It's incredibly cheesy and it looks like the same production designer who designed the look of Moulin Rouge also designed this film. But having said that it's actually pretty good. It's your usual Bollywood love story that's been based on a Dostoevsky story. You heard it a million times, boy meets girl who is already in love with another man who may or may not be real. Toss in a lonely old woman, a stunningly beautiful hooker with a heart of gold, a monochromatic set with lots of pretty lights and shimmering things and that's your story. Oh yeah, of course there's a bunch of songs and dance numbers that feature cheesy lyrics and lots of hip shaking navel bearing red hot brown skinned women in saris. In other words, it's just pure Bollywood fun that comes complete with cheesy songs and dance. It's got an unsual ending for a Bollywood movie but that makes it all the more fun.
If you like Bollywood, you'll like this one. I recommend it if you can find it.
I recently caught this film on Turner Classic Movie channel:
It made me realize that I am a classic art house film philistine because after years of hearing people rave about this film I must say that after finally seeing it, I hated it. Maybe I need to judge this film in the context of the time it was made in but I couldn't. I found it dull and too self conscious. Seriously, I got it right off, the kid isn't really a trouble maker, but every adult thinks he is so he stays in trouble. That's it. That's the film. I'm not kidding. See this one if you must or if you, like me, felt like you had to because it's a part of the hallowed film cannon, but honestly, it's not very good. Or maybe I'm just a Philistine who didn't understand the underlying motifs and subtext. Or maybe they've been blowing smoke up our asses about Truffaut films all our lives.
