Always Kabhi Kabhi - Review

Late teens. Most of us are old enough to get nostalgic about them. We had a tough time. We obeyed. We rebelled. Always Kabhi Kabhi picks four of us and tells our story. Or rather tries to. Because, for our stories to make it to films, they need to be exaggerated. And the hyperbole goes wary because it makes the same mistake our parents made or we as parents might make. Nag, rant, berate.

The set-up, the problems chosen, the build-up weren't bad at all. From the over-attentive, selfish parent to the perennially disappointed dad to the missing-in-action socialite-parents - they have it all covered. But the second half takes you into a drastic overdo of either silly lover's tiffs or situations that are beyond unreasonable.

To top it off, we have lame dialogue and amateurish delivery. I liked Zoa Morani the best. She was the only one who carried off the attitude assigned to her - "whatever". The two boys, Ali Fazal and Satyajeet Dubey are just about tolerable. Though it might be my intolerance of chocolate-boy-looks and pretentious cuteness coming through here. Same goes for Giselle Monteiro. But at least her character came across as believable.

The lasting impact though is of only "blah". It doesn't remain the chick-flick it starts out as, nor does it execute the message it wants to put across well. A similar point was much, much better executed in F.A.L.T.U. That each of us has a right to our own dreams. That just because one generation liked Shakespeare, doesn't mean generations and generations later he still has to be played out in the same vein. But what a ridiculous cop-out they chose to go with!?

Maybe all of this would have worked if they showed, and didn't tell. And then just for good measure, have King Khan spell it out to us again in the end credits. I guess, we should thank him and our stars, that he didn't show up as one of the 18-year olds.