ONE OF THE BIGGEST INDIAN FILMS OF THE YEAR, WRITER-DIRECTOR KARAN JOHAR’S THIRD FEATURE IS A STAR-STUDDED, NEW YORK-SET EPIC ABOUT WARRING SPOUSES.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and queen bee Rani Mukerji play a couple who embark on an extra-marital affair to remember. Dev (Khan), an injured soccer star, is married to Reha (Preity Zinta), a high-flying magazine editor, but is less than thrilled with the state of their marriage. The same goes for Maya (Rani Mukerji), a timid schoolteacher who married public relations guru Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan) despite not truly loving him. When the pair meet and exchange stories they soon recognise their true soul-mate in one another. However, in the fantasy world of Bollywood, Indian couples may live in downtown New York and have secret rendezvous at Starbucks, but ultimately they are expected to stay in unhappy marriages instead of breaking up or seeking comfort elsewhere. The film’s production values are very good, from Sharmishta Roy’s extravagant sets through Malhotra’s colourcoded costumes to the musical numbers (especially the catchy Where’s the Party Tonight?’ and Khan’s love ballad, ‘Mitwa’).