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List of KDramas and Their Grades

To make your next drama selection a little easier, I have sorted all the Korean dramas I've watched into one list, ranked by grade. They...

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

InFilm to Watch: Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)


Business student Naina and her family are unhappy with their lives in New York, with a failing restaurant burdening Naina's widow mother, until the neighbor's nephew Aman comes to town. His mischievous nature sparks a wave of happiness in Naina's family, despite their deep wounds from her father's suicide and the obvious strife between Naina's mother and paternal grandma. How will Naina's family take Aman's high-spirited meddling in their affairs? What happens when Naina mistakes Aman's efforts to build a connection between her and her classmate Rohit? Will his lie be enough for her to accept Rohit's love instead of Aman's?

*This film has a surprisingly fast pace despite the 3 hour runtime, with lots of quirky charm throughout as it pokes fun at itself with fast-paced dialogue and humorous pauses for emphasis at just the right moments. The music is upbeat, with lots of American themes as it does take place in New York, including rap and clothing indicative of the time period (the early 2000s). There was a startling barb of racism towards a Chinese family, and several scenes with scantily clad women dancing provocatively – including a strip club – but other than that, it was a fun film. I'd rate it as a strong PG-13 because of the immodest clothing as well as the more adult themes of suicide, infidelity, and loss. It was sad towards the end, but only for the last 15 minutes or so, and Shah Rukh Khan (“Swades” 2004, “Chak De! India” 2007) was delightful in his role. I might watch this again.*

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