Taal

I suspect that in the coming weeks film buffs around the world will now have another point to argue over. Now, I know that fans don't need an excuse to argue over the merits or faults of a big budget venture, and we at Indolink get plenty of hate and love mail after every review we print, but "Taal" might just surpass all the hoopla of the past. My opinion: Is "Taal" amazingly entertaining? Certainly. Is "Taal" the ultimate in creativity? Certainly not.

The one thorn in the creative scheme of "Taal" is a major one - the storyline. Storywriting has never been one of Mr. Ghai's strong points, and not since "Karz" has Ghai truly come up with a gripping plot. The storyline of "Taal" itself is extremely predictable. Manav (Akshaye) is the son of Jagmohan Mehta (Amrish Puri). Jagmohan, while at a hill station, meets famous local singer Tarabhai (Alok Nath) who just happens to have an attractive and talented daughter, Manasi (Aishwarya). Manav falls in love with Manasi, but due to the rich man-poor girl differences (and the usual rich, scheming relatives), the two fight. Manasi moves on to stardom and companionship with famous music remixer Vikrant Kapoor aka Kapu (Anil Kapoor), while Manav realizes the error of his family's ways and tries to win Manasi back.

What is more interesting is the characters Ghai creates in this story. Every character is neither good nor bad - but grey human beings. Manav first comes off as the possessor of great inner-wisdom, but he surprises the audience when he is quick to lose his temper and is able to call off his relationship in a rash, whimsical manner. With Vikrant (who is THE most intriguing character of the film), one never knows if he is evil or good. Sometimes he speaks evil and does good, while at other times the opposite is true. And then there is Manasi. Although she is easily the most poorly-defined of the characters, she is seen as the innocent lover who becomes lost in the power and cold-heartedness of her new profession. When a man who Manasi feels nothing for asks her if she loves him, she is able to lie and say "yes" with a straight face. A chauvinist might argue that this is a true woman.

All three of these characters are played to perfection by the leading trio. Akshaye demonstrates that he is one of the most sincere actors on the Hindi screen. Aishwarya further demonstrates her radiant beauty, evolving acting talent, and amazing dancing capability. Anil Kapoor, however, steals this show with the author-backed role. True, he has all of the good lines, but still - he takes these lines and runs with them. Mr. Kapoor, you deserve an award and then some.

Production values are first rate. Ghai and cinematographer Kabir Lal use Aishwarya's beauty to conjure up some incredibly gorgeous visuals that burst out at you from the screen. The title song (in its un-remixed form) is pure celluloid poetry. Incidentally, Saroj Khan reminds us through this song that she is the original queen of choreography. Sharmishta Roy creates a beautiful set for Aishwarya's family home and another impressive one for Vikrant's studio. A. R. Rehman's music is divine as are Anand Bakshi's lyrics.

Subhash Ghai is a smart man. He wins half of the battle by putting together what is arguably the strongest production team of the century. Names like A.R. Rehman, Sharmishta Roy, Anand Bakshi, Shiamak Davar, Ahmed Khan, Saroj Khan (all three hotshot choreographers), and Mr. Ghai himself come together to create a very, very powerful force. Don't insult Mr. Ghai's intelligence by comparing his film to any of the other recent releases. It's not about Amitabh or Salman vs. Anil Kapoor or Akshaye; it's about the team behind the scenes. THAT, my friends, is what makes a film run nowadays, and by those standards alone - "Taal" is a hit. That there are three good actors in these roles is an incidental finding. Put any half-competent actor in front of the camera in a project with such a strong foundation and it won't make a difference - it will work.