Producer: Dharma Productions
Director: Karan Johar
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Kirron Kher, Arjun Rampal
Music Dir: Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonca, Shankar Mahadevan

Conjugal bliss is Mother Nature's divine gift to mankind, but how many of us cherish and make the most of it? The deep rooted marital relationships are driven by hardcore rules and regulations of society but love has no precincts, rituals or boundaries.Why do small quarrels, confrontations and unavoidable barbs between the spouses result in venomous confrontations and then follow in separations? Does the relationship lack the eternal bond of togetherness or the comfort level or the gratification level? Has the compassion between them decimated to all-time low? What relevant and important part do elders play in rejuvenating these beleaguered relationships? These are some of the realistic factors the much awaited 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' projects.

The film is primarily conceptualized on the circumstantial repercussions of events when the protagonist is "head over heels" in love with his soul-mate after being married. Karan's tryst with perplexed human emotions continues with 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' ('KANK') where the meek and unexpressive husband (Shah Rukh Khan) suffers from inferiority complex and shelters in the arms of mentally perturbed lovable wife (Rani Mukherjee). Unlike previous family tearjerkers, this film has modern and upbeat outlook with realistic characters infused in complex love saga. The film comes out with statutory warning "Do Not Leave Your Marriage Unattended" and it collages with every character of the film.

According to filmmaker Karan Johar, he has plagiarized these realistic and conceptual facts of life after scrutinizing falling success rate of modern day marriages. The film promises to be a solution of these problems but does it explain broken relationships? The answer is purely individual and situational and may vary from person to person. It may strike a blow to orthodox minds and age-old rituals but works mechanically with the present state of youth genre. An average Indian audience may find the concept alien for its different treatment.

Whether it's a tomboyish infatuation of love struck girl ('Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'), bondage of united family ('Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum') or the eternal love and sacrifice of a dying lover ('Kal Ho Na Ho'), Karan Johar has triumphed them all and returns with much more mature subject with 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna'. The magnanimous success of his earlier releases like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum' and 'Kal Ho Na Ho' makes him the most priceless directorial prodigy of business. He returns with the finest line-up of stars to make it the most awaited mega event of the year. Bollywood has glorious past of family oriented melodramatic flicks ('Sangam', 'Tere Mere Sapne', 'Pyar Jhukta Nahin') in the past. However, they are handful in present scenario.

There is a load of factors that decides the final outcome of the family entertaining endeavors and this is where "Yash Raj Banner" and "Dharma Productions" have excelled. The immaculate "treatment", flawless presentation, impressive performance, melodious and foot-tapping music and fine craftsmanship of cinematography and chorography are all that make it different from others. 'KANK' delivers all with grace and generosity and makes the film worth its gigantic media hype . Candy floss romance, trendy outfits, skyscraping and visually spectacle locations, funky music and thematically heart-piercing performance from the lead actors makes it a "must see show".

'KANK' is an emotional confrontation saga of two families - Sarans and Talwars, driven by destiny and not by relationships. Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan), an emotional, self expecting joyful youth who loves to live, work and enjoy his life. Dev's better half Rhea (Preity Zinta) is sassy, ambitious and trendy career woman who has skyscraping ambitions and the skills to achieve it. Dev, an aspiring footballer, signs a deal of five million dollars and Rhea's talent places her in top slot of her company. Kamaljit Saran (Kiran Kher), Dev's mother is a lovable woman and understands his son better than others.

The couple has an adorable kid -- Arjun (Master Ahsaas) who prefers violin over football. Samarjit Singh alias Sam (Amitabh Bachchan) is an enigmatic entrepreneur whose philandering habits show his lively and jovial attitude towards life. Rishi Talwar (Abhishek Bachchan), son of Sam, is hardcore party animal with high profile business. Maya (Rani Mukherjee), Rishi's wife, is a sensitive, homely girl who aspires for true love and happiness in life. On one fateful day, Maya and Dev meet and it's a day of Maya's wedding. It turns out into an interesting conversation about love, relationship and marriage but ill luck strikes them. Dev meets an accident and is handicapped whereas Maya marries Rishi out of compromise.

