REVIEW: Himesh's Karzzzz

On a day when multiple previews of Karzzzz were being held across the city, Subhash Ghai, the master of the original, was talking to newspersons at the music launch of his latest, Yuvvraaj. When asked if people will accept Himesh as Monty after Rishi Kapoor, the showman answered, "Dilip Kumar has played Devdas, so has Shah Rukh, you tell me who is better?"

That in a nut shell is what this review is all about.

Original Vs Remake

Himesh Reshammiya is the new Monty. In every sense. Karzzzz belongs to him and the actor-singer-composer brings to the character his unique touch, which, for all you know, could be a craze for the people it is meant for.

There is no point discussing what the film is all about - a tale of love, betrayal and reincarnation. No point directing too much about screenplay or directorial vision (Satish kaushik) since a more than large chunk of the film is a copy of the original. But what is amply evident is that Himesh has put in tremendous effort in what, he has been saying, is his role of a lifetime.

That said, let us not ignore the fact that there are lot of things about Karzzzz that fail to live up to our expectations. The art direction is so shoddy that you wonder if it is some kind of a joke. Billionaire Ravi Verma's (Dino Morea) palace is located in Cape Town, in the midst of a stunning vineyard. But once inside, you are treated to garish green wallpapers and green sofas, butlers in tail coats and gloves, who move around in the background like apparitions.

The choreography is way too ordinary for a musical, and the dancers either look malnourished and doped out or overfed, in sequined costumes straight out of Gemini circus. Ditto for the junior artistes, who sometimes sport hay-yellow wigs - to tell you they are firangs- or visibly bored South Africans, who even when dressed as cops, do not know how to hold a gun straight.

That's not all. The styling of the lead characters is extremely tacky. Urmila, who plays a gorgeous seductress, wears outlandish gold pants, and oversized gold earrings at high noon and goes out for a walk in the forest with Himesh. Monty's love interest, Tina (How we miss the glamorous Tina Munim), wears what look like ill-fitting rejects from television soaps and is obsessed with shocking pink eye shadow, even when she wears a gold and orange dress.

NEXT: Urmila, the eye candy