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.*
