Karzzz – Movie Review

Remakes are rarely as good as their originals and Karzzz is no exception. The 1980 Karz (Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim) was a blockbuster, but one wonders whether blockbusters should be remade. Particularly movies like Karz. Reincarnation as a theme is fine, but the whole rigmarole of the mothers exhorting sons to revenge, larger than life villains and helpless women waiting for a man to come and rescue them can put off today’s generation.

That said, this film is all about Himesh Reshammiya. He plays Monty, a rock star. His swinging gait, soft expressive face and the way he sings, make him right for the role even though he doesn’t have the looks or the body to play the typical Bollywood hero. His fans are bound to love him in the movie even though his acting is no great shakes.

What is the movie really about?
The film is shot entirely in South Africa and Kenya. Monty is a famous rock star in South Africa and travels to Kenya for a holiday, which is where he had lived in his previous life. What is trying about this film is that it doesn’t give you the kind of suspension from disbelief that is a must for this kind of theme. Just one example: when Monty tell his girl-friend (played by Sweta Kumar) that he has been re-born, she and her adopted father (Danny Denzongpa) believe him almost instantly, as if reincarnation is a common occurrence! Even Monty takes to the suggestion (that his nightmares could be memories from a previous life) the very first time it is put to him. Too much time is spent on Monty’ current life and too little on his realization that he is after all not Monty, but Ravi, the scion of a rich landed family from Kenya who had been murdered 25 years previously.

It is not surprising that the director gets little time to provide viewers with suspension from disbelief – too much of the two hours twenty minutes is spent on songs. The movie is full of songs, most of them item numbers with girls in hot pants and Monty singing his heart out. The music isn’t bad (mostly composed by Himesh) although a little loud. The remake of the Ek Hasina Thi song is haunting, and keeps playing in one’s head, although the original is better. One would have enjoyed the music more if Himesh had made an effort to learn dancing for his role.
The movie is not boring, and even though one knows the story and the end is somewhat predictable, there is an element of suspense. Himesh is quite alright in the film although if you don’t like him it’s best to stay away. However, the movie is treat not just for his fans, but also for those of Urmila Matondkar. She plays Kamini, a scheming, cold-blooded murderess. She not only looks stunning, she acts well, even if her acting is a trifle melodramatic. Himesh disappoints in the last scenes. This was his chance to show his acting prowess, but alas, he fails.

The other actors, like Rohini Hattangady (plays the mother), Gulshan Grover (plays the villain Sir Judah) and Dino Morea (plays Ravi Verma) have little screen time. None of them make an impact, and neither does Sweta Kumar, who plays Monty’s girl-friend. There is a lot that the director could have done with Sir Judah, but he is mostly kept in the background. It’s Kamini, the villainess, who dominates and that isn’t a bad thing at all.

This movie lacks star power and people will be reluctant to see it. And considering that most of the actors do an average job, and the cinematography, the sets, and screenplay are not worth talking about, it is unlikely that this movie will get good word of mouth.

(This movie review has also been published here, where I have given the movie two stars. The rating is an indication of how good or bad the movie is cinematically…it does not take into account the entertainment value. A good movie should be cinematically good and also entertaining, and in such cases the movie would get at least four stars. Karzzz isn’t exceptional from the point of view of the cinematography or direction but is instead a mish mash that avoids being boring (as long as you don’t hate Himesh Reshammiya).)

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