a film that can be equated to absolute trash.
We have the stern father who is highly principled. When the adopted son marries a common girl, he disowns his son after giving him a discourse on the difference in the haemoglobin that runs in their respective bodies. But the same man does not hesitate to do a twist with half-clad white women on his birthday.
The son moves away to London and starts his family. All is well till the biological son arrives in London on a mission.. unite the father with the estranged son. Give us a break! How many times should we see this re-recycled. Lots of emotional scenes later family unites.
The film is nothing but an amalgamation of the various movies made by the Chopras/Johars. In fact, if you pay enough attention, you wont be surprised to hear a song or two and some dialogues being repeated from the earlier Karan Johar movie -- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Shah Rukh and Kajol are the only saving grace of the movie. Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, what are you doing in such a film? And Hrithik and Kareena, I think Rani Mukherjee had more to do in the film than the two of you.
And after all this, I was surprised to see a very respected journalist rate the movie 'outstanding'. This from the person who pulverized Ghai for Yaadein. Pray what is the difference? There it was the daughter's love for her dad and here it is the son's attachment. Just speaks volumes of how much the journalist was paid to review the respective movies.
When will these lousy directors like Karan Johar/Aditya Chopra learn from people like Farhan Akthar, Nagesh Kukonoor, Mira Nair and Gulzar?
As long as their tribe exists, the public of India will be treated to rubbish ever after. Amen!
Nisha Ajit
Good work Sooraj (Barjatya.)..oops Karan ... Kabhi Khusi Kabhie Gham = Maine Pyaar Kiya + Hum Saath Saath Hai
Congratulations to Karan Johar are due simply because he beat other directors to come up with this combination of Sooraj's blockbusters.
Srikanth
Great film! Strong characters, strong storyline, great direction, great performances, great dialogues, great dances and music!
This is an SRK film. He makes you cry and laugh! No words are necessary, just emotions! And who can portray those better than SRK, AB and Jaya?
The Kajol-SRK pairing is outta this world. Every scene is enjoyable. AB is great! His character was not as strong Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein, but he is a man of principle here too and he is great. Jaya is lovable in the role of the mother.
Hrithik had a well defined character and played his part beautifully. The way the bag drops and he reaches for it trying to hide his emotions and tears when he sees his brother for the first time in London is marvelous. He made me cry.
Kareena is adorable. Her character adds life to the film in the second half and she looks great.
Tanya Zahoor
After watching K3G, I have found out that Karan Johar and Subhash Ghai have two things in common.
- They both underestimate NRIs and want to take them for granted and
- They both lack COMON SENSE
I would like to add another K factor to K3G. That is K for Kachhra.
K S Prakash
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is a 2001 hit Bollywood movie featuring many of the industry's big league players like Kareena Kapoor, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan. I am a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the George Washington University in Washington, DC who tasked myself with developing a class on contemporary South Asia for my department, which included this film. I wanted to include a typical Bollywood film to study media and representation in South Asia. When I mention to students that we will watch K3G, as it is called in shorthand, to explore media in my Anthropology of South Asia class, students who are familiar with Bollywood and the film itself usually respond with groans and incredulous faces. They say they cannot believe we will watch a movie believed to be so silly and overdramatic in a university course. The last time I taught this class, there was almost an even mix of second-generation South Asian students and non-South Asian students encountering information about South Asia, including Bollywood, for the first time. While there are many studies of Bollywood and the particular genre of film within which K3G fits, I call upon the experiences of two second-generation South Asian students to understand their experiences of viewing the movie in my Anthropology class through an analytical lens of how Bollywood (re)presents socioeconomic class and gender.
The movie has a reputation of being a ‘stereotypical' Bollywood film with lengthy and large-scale flashy song and dance sequences. K3G takes audiences through the domestic dramas of two families living in or near Delhi, and then in London. One family is extremely wealthy and the other is more 'salt of the earth' and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Over the course of three and a half hours, the audience sees twists and turns develop in the plot and in the relationships among characters through over-the-top portrayals of romance and betrayal – common ingredients in Bollywood movies. I spoke with GWU students Sabrina Patel and Vishal Nyayapathi about their experiences watching the film through our class topics. Sabrina is a senior graduating with a major in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and Asian Studies, along with minors in Chinese, Sociocultural Anthropology, and History. Vishal is a Sophomore studying Public Health, Communication and Anthropology.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham was a joyful, colorful and extremely enjoyable film. So what if it was a re-mix of Mohabbatein and KKHH? If that trend works, why change it!? The movie was high quality entertainment. Isnt that what cinema is all about, 'ENTERTAINMENT!'
