Talking Movies

Talking Movies
Talking movies

Saturday 23 June 2012

Teri Meri Kahani: A bump here, a song there.

A boy meets a girl. Sorry. A boy bumps into a girl. It’s love at first sight.

Who is he? Who is she?...Who cares? They are in love. That’s all that matters. Is there a love story? Oh yes, they sing songs, don’t they? So what’s the point? Oh right, they simply bump into each other, dressed differently. And of course there is a change in location. There is history here, you see.

In 1910, they are in Lahore. He is a loafer who mouths inane lines and calls it shayari. She is a freedom fighter’s daughter who wants him to do more than spout shayari. He bumps into her on the terrace. Time for a song. When it’s goodbye time, she asks him for more shayari. Time for a song.

In 1960, they meet in a train and land in Mumbai. She is a film star who carries the Filmfare with her picture on the cover. He is someone who doesn’t recognise her and carries a guitar with him. They eat jamuns and discuss mangoes. Time for a song.

In 2010, they are students in England. They bump into each other on the street and exchange cellphones. They drink beer and she talks about lunchbox and suitcases. They part. They text, they facebook. Time for a song.

In Teri Meri Kahani, it doesn’t matter who and what the story is about. In every era, we just see Priyanka and Shahid, not Aradhna/Javed (1910), Rukhsar /Govind (1960) or Radha/Krish (2012).

Put together with a lame beginning, middle and ending and a string of song and dance sequences, Teri Meri Kahani is a flat attempt by writer and director, Kunal Kohli along with screenplay co-writer, Robin Bhatt to weave a love story spanning three eras.

Kunal Kohli’s better film, Hum Tum was a good rip off from ‘Harry Met Sally’, while Fanaa, taken from ‘Eye of the Needle’ was a bad remake. Teri Meri Kahani, while, not an adaptation, has nothing original going for it, either. Here is a story spanning years but fails to be either an epic or about ageless love. The period costumes and the sets along with bouffant and scarves from the early years, seem just as plastic as the actors.

Shakespeare is mentioned in one line to explain the fallacy of love. One can’t explain the fallacy of the film here. As for Shahid and Priyanka fans, there is only disappointment in store. The chemistry from Kaminey is missing, so is the performance.

As for the integral part of the film, ‘Mukhtasar’ is the only song that is a hummable one, with music by Sajid-Wajid, lyrics by Prasoon Joshi...”mukhtasar mulaakat hai, ankahi koi baat hai..”. Ankahi, indeed.

Teri Meri Kahani is all fluff and no candy, lighter and emptier than popcorn.

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