Kisna: Form Over Substance....at its best

Kisna - Subhai Ghai's period drama is another classic case of the FOS (Form Over Substance) style of film-making that the director specializes, and shall I say, excels in: - Extra-ordinary sets but devoid of ordinary reality. - Extra-ordinary stars but ordinary acting - Extra-ordinary hype but ordinary delivery

The story-line is nothing extra-ordinary though. Poor Indian boy kid - Kisna, the quintessential maali ka beta meets rich firangi girl kid (Catherine) and the girl kid falls in love with his simplicity. This does not go down well with the Captain-Russel-of-Lagaan-esque father of the girl and he sends her off to good old England. She comes back years later to find that her flute-playing-horse-riding Kisna become a full-fledged warrior poet. He also gets engaged to his childhood sweet-heart Laxmi who, when she is not craving for his attention, is sliding down ropes hanging neck down from a banyan tree. Meanwhile, there are some other less interesting things happening around - like India getting its freedom. Plus, the local Bhagat Singhs of Paudi-Garhwal are up in war against Catherine's father, the fire being flared by a grotesque but effective looking one-eyed Amrish Puri. She somehow escapes and comes over to her loyal maali (Shivaji Samat) for help. The maali's Bhagwad Geeta quoting wife - played by Jarina Wahab) jhakjhors Kisna's antar-aatma and reminds him of his kartavya towards an innocent girl and arouses the protective man in him. What you get to see after this is a long, meandering, meaningless run-chase between the Brit police, the krantikaris and the local prince's army on one side (although chasing parallely) and Kisna & Catherine on the other side. What should have been a tight, gripping 15-minute climax chase becomes a 1.5 hour ordeal for the audience to go through.

Actors like Vivek Mushran, Hrishita Bhatt, Om Puri, Sushmita Sen appear and disappear in if-you-go-to-the-loo-you-will-miss-me meaningless appearances. The gravity of the situation is never brought out to the surface by the poor, typical Subhash Ghai attempt at creating humour out of otherwise dead-serious situations. The character of the warrior prince who is ready to put his life at stake and kill his kith and kin - a la Arjun - to honour his mother's words ends up being a shallow caricature by some of the things he is made to do on-screen just to get a few cheap laughs from the audience. Thoroughly immature screen-play, one can say. And then, there is the usual song-and-dance routine which although picturised well, is truly, madly, deeply, out of place. Oberoi fails to give any gravity to the personality that this role deserves and looks almost amateurish. Here's one actor who has stayed at his skill level, perhaps gone down, since he made his debut almost 3 years back. Isha Sarvani as the rope-dancer Laxmi has nothing else to do than hang from ropes or show some of the admittedly amazing flexibility that her body has. But then, this is Cinema and not gymnastics, as some unruly elements in the audience tried pointing out to her. Amrish Puri's swansong would not fetch him any memorable lines but it was good to see the great villain one last time on the big screen. The music is good though and Rehman manages to stride above the all-pervasive banality.

All in all, a poor screenplay, weak characterisation, and Ghai's indulgence makes Kisna another classic case of Form over Substance.

Overall rating - ** out of *****