This is one movie where despite the captions, you are still laughing at the characters and events portrayed. Very well done!

Meticulously observed and wonderfully heartfelt, this time-spanning 2007 family dramedy represents a return to form for director Mira Nair, who faltered somewhat with 2004's elaborate but lugubrious "Vanity Fair". This one is also a literary adaptation but this time from a contemporary best-seller by Jhumpa Lahiri, who wrote an emotionally drawn story about first generation Bengali immigrants to the United States and their U.S.-born children. It's an intricate book full of careful nuances, and Nair, along with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, captures most of them in a most loving manner. The story speaks fluently to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the obligation of family and a perceived enslavement to the past. Nair and Taraporevala manage to transcend the necessarily episodic nature of the novel to make it an involving journey toward self-acceptance.

The film initially focuses on Ashoke Ganguli and his arranged marriage to Ashima, a classically trained singer. The young couple move from Calcutta in 1977 to Queens in order for him to pursue his career as an electrical engineer. The adjustment is difficult, especially for Ashima in assimilating into the often cold U.S. culture, and these quiet scenes show a keen eye for subtle observation. They quickly have two children in succession, son Gogol and daughter Sonia. Gogol's name is the key plot point as he was inadvertently after Ashoke's favorite writer, Nikholai Gogol, and this is revealed to have greater significance as the story unfolds. Eventually, the film switches the perspective to Gogol's as he grows up, changes his name to Nikhil and starts his life as a yuppie architect in Manhattan....

At the same, the film does not abandon Ashoke and Ashima as they remain significant figures in shaping Gogol's destiny, especially as the impact of a tragic turn brings unexpected changes. The cathartic aspect of these scenes is what makes the film powerful. Moreover, with her filmmaking experience in her native India and the U.S., Nair brings a seamless fluency to both locales. The movie falters a bit toward the end when it starts to ramble and feel pat, but the story's old world gravitas rescues it just in time. Beforehand I was convinced Kal Penn would be the spoiler in this film, but he gives a sharp, dedicated performance as Gogol. Poised to be taken seriously as an actor even amid his White Castle and Van Wilder movies, he seems a bit exaggerated only in the early teenage scenes which recall those other movies.

However, it is the superb work of Irfan Khan and Tabu as his parents that make the film soar. Both bring a level of assurance and compassion that ground the film completely, especially Tabu who makes the seemingly modest character arc of Ashima really striking. Playing yet another variation of the spoiled American girl, Jacinda Barrett again proves how fearless an actress she can be in exposing the vanity and ignorance of Maxine, Gogol's first serious girlfriend. As Moushumi, the Bengali girl who comes with the family's seal of approval, Zuleikha Robinson has a ripe presence to match her character's aspiring worldliness. Cinematographer Frederick Elmes and production designer Stephanie Carroll provide masterful work in capturing the diverse flavors of the different locales. This film is for anyone who has struggled to forge his or her own identity only to find the need to embrace the past, especially those of us who have parents who displayed the courage to move from their native lands.

I really enjoyed watching this film. There are some brief humor moments at the beginning of the film which aren't the type of humor I usually laugh at. (Those moments were done by the actor who was trying to persuade the city council to unite the children of the feuding fathers.) But, that didn't detract me from enjoying the film. I especially enjoyed seeing Shah Rukh Khan.

Three and a half stars for this one.

Okay, SINGH IS KINNG is pretty silly, but tubloads of fun. It's mostly a comedy but with several action sequences thrown in. And, naturally, a romantic subplot creeps in.

In the Punjab region there sits a tiny village, in which dwells the well-meaning but ridiculously accident-prone Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar). When Happy's most recent escapade - in which he tries to capture a runaway chicken - ends up wrecking half the village, the outraged villagers concoct a scheme to get him out of their hair. The scheme pays off as it results in Happy volunteering to go to Australia to fetch back the notorious gangster Lucky Singh, who hails from this same village and is causing it massive levels of shame with his illegal exploits. So off Happy goes.

Except that a ticket mishap has him making a brief stopover in Egypt, where he meets and falls for the gorgeous law student Sonia (Katrina Kaif). Finally in Australia, Happy finds himself getting the brush off from Lucky, who'd rather stay in Australia and keep on living it up as a powerful gangster. But when Lucky is paralyzed (in a hilarious sequence), Happy is, sort of, elected as the new don, the new king of the Australian underworld. So, now, Singh is Kinng.

Yes, the plot is absurd and over-the-top. The characters are full-on stereotypes. And if you haven't seen a lot of Bollywood films, this one might make you groan quite vigorously. One constant in Bollywood is the big coincidence, and that's here, too. I don't think it's much of a shocker when you find out that the girl Happy meets and falls for in Egypt turns out to be the daughter of the kindly old woman who befriends him in Australia.... And following that age-old Bollywood story device, of course, the daughter is already engaged.

Speaking of that old woman, the plot takes time to borrow a page from Frank Capra's Lady for a Day. Seems that, once upon a time, the old woman was very rich but since then has fallen on tough times. Her daughter, Sonia, is returning from her time abroad, expecting to still be rich. Happy Singh, as the new and wealthy crime lord, decides to have himself and his gang pose as the old woman's household servants. He also lets her pass off his opulent mansion as her own.