Shah Rukh was up to par with the film and Kajol was a hoot. She was meant to be loud, its called 'role playing'. She was hilarious!
Hrithik is nothing but a looker and a dancer in this film and Kareena, well let us not mention Miss Pre-Madonna! So what if little Hrithik didn't have six fingers or sea green eyes? This is not an FBI investigation, its a film!
Tahnya Fatima Rizvi
It must be said. To make such a bad film with Big B, Jaya, SRK, Hrithik, Kajol and Kareena must require some real divine qualities!
Despite being one of the biggest fans of the Big B, despite having waited for this film for months, despite making sure of first day first show tickets, I found the film unbearable to sit through. K3G is a disgrace to cinema.
Some of the endless flaws are the shamelessly superficial use of the national anthem and the national song [Vande Mataram], extremely artificial and cardboard like emotions, a very loud Kajol, a wasted Jaya, an intolerable Kareena and above all the complete lack of originality.
The saving grace of the film is an excellent SRK and a sincere, honest and lovable Hrithik. Big B does well what he's told to do and is the cause of the only cheer in the auditorium when he shakes his legs in the song Shawa shawa.
Overall, we suggest you miss this one and go out and spend an evening with your family. As Karan Johar himself says, its all about loving your parents.
Anshuman Rawat
What does one expect from stalwarts like the Big B, Jaya, SRK, Kajol, Hrithik and Kareena, some great music, fantastic pre-release promos, the added bonus of the Queen Mukherjee and Karan Johar's much acclaimed direction ?
Certainly not what I saw last night in the mammothly long film. A film that you yearned would end soon, albeit with several lumps in your throat, partly for the emotions in the film and majorly for the fact that you felt sorry for the above named persons that this also was one not-so-damp squib, but nevertheless a disappointment.
The film that started at 10pm and ended at 1.35am, had you wondering, whether this was Manish Malhotra's magnum opus? Lagaan, though equally long or longer, made you yearn that the match and the film would not stop!
As my wife put it this morning..KKHH was about a small girl getting two lovers together, K3G is about a son geting two people together. Karan Johar's next film may as well be AMKB -- Aayee Milan Ki Bela!
Karan, you disappointed me and a lot more who walked out of the theatre when Jaya cried, or SRK and Kajol sang the best penned song of K3G. At the end of the day is was SRK's and Kajol's show all along. They are the undisputed Gods of India's Showbiz.
Snehal Kulshreshtha
I Mp3 volume booster software free download. had greater expectations from Karan. He tried to weave a story around family values but that came undone halfway through the plot.
He tries so hard at times that it shows. He came across as a desperate filmmaker who wants to use all the tricks available to hold the audience.
Amongst the ones I thought were a dead giveaway of his desperation were Kajol's repetitive Mera Bharat Mahaan theme and the bhajan overkill. The scene where Kajol sprints to the podium just after the rendition of our national anthem is absolutely absurd.
Just what was Karan trying to prove? At times when he's in I-love-Sooraj Barjatya groove he openly copies dialogue from SB's films and also uses the Raam jee line to start another unwanted song. Just as the other B-graders he uses a couple of unnecessary songs to prolong the viewer's misery. The title track has been played to death - it gets on your nerves.
The songs that stood out were, without doubt, those of AB and Hrithik. The latter is just electric and the former still so articulate in his movements.
Performance wise - the whole cast has done well. I thought Kajol was a standout. Her Punjab-kudi rendition would have made the Devgans proud. She shows phenomenal energy and has SRK eating humble pie whenever they are together.
No matter what people say about Kareena, her performance as the tomboy was refreshing. She blended in well with her looks. Hrithik again has been handed down a fur-fee; his role is hardly of any consequence. SRK hogs the limelight. AB is awesome. Jaya should seriously lose weight; her face is too bloated. Rani only hangs around for a song or two.
The production values are rich and lavish but leave you yearning for someone or something ordinary. That's what I thought of Karan's contribution - Pretty Ordinary.
Sudhish Nayyar (Sydney)
The long wait is over..probably the most anticipated movie in recent times, Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham arrives with much fanfare and the enormous hype following it. The question on everyone's minds is whether this movie will strike gold at the box-office. And if you are looking for an honest answer, it is Yes and No. Because of the pre-release publicity, this movie has already taken a fantastic opening all over.
K3G is a bit long and fails to hold your interest in some scenes. But some of the scenes in the movie are brilliant. Emotion-charged, dramatic scenes. The scenes involved mother-son and father-son relationships.
