This is the third Sharrukh Khan film I have watched and the second one in which he is paired up with Kajol. While I can see things that definitely make this film memorable, which explains its long running success, the film is not without problems.
Sharrukh Khan as Raj is as funny as he will be in later films and Kajol does give a strong performance but the first part of the film relies too much on slapstick. Some aspects of the film are truly unbelievable. While Sharrukh and Kajol are outstanding actors, director Aditya Chopra could have done better in choosing actors of Indian descent with real British accents to play Raj and Simran as the two are second generation South Asians who were raised and schooled in Britain. It just makes the two characters as British born unbelievable, especially in scenes like the time Simran was hitchhiking and then questioned by the Swiss police. Even more unbelievable is the scene in which Simran throws a brick through a shop's window and steals a red dress with Raj just standing by and shaking his head. In real life, the two would have been immediately arrested by the authorities and charged with theft and property damage.
The film's ending seems rushed. Sharrukh's character shows really strong emotions only late in the film. When he realizes that marrying Simran would be breaking her family's honor he agrees to leave without her. Simran's father is adamant that she will not marry Raj but changes his mind at the last second right in front of his friend without much explanation. Remember that Simran is still bounded by agreement to marry Kulreet. This sudden change is bound to open a can of worms which only a sequel to the film can resolve. Also the fight scene between Raj and Kulreet looks to be ripped off of an Abhishek Bakchan action film and is totally unnecessary.
All in all, I really recommend Kuch Kuch Hota Hai over this film as Sharrukh and Kajol really perform their best and the plot is much more believable in that film. KKHH is a very fun family film. This film can only serve best as an introduction to Kajol and Sharrukh Khan.
Sharrukh Khan as Raj is as funny as he will be in later films and Kajol does give a strong performance but the first part of the film relies too much on slapstick. Some aspects of the film are truly unbelievable. While Sharrukh and Kajol are outstanding actors, director Aditya Chopra could have done better in choosing actors of Indian descent with real British accents to play Raj and Simran as the two are second generation South Asians who were raised and schooled in Britain. It just makes the two characters as British born unbelievable, especially in scenes like the time Simran was hitchhiking and then questioned by the Swiss police. Even more unbelievable is the scene in which Simran throws a brick through a shop's window and steals a red dress with Raj just standing by and shaking his head. In real life, the two would have been immediately arrested by the authorities and charged with theft and property damage.
The film's ending seems rushed. Sharrukh's character shows really strong emotions only late in the film. When he realizes that marrying Simran would be breaking her family's honor he agrees to leave without her. Simran's father is adamant that she will not marry Raj but changes his mind at the last second right in front of his friend without much explanation. Remember that Simran is still bounded by agreement to marry Kulreet. This sudden change is bound to open a can of worms which only a sequel to the film can resolve. Also the fight scene between Raj and Kulreet looks to be ripped off of an Abhishek Bakchan action film and is totally unnecessary.
All in all, I really recommend Kuch Kuch Hota Hai over this film as Sharrukh and Kajol really perform their best and the plot is much more believable in that film. KKHH is a very fun family film. This film can only serve best as an introduction to Kajol and Sharrukh Khan.