Kismat Konnection Movie Review: It Only Connects in Places

Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection comes with a lot of expectations, it fulfills some, and it fails on other counts. First of all, the film is quite a departure from his earlier ventures. The Aziz Mirza that we have grown up on is the warm, embracing director of films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Yes Boss and the man behind TV serials like, Nukkad and Circus common man, his common aspirations and dreams. A lot of that is missing from Kismat Konnection, which only manages to connect with audiences in places and rare moments. For the most part, the connect is not happening. But there is a lot that the film has going for it, one of which is the presence of Shahid Kapur, who seems to have grown in stature after Jab We Met. But yes, if we start comparing him to Shah Rukh Khan, then there is some fire missing. But on the positive side, there is the film's music, composed by Pritam, who is on a roll this year as well.

It is definitely not fair to the film to compare to the ones that went before it, but it is inevitable in this case as this film seems to suffer from a hangover of the past. There are distinct parallels between Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Yes Boss, but more in the issues that they ultimately raise. These are the concerns which have made an Aziz Mirza film so endearing. The concerns and issues are present in this film as well, but somehow they sound more contrived than real. They seem to be something that the filmmaker rustled up at the last moment. The film actually suffers most in the writing department. The script and screenplay are what really let the film down. The actors do their job well enough, for instance Boman Irani and Om Puri, whose talent needs no introduction. But they are wasted in roles which have no substance to them.

The film's story is about Raj Malhotra (Shahid), who is a very talented, young architect in Toronto. But lady luck does not seems to be shining on him. A visit to a fortune teller, Haseena Bano (Juhi Chawla) gives him the solution. He has to find his lucky charm, which will change things for him. Soon enough, he bumps into Priya (Vidya Balan) and keeps bumping into her frequently, and finds that things suddenly start falling into place. She is his lucky charm. But the important thing is for him to keep his lady luck with him. He pretends to be in love with her initially, before actually falling in love with her. Priya is a fiery girl, who is currently out to save a community centre from being demolished by Om Puri's character. The tycoon wants to construct a shopping mall and Raj is the one who will be designing it. He pretends to be on her side so that she sticks by him, till his emotions start playing tricks on him and he is hard over heels in love. Ambition and love clash. The end is inevitable but the build up doesn't happen quite like that.

The film has all the elements going for it but it lacks the warm humour that Mirza's previous films had, a humour which is all embracing. The scenes between Shahid and Vidya, specially the initial scenes, are very well done and well written as well. But the film gets to the point in a very tortuous fashion. The growing up of Raj Malhotra takes its time and, when it happens, it seems quite sudden, without sufficient build up.

Of the cast, both Shahid and Vidya do a very fine job indeed. They play their characters well and one cannot help them for the confusion that there is in the manner in which the film is plotted. Shahid has wonderful energy, dances like a dream and is quite a treat to watch. Vidya too looks beautiful and does her bit quite well. She and Shahid don't exactly set the screen on fire but they still make a believable couple. Om Puri is excellent as always in the little bit that he has to do. Boman hardly gets a chance to do anything. Vishal Malhotra, who plays Shahid's sidekick in the film, puts in a very credible performance. Juhi Chawla is good as always. She has a very pleasant screen presence and it is good to see her. But one would have preferred to be a little less over the top.

The cinematographer for the film is Binod Pradhan, who does a competent job, nothing outstanding. It is Pritam who scores big time with the film's music, which is catchy and well picturised. In Kismat Konnection, director Mirza fails to do what he does best. The pangs of the underdog, the turmoil and conflict just don't seem too real anymore. In that sense, the film fails to connect.