After four years they meet again with estranged marital relationships. Rhea's growing success makes Dev envious. Depression and frustration make Dev a pessimist. The feeling of being a loser haunts him every time. On the other side, Maya has inferiority complex of not conceiving child. Rishi's pleasant nature pacifies but she fails to react to his advances. The unpleasantness develops between them and leads to unwanted arguments. Dev and Maya decide to sort out the matter by being each other's best buddy. In hot pursuit to rejuvenate their shackled marriage life they develop an eternal bond of love and togetherness between them. The climax shows them in a whirlpool of emotions where they have to choose between love and a "compromised" life partner.

It may sound ridiculous to an average viewer that the director has tried to narrate the story from the a pessimist attitude. The concept sounds too westernized and will be difficult to digest for Indian audiences. Karan Johar's concept of plagiarizing the concept in New York speaks volume of technical vision, but the theme of the film will sound alien to many. Shibahni Bathija's co-scripting the film has been innovative and shows inhibited shades of traumatized marital relations.

Niranjan Iyenger's dialogues are witty, whimsical and show their class in developing characters in the film. Big B's philandering acts, his one-liners, Shah Rukh's initial confrontation with Rani, Abhishek's outburst at Rani and Big B's speech over the long lost moments of married life are the striking features of the writing work.

Cinematography by Anil Mehta is brilliant at many places and shows the natural and urban beauty of New York. It scores maximum in soundtracks "Rock "N" Roll Soniye", "Mitwa" and "Tum Hi Dekho Na". Farah Khan's finely crafted chorography is an added catalyst, especially in "Mitwa" it captures the emotional moments of Shah Rukh and Rani that form the crux of the story.

Shanker Ehsaan Loy deliver their best musical soundtracks of the year with "Mitwa" being the best of the lot. The background score works with the "tonality" of the script and each soundtrack has relevance with the script. The title track and "Tum Hi Dekho Na" evokes an aura of serenity on screen that was earlier witnessed in soundtracks of 'Kal Ho Na Ho'.

'KANK' has been garnished with the best of acting talents available in the film industry. Shah Rukh Khan has the major role to play and he delivers it with panache. The sorrowful outburst of his being handicapped, accepting love for Rani, resentment with Preity and confrontation with Big B show his versatility as an actor. Abhishek Bachchan matures as an actor with some fine sequences -- his love for philandering father, compassion with Rani and finally his separation with Rani. Legendary Amitabh Bachchan plays the naughtiest, most wicked and the honest character and his face language delivers it all. The witty one-liners with Kiran Kher, conversation at the dinner table and the death scene speak of his flawless acting intellect.

Rani Mukherjee's acting prowess is immaculate throughout the film and shows her command over her emotions and expressions. The perfect timing in the emotional scenes is mind-blowing and gives her edge over her competitors. The actresses have many dimensions to display and she lives up to the monumental expectations. Mickey Contractor's finely garnished make-up is an added factor to her physical grace and charm. She leads the show from the front and gives her best performance of the year.

Preity Zinta's upbeat attire of successful woman fits into her body language perfectly. The actress needs no introduction as she has already been an acting icon in films like 'Veer Zara' and 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Manish Malhotra's trendy and sassy outfits are class apart and depict the designer's outstanding vision. Rani's ethnic wears, Preity's urbanized outfits, Shah Rukh's trendy jackets, Amitabh's fashionable suits and Abhishek's connoisseur looks build the characters well. The designer has his best work in recent times and should be applauded for this.

It may sound boring and irritable for movie buffs to visualize realistic concepts on commercial mainstream cinema format for three hours plus. But Karan Johar's intellect of balancing style with substance speaks volume of scripting, directorial and creative genius. The extra long length of the film (22 reels) may be a discouraging factor for the film's prospects; otherwise the film promises to be visually spectacle. The slow, unorthodox and melodramatic treatment might lead to a difference of opinion but it will have the biggest opening of the year. It will be best in multiplexes and overseas and will have mixed response in the interiors.