Preity Zinta's fabulous performance...
After having a successful turn with Kya Kehna, Kundan Shah and Preity Zinta reunite for another picture that revolves entirely around her. This is a film that has it all: comedy, drama, emotions, romance and values. It is portrayed quite well all through, but it certainly wouldn't have worked if not for Preity Zinta. Don't know what it is about her. Watching her on-screen is a refreshing, encouraging experience. Her bright smile, her easy charm, her strong and natural screen presence, and her real-life happiness that translates so naturally onto the screen, all make you believe that life is beautiful. Even when she's sad and you see tears in her expressive eyes which naturally sadden you as well, you cannot but feel optimistic. She switches sorrow with happiness quickly yet convincingly. This is not just the beautiful character she's got, it's Preity herself. Not once has she been called a bubbly and vivacious actress. Her ability to inject even the saddest of characters with her natural zest is unique and commendable. Not many actors can do it, but Preity can.
Preity plays Shalu, a girl who is the product of her father's extramarital affair, and who was adapted by her father's wife (Rekha) after his death. Unaware of her identity, she often wonders why her mother does not show even remote affection for her while clearly doing so towards her sister Nimmi (Mahima). Yet, her love for both her mother and her beloved sister is immense and unconditional. As a matter of fact, the bonding and camaraderie between Shalu and Nimmi is one of the most beautifully portrayed sibling relationships and rarely done so convincingly in mainstream films. Shalu never for one moment begrudges her sister for being their mother's preferred child. On the contrary, she is presented as that happy-go-lucky girl who is full of life no matter what. While troubled by her mother's cold and aloof attitude, she does not spend time crying for all ill fate; she fights for her happiness and makes her best to prove her worth. Later in the film, her ability to sacrifice her own happiness for her sister and family brings a new dimension to her, and while it could have made any other actress look cheap and pretentious, Preity is compelling and moving.
Shalu is a very simple yet extremely memorable role, and she's unlike any leading lady you've seen in Hindi movies. She is very much a real person, who wears regular everyday clothes (western but not in the glamorous or vulgar sense, as one would imagine), rides a bicycle, slides down the staircase banister, confronts her mother's political rivals, has absolutely no qualms about lying when applying for a new job or trying to get what she wants, and sometimes even likes to play pranks on strangers. Indeed, a character archetype that would be considered too racy or even unseemly for leading ladies just a few years back. But here there's no contradiction between Shalu's independent nature and her commitment to her family. Shalu, if you like, is your girl-next-door, but not the naive one; she is a young, strong woman who knows her mind but has her values intact. Preity integrates her boyish charm into Shalu's mini-negative shades, providing some moments of light, comic relief, as in the scene where she misleads Arjun Rampal's character on his way to the company, or the ones where she mistreats him ("Hey Driver! Ksh! Ksh!"). Even the early sequence where she feeds her mother's political rivals a peppered pastry (by the way, the instance when they have smoke coming out of their ears is redundant and annoyingly embarrassing) is entertaining.
Preity plays Shalu, a girl who is the product of her father's extramarital affair, and who was adapted by her father's wife (Rekha) after his death. Unaware of her identity, she often wonders why her mother does not show even remote affection for her while clearly doing so towards her sister Nimmi (Mahima). Yet, her love for both her mother and her beloved sister is immense and unconditional. As a matter of fact, the bonding and camaraderie between Shalu and Nimmi is one of the most beautifully portrayed sibling relationships and rarely done so convincingly in mainstream films. Shalu never for one moment begrudges her sister for being their mother's preferred child. On the contrary, she is presented as that happy-go-lucky girl who is full of life no matter what. While troubled by her mother's cold and aloof attitude, she does not spend time crying for all ill fate; she fights for her happiness and makes her best to prove her worth. Later in the film, her ability to sacrifice her own happiness for her sister and family brings a new dimension to her, and while it could have made any other actress look cheap and pretentious, Preity is compelling and moving.
Shalu is a very simple yet extremely memorable role, and she's unlike any leading lady you've seen in Hindi movies. She is very much a real person, who wears regular everyday clothes (western but not in the glamorous or vulgar sense, as one would imagine), rides a bicycle, slides down the staircase banister, confronts her mother's political rivals, has absolutely no qualms about lying when applying for a new job or trying to get what she wants, and sometimes even likes to play pranks on strangers. Indeed, a character archetype that would be considered too racy or even unseemly for leading ladies just a few years back. But here there's no contradiction between Shalu's independent nature and her commitment to her family. Shalu, if you like, is your girl-next-door, but not the naive one; she is a young, strong woman who knows her mind but has her values intact. Preity integrates her boyish charm into Shalu's mini-negative shades, providing some moments of light, comic relief, as in the scene where she misleads Arjun Rampal's character on his way to the company, or the ones where she mistreats him ("Hey Driver! Ksh! Ksh!"). Even the early sequence where she feeds her mother's political rivals a peppered pastry (by the way, the instance when they have smoke coming out of their ears is redundant and annoyingly embarrassing) is entertaining.