Shah Rukh is very good. Nobody can beat him when it comes to emoting.
Bachchan is the legend that he is. He is particularly impressive in the last scene when he breaks down. Jaya Bachchan has her moment of glory too. The first scene where she keeps staring at the door for SRK to arrive brings a lump in your throat.
Kajol is OK, overacts in some scenes. Kareena kapoor has nothing much to do apart from moving aroud in skimpy clothes. Hrithik is good and impresses in the confrontation scene with Bachchan.
A family movie..highly charged with emotions. Karan Johar handles some of the emotionally charged scenes brilliantly. He is no doubt a fantastic director in the making and he proves that KKHH was not a fluke !
K3G may not rewrite box-office history but it has all the necessary ingredients to make it a winner !
Dev Kasi
Powerhouse performances, great visuals, gloss and sheen, lilting tunes, the tangy taste of patriotism, good old family values and tear-gland titillating sequences -- K3G has something for everyone. To his unquestionable credit, Karan Johar has packaged a not-so-fresh script in such a gorgeous new bottle that you hardly smell the old wine.
Amitabh's baritone, his facial expressions, the steel-cold stare, and the overall Bachchan aura is an out-of-the-world experience. He exudes glamour and has never 'looked' better in his second innings. Watch him in the sequence where he describes to his son how he always wanted to emulate his father, or the scene where the son walks out of the house and the father talks only with the expressions on his face, or the scene where the younger son confronts him with allegations of his ego destroying the family or the Shava shava number or the epic climax and you get to know what makes Amitabh an institution by himself.
Shah Rukh turns in a very mature performance in an author-backed role. He plays all the stages of his character's life with equal ease, and portrays his forte in romantic sequences. He carries off trendy casuals, traditional desi outfits and three-piece suits with equal grace.
Kajol is wonderful as the chirpy, vivacious Chandni Chowk girl in the first half and the patriotic desi housewife in UK in the second. The on-screen chemistry between the two creates some unforgettable moments in the movie - the first encounter, for example. Kajol holds her own in her scenes with Amitabh and is extraordinary as the ecstatically delighted mother watching her son crooning Jana Gana Mana 'just for his mom' on stage in a school social in London.
Hrithik does what he is best at being - the cool dude. He has all the 'item' sequences to his credit including winning the college cricket match with a Miandad-esque last ball six and the much publicised dance number in the British Museum. He acts well too, especially in the emotional sequences. Kareena, of course, has an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny role.
Karan Johar pays a lot of attention to the overall look and feel of the movie and you have the likes of Alok Nath, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Simone Singh and Himani Shivpuri stepping in for the extras. And a word of praise is due for all the child artistes in the movie-the child brigade including Aryan Khan, who plays SRK junior.
Overall, a must-see. Just the kind of movie that lives upto the expectations out of an ideal Indian movie, which, the Big B himself described ages ago, as being a movie which makes one come out of the theatre with a smile on the lips and a dried tear on the cheek.
Sourabh Mukherjee
Here we go again.. castles, choppers, staunch father, loving sons, the works. Its all about loving your parents, he says. And we are expected to believe that.
How may I ask? Even Chandni Chowk looks unbelievable. I wonder how directors often get away after making a film that can be equated to absolute trash.
We have the stern father who is highly principled. When the adopted son marries a common girl, he disowns his son after giving him a discourse on the difference in the haemoglobin that runs in their respective bodies. But the same man does not hesitate to do a twist with half-clad white women on his birthday.
The son moves away to London and starts his family. All is well till the biological son arrives in London on a mission.. unite the father with the estranged son. Give us a break! How many times should we see this re-recycled. Lots of emotional scenes later family unites.
The film is nothing but an amalgamation of the various movies made by the Chopras/Johars. In fact, if you pay enough attention, you wont be surprised to hear a song or two and some dialogues being repeated from the earlier Karan Johar movie -- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Shah Rukh and Kajol are the only saving grace of the movie. Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, what are you doing in such a film? And Hrithik and Kareena, I think Rani Mukherjee had more to do in the film than the two of you.
And after all this, I was surprised to see a very respected journalist rate the movie 'outstanding'. This from the person who pulverized Ghai for Yaadein. Pray what is the difference? There it was the daughter's love for her dad and here it is the son's attachment. Just speaks volumes of how much the journalist was paid to review the respective movies.
