KRRISH

The hype was all in place: The first ever sequel (though that was not strictly true---remember “Nigahein, the sequel to the runaway hit ”Nagina”?); India’s first superhero; the action sequences; Hrithik’s training in martial arts: “Krrish”, the eagerly awaited sequel to “Koi Mil gaya” had it all. Maybe it was the hype, but cine fans were ready to pay extra to watch this film. (The ticket cost Rs. 160 instead of Rs 150 at multiplexes.)
The idea for a sequel is a good one. As in KMG (Koi Mil Gaya), the science fiction was rational and well within the understanding of the layman. The ever alluring prospect of knowing the future has been intertwined neatly with science to give a truly entrancing project---one to kill for---and die for! Naseeruddin Shah as the megalomaniac scientist is at his effortless ease, with just the right amount of evil peeping through.
But there were oversights which rankled. In KMG, when Rohit (Hrithik Roshan) gets his powers from the alien, Jadoo, he begins to speak normally, without the childish accent that he has otherwise as the mentally challenged boy. But in the sequel, when he is shown as being employed in Singapore by a big IT firm, he reverts to the childlike way of speaking, even when he is mouthing complex scientific jargon. No doubt that brusque yet matter-of-fact way was endearing, but then, it did not stay true to KMG.
Then there is the blatant product promotion. Granted the prominent display of a popular chocolate malt beverage was in continuation from the first film, where Rohit attributes his good health to it, but why the almost ad-like presence of a detergent powder and a packet of chips? In fact, I’m almost convinced that these last two were colour enhanced or something, because in a couple of scenes, they were more prominent than the actors! Time was when product labels were discreetly turned away from the camera-----
The romance was a washout. It was terribly long drawn out and lessened the impact of the action sequences, of which, by the way, there could have been more. The character of Priyanka Chopra seemed very weak—not even grey. If she had been a scheming go-getter we could still have accepted her. But no, she just goes along with whatever her friend does. It is the friend who has the brainwave of using Krrish to save their jobs. Priya just falls in mildly with her plans, going so far as to read out sweet nothings to Hrithik from a sheet of paper!
Rekha’s reason for hiding Krrish from the world should have been to protect him from the disillusionment that his father faced, not a mere fear of losing the prop of her old age.
And what happened to the music? None of the songs are hummable—they are just forgettable. The Roshan magic has not worked in this one. The jadoo has crash-landed.
Of course, the story line is such that there can always be more sequels, in each of which Krrish can face a different challenge!