Paheli (2005)

the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This movie takes one completely at surprise. It is an unusual film about love, a love which conquers any obstacles. After watching this movie, superlatives are a must.This movie is elevated, colorful excellency! The story is well written and executed. The acting is unbelievably good (especially SRK's and Rani's). The music is beautiful and the lyrics very poetic. The most striking thing about this movie is the cinematography and art design: absolutely brilliant! The way the camera captures the scenes, seems almost as if the director himself was in love with the characters and the love story.Complete 10/10

A fairy tale set in a time long ago, with ghosts, apparitions, camel races, vibrant and often clashing colors, divine music, innocence and love - what is to not like? Rani is the young innocent bride Lachchi who gets married and starts on a journey to her new home. Shah Rukh is the accounts obsessed ever obedient groom (Kisen) who has to leave right after marriage to go for business to another town far away. The ghost is a bird, a squirrel, an apparition who falls in love with the bride and eventually takes the form of the groom upon his departure. All is well with the new bride and "groom" until the real guy starts to miss his new bride and decides to come home. Confusion reigns, and the riddle as to who is the real Kisen is solved by a shepherd (Amitabh in an understandably over the top acted cameo).The good - Rani is divine, looks and acts the part with a deftness and light hand. She makes unconventional choices that perhaps account for why the Indian public did not much like Paheli - I cannot give away more. Aadhi Raat jab chand dhale - amazingly performed.Shah Rukh - times 2 and well done in both forms. One wonders if we take our 5 senses for granted and what it would be like to not have experienced them at all or not in a long time. See the SRK as ghost apparition with the wonder on his face at the first touch from a mother, at the look at the beautiful house, the joy in playing with the children (brothers sisters nephews), to find out. SRK as Kisen who finally realizes that he is missing his wife very much - the most understated sadness ever seen from him.The costumes are amazing - much has been made of the costumes in Devdas - but this is authentic Rajasthan at its very best and most colorful, the jewelry will make any woman drool! The music is divine - Aaadhi Raat, Dheere Jalna are outstanding numbers.The bad - well very little in my opinion. Maybe the dance when they find water could be cut, but the movie was pretty short anyway. The camel race was a little over the top, but perhaps okay if you keep the fairy tale genre in mind. Logical flaws - come on, its a fairy tale after all!! Like there is any logic in ghosts and fairies..I was transported back to my childhood with the story, enchanted by the colors and music and very much enjoyed the portrayals of the ghost/Kisen and Lachchi. Anupam Kher was good as the avaricious father. And of course there was the sublime Juhi - better than I have ever seen her in a cameo as the sad aunt, few words were said, she did it all with her eyes. Please come back Juhi, we miss you!

A veteran short story writer once said about one of his stories that adults may not understand his story but children will. this film is a delightful romance. it is no use asking how can a ghost impregnate a woman. While reading some stories or viewing some films we suspend our sense of reality. there are no gruesome or handsome villains who invent new forms of coldest cruelty . There are no impossible and bloody fight scenes. True the story is mythical but quite allegorical. In one scene the ghost says that he is "love" every woman yearns for. In this film the sexuality of woman is described as something holy. In traditional societies normally the sexuality of women is suppressed on the plea of need for social stability. But in myths and folktales this taboo is transcended. The songs and dances mostly based on Rajasthani folk idioms are delightful. Rani Mukerjee acted superbly and there is a delightful cameo role by Amitab Bachan There is humor, joys and sorrows in this film. credos to Amol Palekar.

I just saw Paheli yesterday and I loved it. I was a little worried when I read what it was about, but I think that it was handled really well, at least for Bollywood. It is half typical Bollywood and half something else. The final dance sequence is the cutest thing ever and all of the music is great! Seeing Shahrukh with the mustache was just something that I couldn't get used to, but he was adorable anyway. The ending is not typical Bollywood at all and I am not sure that I liked it. The special effects are very typical of Bollywood but they don't really affect the movie very much and they are relatively short so I didn't mind them. I guess that Bollywood is just not used to having shorter films because there were a couple spots that needed more character development. Overall I rate it very high, definitely worth the $10 to go see it.