Now, can Happy not only pull off this masquerade, but also rehabilitate his incorrigible henchmen? And can he get the girl? By the way, these questions are purely rhetorical, since the answers are pretty much no-brainers.

This movie ended up ruling the box offices in India, and it's largely because of Akshay Kumar, who is right up there now amongst Bollywood's current royalty. Akshay has by now proven that he can cover both dramatic and comedic roles. He's amusing here as Happy, but then convincingly cool and heroic when the story calls for it. Happy Singh is reminiscent of Akshay's backwoods character in Namastey London DVD. And a bit like in NAMASTEY LONDON, there are moments here in which Akshay indulges in wistful glances at Katrina. SINGH IS KINNG is Akshay's fourth film with Katrina Kaif, and, by now, this teaming is a proven recipe for box office success. NAMASTEY LONDON is what put Katrina on the Bollywood map and also the film which shows off her best acting performance. Here, her acting is okay and, as usual, she looks stunning. But I wish there were more depth to her film character.

SINGH IS KINNG offers up harmless, exuberant entertainment, zany shenanigans, and lavish musical numbers. And lots of bright, sunny colors. The end credits showcase the "Singh Is Kinng" track, with this one featuring Snoop Dogg. It's worth it just to see Akshay and Snoop side by side. By the way, just about every song in the soundtrack is good and catchy, but my favorite has to be the very smooth "Bas Ek Kinng."

There are parts which will make you smile. I liked everything involving "Saint Divine Finger" (the nickname of the ex-mob boss Lucky, after he became paralyzed). Those familiar with Bollywood will get a kick out of one particular sequence, in which crooks masked as famous Bollywood actors kidnap one particularly annoying character. Of course, as mentioned, there are parts which will probably make you groan. Me, I didn't care too much for the hen-chasing scene or any of the scenes with the brother who's nearly blind and deaf in one ear. Like I said, much of this is silly. But Akshay makes it fun, and I enjoy ogling Katrina Kaif.

What I have is the fancy "Kinng's Edition" 2-disc dvd package. It comes with six "Singh Is Kinng" postcards, a "Singh Is Kinng" decal, and some kind of green bauble. Disc 1 has the feature film. Disc 2 has the following: the "Making of the Movie" segment (with cast interviews, partly in English); "Making of the Music" (but with barely a mention of Snoop); the title track (featuring Snoop Dogg), the tight "Bas Ek Kinng" remix, the full "Teri Ore" song, "Kinng in Toronto" - a live promo segment in Toronto, with appearances by Akshay and RDB (the great British bhangra group who wrote and helped perform "Singh Is Kinng"); and the theatrical trailer. Not half bad for bonus stuff (but I suspect the green bauble is worthless).

I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good, memorable laugh! It's suitable for the entire family. Abhishek does a fabulous job. The ways in which he deflects the interest of his potential brides are clever and oh-so hilarious! I still laugh at his encounters every time I have a chance to replay this movie. It's also a story of love and Aishwarya's acting is wonderful (not one of her best, best though). There's a twist in the movie and it really shows how versatile these two actors can be. The two make a great pair.

I also recommend movies such as "Dhaii Akshar Prem Ke," which stars both of them. Superb acting by Aishwarya (& Ajay Devgan) can be found in "Dil De Chuke Sanaam." Abhishek movies I also recommend are "Yuva" (superb all around cast & acting in this movie, but not suitable for children as there are violence and sexy scenes) and "Bunti Aur Babli" (another comedy in which there's an appearance by Aishwarya & stars Abhishek).

The Compliment:

This movie is beautiful.
There area lots of great scenes of New York.
The story is compelling.
And, the classic Bollywood dance scenes are worked into the storyline cleanly in logical places.

The Complaint:

Be forewarned, I ordered this 2-disk special edition from Amazon (not the marketplace) and I was sent the single-disc, double-layer version. Unfortunately, I had torn off the plastic wrap before I realized there was only 1 disc inside, so returns seem to be out of the question. I understand that the covers of the single-disc and double-disc versions are almost the same. This was probably a picking error. So when you buy this, check it very carefully before opening it.

the movie was very different from what I expected. it keeped me in suspence because it always made you wounder who exacly was doing all things around the house was it really a ghost or someone around the family.

This movie was great. Kuch Naa Kaho (Say No More) was my second bollywood movie (if you count Bride & Prejudice as full-on bollywood) and I enjoyed it so much I've actually sat through it twice already (to inform the reader, i am a manly man who lives and breathes sports; watching a 2 and half hour flick with sub-titles is a big deal for me, as well as a step up in my social evolution, 'cording to my girl). I'm not saying that I've become a full-on bollywood fan, just an ardent Aishwarya Rai slave.

Anyway, the basic plot: Raj lives in America and is tricked into going to India to go to his sister's wedding, suspecting all the while that his matchmaking uncle'll try to marry him off. He meets Namrata (Aishwarya Rai) by a cute coincidence; later, Namrata is talked into guiding/babysitting the reluctant Raj as he dates the five women set up by his uncle; of course, it turns out the perfect chica for him is Namrata; but then there's a little twist...

