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CHORI CHORI - (Reviewed By Komal Nahta)

Director: Raju Narula
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Producer: Lalit Kpoor
Starring: Ajay Devgan & Rani Mukherjee

RATING: 1.5/10

Om Shakti Combines' Chori Chori is a love story with a difference. A girl, Khushi (Rani Mukerji), feigns a romance with a boy, Ranbir (Ajay Devgan), with the sole intention of getting him closer to the girl he loves, Pooja (Sonali Bendre). While the boy, who is an architect by profession, is also party to the drama, his family is unaware of it and takes a strong liking to Khushi, treating her as their own family member. Along the way, Ranbir and Khushi also start loving each other but a crack develops in their relationship when Ranbir blames Khushi of being an opportunist and actually nursing a secret desire to marry him to fulfil her dreams. The tension in the climax is finally resolved when true love triumphs.

The story had the germs to be developed into a comic drama, laced with wonderful emotions, but that doesn't happen at all. For one, the comedy punches often lack originality. The screenplay is one of complete convenience, because of which the drama doesn't make much of an impact. The banter about dreams, indulged into by Khushi and Ranbir doesn't make much sense if only because it has not been explained too well. Although Ranbir is an architect in Delhi, he spends most of his time with his family in Simla. How he manages that has not been clarified. Even Khushi's dreams of a happy married life are explained more through the dialogue mouthed by her and other characters rather than through scenes.

Ranbir blaming Khushi of opportunism doesn't tug at the heart-strings because it looks forced into the scheme of things with the aim of reaching the climax of the drama. In short, Milan Luthria's story may have had noble intentions but his screenplay is not able to get most of those intentions across. All that talk of dream houses just doesn't make sense, sounding too philosophical. Besides, Ranbir's dream of a house is normal, so why can't the world and Pooja understand him? In the second half, there are too many songs in quick succession of one another. Climax is tame as also predictable. Besides, the film has taken long in the making and the time-lag shows.

Ajay Devgan puts in a fine performance as always. Rani Mukerji is bright and lively, acting naturally. Sonali Bendre gets limited scope and does a fair job. Kamini Kaushal acts ably. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is also lovable except when he dances with two left feet (in the first place, how could anyone think of making him dance?!?). Shashikala and Sadashiv Amarapurkar bore; their characterisations are weird. Satish Shah has been wasted (his dialogue have not been dubbed). Tiku Talsania has nothing much to do. Mushtaq Khan also gets no scope. Smita Jayakar, Virendra Saxena and Shama Deshpande lend fair support.

Milan Luthria's direction is far better than his sketchy scripting. His handling of some light scenes and one emotional scene in the pre-climax is very good. Music (Sajid Wajid) is quite a letdown. A couple of songs are fair but most of them are dull. The 'Yaar kabhi na roothe' song jars if only because if ends up trivialising a serious issue. Song picturisations are dull and routine. Nirmal Jani's camerawork is good. Production and other technical values are alright.

On the whole, Chori Chori has precious little to rob the audience's hearts. Given the dull initial, it will prove to be a big burden for all concerned.

RELEASE DATE: 1st August 2003

REVIEWED BY KOMAL NAHTA