The film revolves around Anand (Salman Khan) who is admitted into a hospital. On reocrd Anand is a convicted killer who lost his mental balance after murdering his girlfriend. The head doctor at the hospital Dr.Khurana(Om Puri) is from the old fashioned and believes that a mental patient should be treated trictly and not shown any affection or love. Dr. Sunil(Jackie Shroff) is given charge of Anand. It turns out the very man behind Dr. Sunils career was Anands father and Sunil makes it his personal mission that Anand recovers his mental stability. Dr. Khuranas daughter Tanvi(Kareena Kapoor) too is a doctor at the hospital and due to personal reasons she hates the number 36 which has gone to Anand. She behaves coldly towards Anand...but why has Anand lost his mental imbalance? What is the reason he killed his girlfriend?
Tanvi starts reading Anands diary and there she finds out that Anand was madly in love witha girl called Maya(Rimii Sen). Rimii was a fun-filled girl with a jokey and prank filled nature. One night one of those pranks goes wrong and Maya dies. Her death is blamed on Anand and Anand cannot take the trauma and goes mental. Dr. Sunil now has support from Tanvi as well who starts taking a liking towards Anand and along the process starts to fall in love with him. As fate would have it Anand recovers his mental balance and is normal again. But Dr.Khurana has already decided that Tanvi will marry Karan(Suniel Shetty) by hook or by crook..what happens next? Watch KYON KI to find out!
In terms of a story Priyadarshan is definetly inspired by ONE FLEW OVER TE CUCKOOS NEST as well as his own Malayam hit but it would be unfair to call the movie a "remake" as it has its own touch. Priyadarshans story is well written but the screenplay is faulted and slightly jaded. The film starts to drag after a point and specially the entire flashback sequence almost bores the viewer. The film does gather momentum in the last 30 minutes but it doesn't quiet salvage the movie. Furthermore the pacing is uneven throughout. The number of logic holes in the movie are also countless and the characterisation of Om Puri is VERY weak. Infact Puris character is a throwback to those snarling and gnarling 70's villans made famous by the likes of Pran and later Prem Chopra and Amrish Puri which is NOT what I think Priyadarshan was tyring to achieve
The film also has shades of MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S and TERE NAAM-both films which are fresh in the viewers mind.
As a director it has been a while since Priyadarshan has attempted something serious. Since HERA PHERI the director has been directing comedies with which he has tasted immense success but one shouldn't forget that Priyadarshan is the same man who gave us such poignant classics like MUSKURAHAT, SAZAA-E-KAALAPANI, GARDISH and VIRASAT. KYON KI however fails to fall into that same "classic" category. The first half is superbly canned and the light moments are superbly canned as one would expect. The film paces along nicely right upto the point where Kareena decides to read Salmans diary. The pace slackens right down here and the sequence of events that follow are oft repeated and slow the tempo down. Rimii Sens character also fails to connect with the viewer on the level it should hence her death doesn't have the desired impact. Even once the flashback is over and Kareena starts to treat Salman-the desired impact is definetly missing. The different stages of Salmans recovery should've been the turning point of the movie but they happen in the most cliched manner. The turn of events after Salman Khan regains his mental imbalance has been well canned and Priyadarshans does a superb job of handling the last 30 minutes of the movie. The lump-in-the-throat climax has been expertly handled however given that the entire movie has a feeling of optimism throughout the climax doesn't quiet hit the right note. Also the movie ends too suddenly and the viewer doesn't have a chance to digest the end sequence. In terms of performances the movie is a mixed bag..
Salman Khan gives a knock out performance which ranks as one of his best to date!The character is tailormade for Salman Khan. Comparisons are inevitable to TERE NAAM and IMO Salman Khan in KYON KI is NOT as good as Salman Khan in TERE NAAM. However still Khan has given the movie his heart and soul and from the comic scenes to the romantic scenes and dramatic scenes Khan impresses throughout and enacts his part like a seasoned performer. Yet another feather in Salman Khans cap!
Kareena Kapoor is good in her part but one feels that Priyadarshan hasn't made the most of her talent. Her entire look is brilliant for her part and she becomes the character she is playing but the director hasn't really expanded on her character. The essential bonding scenes between Salman and Kareena are missing for the most as well.
Rimii Sen looks absolutely gorgeous and plays her part well. She has more to do here than her other release GARAM MASALA she captivates the viewer with her looks.
Apart from Salman the other performance which is worth mentioning and which in my view is the BEST performance in the movie is that of Jackie Shroff! After a long time Jackie Shroff is in fine form and he delivers plays his sensitive character with perfect understanding. Unlike HULCHUL where Jackie Shroff was regulated to the sideline with not much to do , Priyan has made optimum use of Jackie Shroffs talent. Just witness Jackie Shroffs breakdown before the climax...a scene which lingers in your memory much after the movie is finished. Indeed it is a pleasure to see Jaggu dada give a worthy performance after such a long time. Keep it up!
Om Puri plays his part well but his character really sticks out like a sore thumb. As mentioned earlier a much more realistic character was the need of the hour---Om Puris screaming act gets annoying after a while.It's a pity that Priyadarshan has wasted a talent like Om Puri.
From the supporting cast Priyadarshan regulars like Manoj Joshi and Asrani play their parts well.
Another Priyadarshan fave Suniel Shetty is wasted in a 3 scene guest appearence.
Himmesh Reshammiyas tunes are definetly a plus point and definetly one of the major highlights of the movie. Right from the first to the last song...each song is exceptionally shot and well picturised. My personal favourite is the title track, DIL KEH RAHA HAI and DIL KE BADLE SANAM.
Technically too the film is a polished product and bears a slick stamp throughout like previous Priyan films. S.Tirrus camerawork is just splendid and given the theme and nature of the movie the film bears a bright look throughout. The French locales are simplu equisite. Sabu Cyrils artwork is also splendid.
Sanjay Chhels dialogue deserve a special mention as they are extremely well written.
All up KYON KI is a GOOD movie..but not GREAT! With more attention in the screenplay department as well as charcterisations Priyadarshan woud've had a classic on his hands. Still KYON KI is worth a watch once simply for Jackie Shroff, Salman Khans performances as well as Himmesh Reshammiyas wicked music, but TERE NAAM is it NOT!
Final Rating: * * * ¼
