The characters do things abruptly, the story leaps from one point to the next without giving the audience any clue. It reads like chapters of a book with each chapter ending in a cliffhanger. However, when you start the next chapter you realize that the cliffhanger was not such a big deal after all. I don’t want spoon-feeding, but some hint of the transitions that the characters and their relationships are making would give the narrative a much needed flow.

Soha Ali Khan, Shiney Ahuja, Rajat Kapoor, and Vinay Pathak are all good actors. But, here they come across as just going through the motions. It can be claimed that the movie is not really a story but just a comment on the lifestyles of the people it is about. But, for that to come across too, a certain amount of insight into the character is necessary.

Khoya Khoya Chandrevolves around Nikhat and her relationships. But by the time you have figured that out, you have lost interest. Mainly because the screenplay meanders around trying to show everyone's point of view. I usually enjoy movies/stories narrated from various points of view, but here not one view is fully fleshed out. Even Nikhat's character doesn't seem completely thought out.

Isn't it a shame that after spending over two hours with Nikhat you have no clue what she feels for the other characters in the movie? Or is that how she is? Clueless about her own relationships? Either which way, you couldn’t care less. The chops from one scene to the other are also very distracting. Before you can sink your teeth into what a character is trying to say/do/feel you are led straight into the next episode.

I very rarely question why a person falls in love with another person. You know - "love happens". But, after having blindly accepted that, I think I deserve a peep into how the couple spends time together and how they grow apart. Nope, no such luck. I am just told, by way of plain dialogue or glycerin-filled eyes what transpired after the last scene.

Khoya Khoya Chand is also about emptiness in the lives of people, more specifically of people that work in the film industry. It also shows the fallibility of the "stars" as people who are portrayed larger than life in reel-life. The irony is staring you in your face. Uh...so what? We know that. Our "star" who played the oh-so-lovable Munnabhai is in and out of prison for being involved with terrorists for goodness sake!

However, I'd like to thank the director for taking us to the charming 50s-60s. (Except for the title song - which is the best, but it seems a little modern compared to the setting of the rest of the movie.) Especially the songs - music, lyrics, presentation. The music and lyrics are truly refreshing.

Yet, I saw no specific reason for it to be set in the 50s. It might as well have been a present-day story. True, there are tributes to various actors, directors, music directors of that era. And there certainly must have been a few that I missed because I am not completely aware of what was happening in the personal lives of people from that era. Any which way, I found the lives portrayed very one-dimensional, very ordinary.

And the other technical aspects are extraordinarily bizarre. The light seemed to be coming in from the weirdest places and gave many scenes a very artificial look. There were way too many close-ups and almost no on-location sets. It made me feel like I was trapped in low-budget Bhansali-land. And when the camera wasn't closing in on faces, it was going around in circles for no particular reason. More so, towards the end of the movie. Put together, they didn't create any impact at all.

And what exact purpose were the time-transition title cards serving - "One month later", "two months later"? Were they supposed to imply that whatever was shown after the last title card happened in one day? However, the title cards in the end said loud and clear, "this is where we ran out of money, so sorry - story finish. khel khatam, paisa hajam (money digested, game over). Tata. Good bye. Go home." Haven't seen a more abrupt ending in the recent past.

As I write this review, I am running through the movie again and again. It's a Sudhir Mishra product. There must be some larger point, where is it hiding? Or maybe the point is to show the pointlessness of existence. If so, it doesn't interest me, and so this one was clearly not for me.

Parental guidance: When there is a good chance that adults might get bored, I doubt children are going to sit through it. Besides, the story is about adult relationships. Visually there are a couple mild love scenes.