The official bollywood remake of Stepmom brings to Karan Johar’s fans a heart wrenching tale in an NRI setup, yet again – after all, that is the limit to which Johar can “indianize” Hollywood for us :D. And, as usual, I don’t mind that a wee bit!
A disclaimer: When you go for the movie, forget the original. Comparisons never help, do they?
To give We are family its due credit, it brings to Hindi cinema a refreshingly new perspective to the concept of the other woman rather than the stereotyped and clichéd wicked witch she is made out to be in every soap and movie! Never once are you made to hate the stepmom, never once does the stepmom show any traces of evil in her. And full marks to the director and producer for that.
While most would be tempted to dismiss this offering as a typical tearjerker, a genre I dare not defend, I would still go on to say that there were numerous aspects of the movie that tugged my heart so many a times.
Kudos to the story tellers for making the movie crisp and to the point - no sympathy arousing tale of the before love and the reasons for separation of the divorced couple, no confused commitments – a modern day nuclear family saga that borders on realism.
Another saving grace was that the oft-repeated track of “it’s all about loving your parents”, and “our Indian culture and roots are our saviors” was downplayed for once!
A special mention to the kids – they were damn cute. I loved one particular scene where Arjun Rampal is empathizing with his son for having been confined to the company of complicated women and the tongue in cheek response to that “Tell me about it, And you have got one more! (referring to the step mom ofcourse)”
However, don’t forget this is a bollywood movie – to the core. The elaborate medical ordeal of Kajol (she is a wonderful actor) and the love triangle between the kids and the two moms interlace the movie with heavy emotions, which sets it drastically different from the more light-hearted and effervescent Kal Ho Na Ho. While both movies try to end on a positive note, We are family leaves you with a feeling of loss and a tear-stained face!
‘Humesha and forever’ is destiny’s greatest lie. Sigh.
My recommendation: go ahead and watch the movie. A good cry once in a while helps not just the eyes :)!
And here’s my favorite song from the movie…
rehm o karam hojaey dobara
rehm o karam ho jaane do ishara
rehm o karam hojaey dobara
rehm o karam hojaane do Khudara
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