The first two hours mostly pass in comedic fashion, now and then interrupted by song & dance numbers, then it segues into soap opera drama in the final 30-40 minutes. By the way, I just realized I haven't even mentioned the lead actor's name. It is Abhishek Bachchan and, apparently, he is the son of a famous actor (the director, Rohan Sippy, is also the son of a famous director). Abhishek as Raj does a pretty good job. I found myself liking the fella, even though he was romancing the girl of my dreams (I'm sure I have a shot; after all, I am a manly man). Abhishek's sense of humor shines through (check out the "making of" on the bonus dvd to see how laid back and cheerful this cat is) but he also holds up well in the dramatic scenes.... Some friends more refined than me and who, therefore, have seen multitudes of foreign films have commented that Kuch Naa Kaho is actually "a refreshing confection added to the bollywood genre, flavored with up-to-date themes and values and peppered with more modern styles of music." Me, I just get hungry with that kind of talk. The thing about a lengthy movie like this is that, if you're enjoying it, you fall deeper into the story so that by the end, you're truly wrapped up into the tale and you have a deeper investment in the characters and what befalls them. Now let's go into the movie's not so secret weapon. For that, I'm gonna start a new paragraph.

Aishwarya Rai makes this movie work. I'm a layman when it comes to acting; basically, I know what I like. But, to me, Rai has that light, deft touch that is desperately needed with romantic comedies such as this. She is luminously beautiful, yet refreshingly down-to-earth. She makes the musical segments a sheer pleasure to watch. I've replayed the songs so often I could probably describe every dance step and hum every note right now...but I won't. And Omigosh her eyes! ...look, I've obviously degenerated into this rambling mode now so do yourself a favor, dear reader, and order this movie. This woman gets 10,000 e-mails daily worldwide. You're gonna make it 10,001. Cheers.

I will at times watch movies made from all over the world. Recently I have taken to watching some of the more recent Bollywood flicks. Ghajini was a breathtaking movie. I kind of enjoy the musical parts of the movie as they did tend to tie in well with the story line. I loved the contrast between the Sanjay dating Kalpana and the Sanjay with the bad memory. Aamir is a very wonderful actor. I was very impressed how he was able to carry the short term memory loss. The actor playing Ghajini was positively evil! A very very well done movie. I have the sound track and love it. The movie was heart breaking in certain spots. Having lost some I loved very much I could identify with Sanjays grief.

I think India has a lot to offer and this movie proves my point. One final thing, I didnt realize it, but the movie was 3 hours long. Longer than the normal movies I am used to watching. The happy part of this being I did not realize it was 3 hours until it was over and I happened to look at the clock. The movie kept my attention completely!!

Well done! I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to break out of the rut of Hollywood.

Having been a fan of the 1981 classic starring Rekha in the title role, I wasn't sure what to expect, but was more than staisfied by the amazing performances in this movie. The story centers around an aging courtesan Umrao Jaan Ada who tells her life story to another poet through a series of flashbacks.

The title character is played to convincing effect by Aishwarya Rai. It is not just her luminous beauty that shines through here - every facial expression, the lift of an eyebrow, her smile, her tears, are all beievable in conveying her character's emotions. The dance sequences were also very good - I never thought of Aishwarya as a great dancer until this movie, the movements are so natural, and authentic. Rekha, in the original was an amazing dancer too, and both in their own unique ways bring the character of Umrao Jaan to glorious life on screen.

Umrao Jaan's love interest, Nawab Sultan is played convincingly by Abshishek Bachchan, and their on-screen chemistry practically sizzles [they are now a real-life married couple]. Each love scene is beautifully and subtly done, and comes across as tender with an underlying passion that is hard to miss.

There are also secondary characters in this movie that deserve mention - namely, the brothel owner, Khanum Sahib, played by veteran actress Shabana Azmi. Her character's greed for wealth is also touched by some shred of humanity, and very well done. Sunil Shetty plays the dacoit who lusts after Umrao, and his character comes across as savage and ruthless whilst also tender when faced by Umrao's dazzling beauty and finesse.

The songs are all beautiful, and the costumes and sets simply sumptuous. This is definitely one of the best Bollywood musicals to come along, enhanced by a compelling plot and credible acting.... Highly recommended period piece!

I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good, memorable laugh! It's suitable for the entire family. Abhishek does a fabulous job. The ways in which he deflects the interest of his potential brides are clever and oh-so hilarious! I still laugh at his encounters every time I have a chance to replay this movie. It's also a story of love and Aishwarya's acting is wonderful (not one of her best, best though). There's a twist in the movie and it really shows how versatile these two actors can be. The two make a great pair.

I also recommend movies such as "Dhaii Akshar Prem Ke," which stars both of them. Superb acting by Aishwarya (& Ajay Devgan) can be found in "Dil De Chuke Sanaam." Abhishek movies I also recommend are "Yuva" (superb all around cast & acting in this movie, but not suitable for children as there are violence and sexy scenes) and "Bunti Aur Babli" (another comedy in which there's an appearance by Aishwarya & stars Abhishek).