In case u dunt believe me...here is the 1st Press Review(I guess)of KAKN....and maybe its the 1st time i agree wid Press on criticizing a movie!I say tht the reviewer shuld have critcized the movie more!
Review...
Year 2002's money-spinner Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa would be a hard act to follow. And, who else but the maker of one of Pakistan's most successful films ever - Jawed Sheikh - knows this better. Obviously weighed down by a plethora of expectations, but also egged on by a strong ambition to outdo himself in his next home production, Jawed launched Khulay Aasman Kay Neechay a film that, he promised, would have "more lavish songs", "grander sets" and a bigger cast (he even famously spoke of getting Bipasha Basu or Gul Panag to do an item number). It was to be Lollywood's first film that would be shot in Australia and India.
This was late 2004. A still-radiant-with-(Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa's)-success Jawed had just returned from India where he had recorded the music of his new film at Mumbai's Empire Studios. "You know, this is the studio where the music of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas and Aamir Khan's Lagaan were recorded," he told this scribe, gushingly. "I got Yogesh Pradhan to arrange songs for us. (Yogesh had arranged the music of Devdas and, earlier, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam).
"We've used 50-plus violinists something which is an unheard-of orchestra figure in Pakistan," he went on, "Besides, we recorded with the best Bollywood singers, such as Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwindra and Shaan. I've spent a fortune on music alone!"
He also rhapsodised over his coming-together with maestro (late) Amjad Bobby. At that time, Jawed hadn't recorded 'Larki Mumbai Ki', a peppy number that was added much later with an Indian composer. The original soundtrack of the film had a techno track - rendered by Shaan on the lines of 'It's the Time to Disco' - but it was never filmed.
Jawed's eagerness to demonstrate his visual prowess had led him to use one of the most expensive ARRI 3 - camera for Yeh Dil… that also had the facility to shoot in sync-sound. For Khulay Aasman Kay Neechay now popularly abbreviated as KAKN - he went one step ahead by opting for ARRI 4.
For Yeh Dil… songs, Jawed had famously hired the services of award-winning choreographer from India, Saroj Khan. This time over, he wanted somebody more modern in his outlook. Enter Ganesh Acharya, the podgy little man who flew in along with his well-trained troupe of extras.
Jawed was not willing to compromise on the look of his lead actors. Therefore, he chose top-league fashion designer Deepak Perwani to helm the costumes
department. Though, after designing a few outfits for Sana, Humayun Saeed and Saleem Sheikh, Deepak rumouredly walked out of the project, making way for Safina Behroze (also Jawed's sister).
A couple of months later, Jawed was ready to take his film on the floors. The much-touted KAKN shoot began with the filming of a song-and-half on the exotic sand dunes of Dubai. It included the highly expensive aerial shots to be used in the melodious sad Sukhwindra ditty, 'Dil Dey Toh Rabba Judai Na Dey'.
Later, of course, we know how the film was shot variously in Sydney, Canberra and also in Mumbai's famous Film City studios. KAKN took a long time in the making - five years, to be precise - during the course of which Jawed was to complete work on his acting assignments in Bollywood, too.
Jawed's vision of how to market a film is also unmatched in Lollywood. Last month, the actor-turned-director held an elaborate launch of KAKN's official website in a press meet at a local five-star. More recently, he arranged two grand premieres of the film - in Lahore and Karachi - that were attended by his lead actors - Sana, Saleem Sheikh, Meera and Humayun Saeed - among others, looking every bit a royalty.
But, eventually, it's the final product that would count. Unfortunately for Jawed Sheikh, after watching KAKN, one can't squash the feeling of being let-down or (shall one say?) short-changed. To put it like it is, JS seems to have gone wrong.
To begin with, KAKN makes one strong 'technical' statement: If your plot is unconvincing and dialogues are not quite relatable, no amount of catchy, well-choreographed songs or 'slick' editing and quality lab work - or even an impressive background score - can save your film from biting the dust. KAKN suffers badly at the hands of the scriptwriter (Babar Kashmiri) who shows that he is capable of creating a few, 'effective' comic interludes. Just that. There's no way that an average film viewer is going to feel for the characters (on screen) some of whom might be enduring the worst pangs possible of unrequited love or, even, the sudden death of a spouse. And, sure, our actors are not to be blamed here; they can do precious little to help an audience develop empathy for the cardboard characters that they get to play. The problem lies essentially with the sketchy characterisation and the predictable way in which the plot unfolds - not to forget, the dialogues that are laden with clichés oh-so-typical of Lollywood. A lot of words that the actors get to mouth sound redundant and begin to annoy you. For instance, Sana's character (called Umeed) imagining about his childhood 'fiancé' beckoning her to meet him "khulay aasman kay neechay"; her glorious confession to her lover, "Mein upar sey neechay tak pyar hoon!' - they sound ridiculous. Add to it the fact that Meera's character must occasionally break into ill-pronounced English language sentences - well, because she's born and raised in Australia and you know why the meant-to-be-serious effect of a scene might be completely marred. It is interesting to note that veteran Badar Khalil's voice should be dubbed over but not the lisping Meera's. Come on Sheikh saab, these are little, little matters that could have raised the level of the film if given your due critical attention.
Jawed's intentions (or, was it 'superstition'?) to repeat the writer of his stupendously successful Yeh Dil… might be pure, but he seems to have faltered this time over as Babar Kashmiri ends up reducing to near-mockery a subject which is a serious social issue in our part of the world - 'bachpan ki mangni'.
Sana's character - despite being central - is easily the most 'passive' of the lot, and annoyingly so. She is like a pendulum that can swing whichever way it is pushed. Strange that our otherwise well-upholstered, always decked-out heroine should have to watch the action happen from the sidelines. Jawed's pet heroine - she's worked in his productions at least three times before - is made to look pretty and smart, shed a tear or two, and even indulge her much younger cousins. She appears to be completely housebound, and can also not look beyond her childhood fiance (played by Saleem Sheikh). But, when the need arises and the family demands her to marry another cousin of hers (Humayun Saeed), she complies. Notwithstanding, KAKN remains a very important film for Sana, since it projects her starry image in a big way (barring a few, lame sequences). She also looks prettier than Ma'am Meera who can pull off the song-and-dance routine but little else.
Poor Humayun Saeed should also think twice before signing on a film next time. KAKN wastes his talent to a degree that you are left wondering if Humayun is cut out for the big screen at all.
The film appears to have been tailored to launch (read re-launch!) Saleem Sheikh who gets to romance both the leading ladies, features in the best of songs, and also sports an impressive repertoire of jumpers and suits. To little avail. He looks too mature (read old) to play a 'chocolate lover boy' - as they say.
KAKN has its share of comic moments, than
