Review of Cheeni Kum (2007) by Anusha C — 05 Jun 2007

Amitabh Bachchan again tries something different, but he's not a perve in the film, which is what some ignorant people are saying! He essays the role of a proud 64-year-old chef really well, and looks quite suave (even with his little chotli!). And the perfect foil to his pride... Tabu - such a pleasure to see her acting sfter some time - and she looks so comfortable in her role as a 34-yr-old confident Indian woman on holiday over here. Their chemistry is grrrreat - 2 confident and very able actors and a well-written script is a definite recipe for success!

Paresh Rawal - he's a great character actor, but I'm getting a bit fed-up of his acting - it can get quite repetitive, and his overacting loses some of its humour after a few times! The bits with him/ Tabu/ Amitabh drag on for too long - the 2nd half should have been cut down a bit, and the script starts to flounder here too.

Zohra Sehgal is funny, and the girl is cute and acts well, which is important as her character is vital to the development of the story and the couples' relationship. The relationships in this movie are lovely - something which is lacking big-time in Bolly movies these days.

The title song is sweet, and the chorus coming up at random points while Tabu walks away from Amitabh and turns her head to look at him works really well. Tabu looks nice - but does she have to be dressed in such old-womans' clothes? This happens to lots of actresses with the 'serious' tag (e.g. the amazing Vidya Balan dressed in tents in Salaam-e-Ishq), which should change! Please!

Overall, the 1st half is fab, with a slick, funny script (brill), but the 2nd half, in India (with Paresh Rawal) does take away from the charm of the film. Still, the acting's great!