When an accomplished film-maker comes up with his new product, you await it with bated breath. And if the track record happens to be as enviable as that of Subhash Ghai, the expectations soar skywards.
Subhash Ghai, the master storyteller, is back with his new outing KISNA. Set in the pre-independence era, when Britishers ruled India, KISNA is not a page from history, but a work of fiction.
Subhash Ghai, the master storyteller, is back with his new outing KISNA. Set in the pre-independence era, when Britishers ruled India, KISNA is not a page from history, but a work of fiction.
Contrary to expectations, KISNA is not similar to the Academy Award nominated period film LAGAAN. The comparisons are obvious since both LAGAAN and KISNA look at an Indian’s fight against the tyranny of Britishers.
Frankly, KISNA bears a striking resemblance to Michael Mann’s widely acclaimed masterpiece THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS [1992; starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe], a love story threatened by overwhelming circumstances.
Wait, there’s one more film Ghai takes the inspiration from – the all-time favourite TITANIC.
Despite two classics as the reference points, KISNA works only partly. It starts off brilliantly, but runs out of steam as incident after incident unfolds. And by the time it reaches the finale, the viewer is simply exasperated!
Ghai could’ve taken that big leap internationally with KISNA, but...
The turbulent 1940s forms the backdrop of this love story when the nationalists had locked horns with the British to give India its independence. KISNA is set during that era.
A young Indian, Kisna [Vivek Oberoi], defies his family and brethren and shields a British girl Catherine [Antonia Bernath] from an enraged mob of nationalists. Catherine happens to be the young daughter of a ruthless British Deputy Commissioner [Michael Maloney].
Kisna decides to escort Catherine to the British High Commission in New Delhi, but before that he has to face opposition from his uncle [Amrish Puri], elder brother Shankar [Yashpal Sharma] and a scheming, lusty and power-hungry prince, Raghuraj [Rajat Kapoor].
During this journey, Kisna and Catherine’s friendship blossoms into love, thereby complicating Kisna’s life further. His relations with the girl he is engaged to, Laxmi [Isha Sharvani], are strained in the process...
Making a period film is akin to walking a tightrope. If you deviate from the plot even slightly, or miss focus, the impact can get diluted. That’s what happens in the latter part of KISNA.
KISNA takes off very well and the initial reels keep your eyes glued to the screen. This, despite the fact that the story and flashback unfolds exactly the way TITANIC starts. Ghai, the master film-maker, successfully recreates the pre-independence era and introduces his characters skillfully.
The friendship that begins during childhood continues to bloom even after Kisna and Catherine meet as adults. The proceedings get interesting when the Indians attack the Commissioner’s house and Kisna takes it upon himself to save Catherine from their clutches.
But the moment Kisna and Catherine embark on an unexpected journey, the graph of the film starts going downhill. Actually, the story stagnates at this juncture!
The pace picks up again during the intermission point and you expect the post-interval portions to ignite the screen. But nothing of the sort happens. Rather, nothing exciting happens. Frankly, what you witness in the second half has been witnessed umpteen times earlier.
On the whole, KISNA does not meet the colossal expectations that you anticipate from a Subhash Ghai film. At the box-office, the film would meet with mixed reactions. Eventually, the film may not be able to hold on thanks to a weak second half. The silver lining is the holiday period, Friday [Idd] as well as Wednesday [26th January; Republic Day]. That would help largely. But a long run seems tough!
Rating:- * *.
