(International sales: Yash Raj, London.) Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar.
Scripter Shibani Bathija never lets her characters inhabit a secure emotional place for very long, and impediments to happiness come from their own weaknesses rather than social constraints or plot-generated misunderstandings.Ī Yash Raj Films release (in U.K./U.S.) of a Dharma Prods. In many respects, “KANK” is removed from the usual feel-good pics Yash Raj is known for. In the second half, script juggles reversals and changes of heart prior to an extended coda that finally delivers some real emotional punches. Leisurely set-up benefits pic’s first, and biggest, production number, which comes almost an hour into the movie, melding the four main characters’ stories in a similar way to “Say ‘shava, shava'” in “K3G.” Six-minute extravaganza, a riot of color and movement by costumer Manish Malhotra and choreographer Farah Khan, isn’t quite on the level of the classic “Shava” but is a head-spinner all the same.īy intermission, Dev and Maya have become friends and their friendship has become love.
Rishi and Maya’s splicing is also coming apart. Then, helmer Johar springs the first of several sudden plot reversals that pepper the movie.įour years later, Dev is retired from soccer and his marriage to the ever-successful Rhea feels the strain. It’s also the fifth wedding anni for the childhood friends.Īnother pair of childhood friends, event manager Rishi Talwar (Abhishek Bachchan) and junior school teacher Maya (Rani Mukerji), are about to get married at his country manse where Rishi’s philandering dad, Sam (Amitabh Bachchan, real-life father of Abhishek), meets Kamal (Kirron Kher), Dev’s handsome widowed mother.
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There’s professional soccer player Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan), who cops a $5 million contract on the same day his wife, Rhea (Preity Zinta), becomes editor of a glossy magazine. Future haul looks rosy, given the absence of any immediate competition on the Bollywood scene.Įxtended intro, sandwiched between the opening titles, sets up the six main characters, all played by stars of various vintages. (from 60 prints, for a fourth spot in the top 10). (from 95 prints) and $1.4 million in the U.K. 11, with first weekend grosses of $1.3 million in the U.S.
Title opened very strongly in traditional Indian markets Aug.