<i>Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana</i> - Review

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM
Friday, January 05, 2007
Sometimes, interesting concepts evaporate into thin air thanks to inept writing. That's one of the prime reasons why Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana suffers!

The premise -- borrowed from the popular TV series Sex and The City -- can easily be redesigned into an interesting cinematic experience, but the writing is so excruciatingly weak that you want to ask debutante writer-director Amar Butala, Yeh kya ho raha hain?

Sure, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana boasts of some entertaining moments, but the lows outnumber the highs in those 16 reels. The writing lacks the power to keep your attention arrested, to put it bluntly.

Director Amar Butala could've explored newer horizons with a chick flick. Unfortunately, what comes across is neither inventive nor engaging. A terrible waste of a terrific opportunity!

Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana revolves around four friends -- Mayuri [Rekha], Natasha [Vasundhara Das], Kanika [Kim Sharma] and Anjali [Mahima Chaudhary]. Even though they aren't of the same age, they have grown to be the best of friends. They keep meeting at a beauty salon where they go to pamper themselves. In between the facials, manicures and pedicures, they have become the best of friends.

Anjali is the cause of much envy for the remaining three. Carefree and fancy-free, Anjali dates men all the time and has a lot of fun. Another habit of Anjali that really annoys her friends is that she always bets with them, on almost anything and everything under the sun. And she always wins! The three want to beat her just once.

Anjali had once bet that she would never marry till she's 25 and so Mayuri, Natasha and Kanika decide to find a man for her and win this one bet. But things go topsy-turvy when each of them decide to outdo the other and find a man for Anjali. Meanwhile, Anjali meets Amar [Ashmit Patel] and falls in love with him.

Anjali now has not one, two but four men wooing her. A dramatic confrontation tears the friends apart when Anjali realizes the game plan.

With an innovative concept on hand, debutante director Amar Butala could've worked wonders by balancing the hilarious and emotional moments beautifully. Sadly, barring a handful of scenes, neither do the light moments evoke mirth nor do the emotional moments make you moist eyed or tug at your heart strings.

The light moments are far from funny. Right from the start -- the three ladies [Rekha, Kim, Vasundhara] zeroing on guys of their choice [Sanjit Bedi, Nikhil Chinappa and Ashwin Mushran, respectively] and the method adopted by the three bachelors to woo Mahima -- looks completely farcical. If the intention was to make you laugh, sorry, it doesn't!

The second hour goes on an altogether different track. Ideally, the film should've ended when Rekha realizes her folly and sorts out the problems. Instead, the narrative starts focusing on Rekha's failed relationship with her fourth husband [Sachin Khedekar] and what follows is one lengthy scene and an unwanted 'Din Dhal Jaye' song [rendered by Rekha herself], which adds to the boredom.

Even the surrogate advertising [Lays Wafers] is crudely handled. Whether Vasundhara is having her pedicure done in a beauty parlour or having dinner with Mahima in a restaurant or being rushed to a maternity home [she's pregnant], she seems to be clutching on to the wafer packet all the while, holding the wafer packet right into the camera. Irritates big time!

Climax too is weak. In fact, Ashmit's idea of bringing in the baraat at the dot of 12 so that Mahima wins the bet is very filmy.

Amar Butala's direction is passable, but it's the writing that spoils the show. Iqbal Darbar and Yasin Darbar's music is truly melodious. Besides the catchy title track, the two romantic songs [Ashmit-Mahima] are easy on your ears. A.K.N. Sebastian's cinematography is inconsistent. Dialogues are witty and at times, saucy and spicy. But why this generous dose of English at several places?

Rekha does an okay job, but goes over the top in the second hour. Mahima Chaudhary's outfits are only getting skimpier and outrageous with each passing year. Dressed in skimpy outfits and indulging in a passionate lip-to-lip kiss with Ashmit is what you remember most of Mahima in this flick. Kim Sharma needs to take lessons in acting. Vasundhara Das is equally wooden.

Ashmit Patel is strictly functional. Sachin Khedekar is natural. Nikhil Chinappa, Gaurav Kapoor, Sanjit Bedi, Kabir Sadanand and Ashwin Mushran are mere gap fillers. Upasana Singh screams her lungs out in the lone hospital scene.

On the whole, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana is a poor show with a lame script as its main handicap. At the box-office, this one's a non-starter!

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