Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

Karan Johar, India, 2001, 210 minutes

“It’s all about loving your parents…”

Arguably one of the best Bollywood films of an incredibly rich recent crop, this is the utterly star-studded story of one fabulously wealthy but dysfunctional Indian family.

When he makes his visit home from boarding school Rohan Raichand’s (Hrithik Roshan) lovely grandmothers decide to spill some family secrets in the hope that it will reunite their family. Rohan learns that not only is his brother Rahul (the thoroughly yummy Shah Ruhk Kahn) adopted, but that he has also been banished from the family by their loving but authoritarian father Yashovardhan. Rohan thus begins the sneaky process of reuniting a family separated by pride as much as distance.

Although most Bollywood films are filled with emotion and family saga, Kabhi Khushi… leaves the competition standing. Fuelled by strong and often thoroughly heartbreaking performances all round, the film is also aided by frighteningly beautiful photography and some storming dance numbers.

Shah Rukh Khan gives a wonderful star turn (and tones down his usual excessive eyebrow action) whilst Hrithik Roshan offers some depth to back up his boy-band bounciness and good looks. Not that this film isn’t shallow in places – none more so than in any scene featuring Kareena Kapoor. Despite having some comedy meatiness she is rather short changed, especially when compared with on-screen sister Kajol who gets some beautifully nuanced emotion as well as comedic and musical set pieces of staggering exuberance!

Amitabh Bachchan is a great belligerent force as Yashovardhan and, despite looking supremely sexy for his age, he has a genuinely menacing presence which adds something brutal and real to his onscreen marriage. The movie however truly belongs to his real life wife Jaya Bhaduri, playing matriarch Nandini. Her whole performance is a primal scream for her family. The title song (which translates “Sometimes Laughter, Sometime Tears”) is Bhaduri’s beautiful maternal love song to the family. A truer screen mother is hard to find.

Truly a wonderful and utterly beautiful film to which I cannot possibly do justice in mere words. Just watch the film already and prepare to call your mum when it’s finished (I promise you’ll want to)…

Review by Nicola Osborne
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2004