Director: Aziz Mirza Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Om Puri
Rating: ***
Kismat Konnection, as the title says is all about Kismat. The movie marks the return of veteran director Aziz Mirza (Yes Boss, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Chalte Chalte, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani). The one common feature in every Aziz Mirza film has been Shahrukh Khan but for the role of Raj Malhotra in Kismat Konnection, Aziz wanted someone about 15 years younger to SRK. Shahid Kapoor was roped in; Vidya Balan was signed opposite Shahid. There was a lot of curiosity around the lead pair, for most believed Vidya looked much older to Shahid. So does their chemistry work? Is Aziz Mirza in form after a long break from direction? Is Kismat Konnection worth a watch?
Before the review, the story of Kismat Konnection… Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapoor), an architect was a topper in studies, sports, acting and almost everything in college. His friends believe he would grace the cover of the Times Magazine in 3 years. 5 years pass by and Raj is still struggling for his first big break.
Frustrated with his Kismat, Raj meets Hasina Bano Jaan (Juhi Chawla), who promises to free him from all his worries. Haseena says there is a force that could prove to be his lucky charm; he just needs to recognize it. Enter Priya (Vidya Balan), his lucky charm. Everything that Raj touches with Priya by his side turns into gold. With Priya, Raj believes he can fulfill his dreams. Soon Raj manages to secure his dream contract with Mr Gill (Om Puri), for the construction of a shopping mall. There are 2 issues though, Priya is fighting for the survival of a community centre and the shopping mall is set to be built on the centre…
Kismat Konnection Review
Kismat Konnection is a light entertainer, a simple love story without glitz, glamour and item numbers. But the major problem with Kismat Konnection is its pace, it gets terribly boring in most parts of the first half and some parts of the second. The music, key to a movie of this genre, is below average and mostly breaks the flow of the film. Also the chemistry between the lead pair is disappointing. Except for one moment on the cruise, the love story is filled with dull moments that are neither exciting nor does it make you feel for the characters.
Unlike Aziz Mirza’s previous movies like Yes Boss and Chalte Chalte which had just the right combination of romance and comedy, Kismat Konnection lacks both. Few glaring flaws in the story, Raj a struggling architect owns a comfortable luxuriously furnished house in Canada, a car along with a super large LCD Television. Not bad for struggler eh? The story in the second half too is hard to digest, especially the character of Boman Irani (Yes, he has a small special appearance).
Shahid Kapoor finally succeeds in looking and acting like SRK of the 90s. His dialogue delivery and body language were always similar and compared to the superstar, but here he could be easily mistaken as a almost perfect duplicate. You gotta give it to Shahid though; he manages to quite easily pull off the made-for-SRK role. Vidya Balan although hotter than her previous movies, needs to shed those extra pounds quickly. Quite frankly, the gorgeous Juhi Chawla looks a few years younger to Vidya!! Talking of Juhi, she’s brilliant in a 10 minute special appearance. Vishal Malhotra is great. Om Puri is good. Himani Shivpuri does what she always does, nothing unique in her 50th (just a guess) Punjabi role.
Overall, there is nothing much in Kismat Konnection that warrants a trip to the nearby movieplex. If you must watch this Aziz Mirza movie, go for it with absolutely no expectations. At the box-office, a, open week and no release last week would result in a decent opening.