When will these lousy directors like Karan Johar/Aditya Chopra learn from people like Farhan Akthar, Nagesh Kukonoor, Mira Nair and Gulzar?
As long as their tribe exists, the public of India will be treated to rubbish ever after. Amen!
Nisha Ajit
Good work Sooraj (Barjatya.)..oops Karan ... Kabhi Khusi Kabhie Gham = Maine Pyaar Kiya + Hum Saath Saath Hai
Congratulations to Karan Johar are due simply because he beat other directors to come up with this combination of Sooraj's blockbusters.
Srikanth
Great film! Strong characters, strong storyline, great direction, great performances, great dialogues, great dances and music!
This is an SRK film. He makes you cry and laugh! No words are necessary, just emotions! And who can portray those better than SRK, AB and Jaya?
The Kajol-SRK pairing is outta this world. Every scene is enjoyable. AB is great! His character was not as strong Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein, but he is a man of principle here too and he is great. Jaya is lovable in the role of the mother.
Hrithik had a well defined character and played his part beautifully. The way the bag drops and he reaches for it trying to hide his emotions and tears when he sees his brother for the first time in London is marvelous. He made me cry.
Kareena is adorable. Her character adds life to the film in the second half and she looks great.
Tanya Zahoor
After watching K3G, I have found out that Karan Johar and Subhash Ghai have two things in common.
- They both underestimate NRIs and want to take them for granted and
- They both lack COMON SENSE
I would like to add another K factor to K3G. That is K for Kachhra.
K S Prakash
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is a 2001 hit Bollywood movie featuring many of the industry's big league players like Kareena Kapoor, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan. I am a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the George Washington University in Washington, DC who tasked myself with developing a class on contemporary South Asia for my department, which included this film. I wanted to include a typical Bollywood film to study media and representation in South Asia. When I mention to students that we will watch K3G, as it is called in shorthand, to explore media in my Anthropology of South Asia class, students who are familiar with Bollywood and the film itself usually respond with groans and incredulous faces. They say they cannot believe we will watch a movie believed to be so silly and overdramatic in a university course. The last time I taught this class, there was almost an even mix of second-generation South Asian students and non-South Asian students encountering information about South Asia, including Bollywood, for the first time. While there are many studies of Bollywood and the particular genre of film within which K3G fits, I call upon the experiences of two second-generation South Asian students to understand their experiences of viewing the movie in my Anthropology class through an analytical lens of how Bollywood (re)presents socioeconomic class and gender.
The movie has a reputation of being a ‘stereotypical' Bollywood film with lengthy and large-scale flashy song and dance sequences. K3G takes audiences through the domestic dramas of two families living in or near Delhi, and then in London. One family is extremely wealthy and the other is more 'salt of the earth' and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Over the course of three and a half hours, the audience sees twists and turns develop in the plot and in the relationships among characters through over-the-top portrayals of romance and betrayal – common ingredients in Bollywood movies. I spoke with GWU students Sabrina Patel and Vishal Nyayapathi about their experiences watching the film through our class topics. Sabrina is a senior graduating with a major in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and Asian Studies, along with minors in Chinese, Sociocultural Anthropology, and History. Vishal is a Sophomore studying Public Health, Communication and Anthropology.
Overall, our discussions revealed that the representations and concepts of socioeconomic class were used to exaggerate the drama between love interests in the first half of the movie but were then erased in the second half, when some of the protagonists move to London. We discussed how this shows a diasporic dream world of living abroad. What became far more overt and exaggerated in the second half of the film, which takes place in the UK, was extreme representations of gender and nationalism. These contrasts were specifically portrayed in the differences between Kapoor's younger sister character and Kajol's housewife and older sister character. Kapoor's character takes on a fully 'westernised' persona wearing very sexualized skimpy clothing, which her brother-in-law comments on unfavourably. Kajol plays an extremely nationalistic character wearing only sarees and performing daily Hindu rituals. We all were shocked to realize we could not remember the name of her character, and she is therefore more of a stereotyped representation of Indian tradition and morality through femininity in the second half of the movie. These sisters exemplify both a longing for homeland and a belonging to a diaspora, while the class positions and disparities become erased once the characters move away from their families in Delhi.
In my class, I included K3G in my syllabus as a conclusion to a unit on media and technology to summarize discussions tying together previous weeks' readings on media representation, gender, and nationalism. Sabrina and Vishal both noted how my positioning of the film rendered cringe-worthy, certain aspects of Bollywood they previously had taken for granted or viewed as quaint, Indian aesthetics in what they believed was an inconsequential form of enjoyable entertainment calling them back to their childhoods or time spent with their South Asian relatives living in the United States. What follows are excerpts from my discussions about the film and viewing the film through anthropological lenses with Vishal and Sabrina.
What were you already familiar with from K3G?
Vishal: I remember the songs for sure, because that is stuff we would hear at family parties or on car trips. Even though we used to have the DVD, I think, I didn't remember the plot at all. I remember the actors but this was the first time I actually paid attention to the plot. I think that after years of developing a critical lens, it was just horrible to watch this movie again.
Sabrina: I had watched this movie a bunch of times before this class, mostly with family. I had watched it so many times before. For example I would have it on in the background while doing homework and listen to the songs. Prior to watching it in class, I remembered it more for the funny dialogues and music.
What stood out to you from this movie?
Vishal: Gender, religion, and nationalism were definitely the three biggest things that I think stood out to me. Nationalism was definitely something we talked about in our class, but it was also a shock to see how being 'western' was portrayed as being more forward. And those characters who are more 'western' also have more money because they have access to English and are involved in very capitalistic, 'westernised' businesses. The big Bollywood movies, like K3G, were fueled by these kinds of post-liberalisation politics that mix nationalism and very particular aspects of western culture. So I think Kapoor's character is embracing this western coded, sexualized gender form and then there's a juxtaposition between her and her sister, who is the nationalistic one, conflated with tradition.
Sabrina: More analysis definitely went into watching it in class, but I think going through our discussion on socioeconomic class made the stereotypes very clear. Kajol's family's socioeconomic status was very contrasted with the other family at the beginning of the film. In the one song where it is both of the fathers' birthday parties, not only was socioeconomic class highlighted but also religion. So in that song and in those scenes, within socioeconomic class, you could see the interconnections with religion as well – being that the more poor family lived very close to Muslim families, though they were Hindu themselves. I think that song was really important for showing why the relationship among the two protagonists was fraught and why the two families were so different, even though they were both Hindu. Because it showed how socioeconomic class inhibited the acceptance of their relationship, and that song was perfect for making that apparent and tying it to other aspects like religion.
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How did it feel to watch K3G in a classroom setting versus with family or friends?
Vishal: I feel like this movie doesn't stand out for my parents. I think something like K3G stands out much more for diaspora kids, who are the ones who grew up watching this kind of film. This was a way to have aesthetically Indian values but to not get into anything deeply critical about those values. These are very different kinds of films than the ones my parents grew up on, which were artistic and dramatic in different ways. And in a classroom you have to criticise it more. If I'm at home, I will definitely have those ideas of critiquing the films, like one we recently watched at home that was very nationalistic, but I keep my opinions to myself because I do not want to start any fights with my family. In a classroom I'm much more comfortable speaking up against the movie. I also can't speak for all the other South Asian students in the classroom, but because of the racial and national dynamics in the classroom setting, I felt a pressure to almost explain ourselves as South Asians. Not that the movie represents all of us, but there are assumptions that these kinds of movies bring up about South Asian-ness – like being conservative and nationalistic. So I felt the need to be openly critical to prove that this isn't how everyone is thinking, whether or not I wanted that to be a motivation in my being critical of watching these kinds of Bollywood films in a class setting like ours. I think K3G sits in this weird in-between audience because it seems targeted much more to the diaspora or about a diaspora.
Sabrina: The crux of the film was that the protagonists came from two different (socioeconomic) worlds. When I watched the movie before, I just thought the families did not like each other and watching it in class, I saw much more of how those worlds and characters were compared more obviously through class and not just personality differences. Something else that stood out about watching the movie in class was how the protagonists' socioeconomic class changed when they moved to London. Something I know about my family moving to the United States was that you don't automatically get rich, and the family in the movie seemed to be automatically in the top 1% of London. I think that diaspora which is a common theme in Bollywood movies is not a realistic representation. Since I'd already seen this movie before I think it helped me to get past a lot of what was may be very confusing for students watching a Bollywood movie for the first time.
K3g Emotional Scenes
Overall, viewing Bollywood through Anthropological lenses that examine socioeconomic class, gender, and media representation allow for new analysis of iconic films like K3G. From my end, whenever I bring this activity to my classes I learn a great deal from students who re-encounter these films from their childhoods. Watching K3G with my students brings forward new ways of understanding how concepts like socioeconomic class, gender, sexuality, and diasporic imaginaries are embedded with subtle messages of morality and longing and how these messages are ingrained in our Bollywood viewing experiences.
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K3g Emotional Scenes
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