SPOILERS
In Chori Chori Chupke Chupke we see the love of a close family. Amrish Puri plays the patriarch of the Malhotra family. His health is ailing and his one desire before he dies is for his grandson Salman Khan to give him a great grandson. Reluctant at first he eventually gives in to his grandfather and agrees to get married. His family arranges for him to wed Rani Mukherjee and before long they are expecting their first child. Unfortunately Rani miscarries and is told by her doctor that she can't have any children anymore. For fear of disappointing their grandfather they decide to find a surrogate mother, which they do in the prostitute Preity. Things go horribly wrong when Preity falls in love with Salman and her maternal instincts start kicking in...
The premise of 4C is quite innovating but too bad it is badly executed. It remains a nice story but it has inconsistencies that have a similar effect as nails on a blackboard. The first half of the story is about the romance between Salman and Rani. Or should I say lack of? Salman and Rani fleetingly meet at a party and promptly her family makes an offer for marriage. What a coincidence... Is this destiny at work? Or does her family make offers to all relatively handsome wealthy men?
Her miscarriage forms the turnpoint of the movie. Ofcourse this is a very tragic tearjerky moment that the viewer saw coming miles away. It's kind of like watching Final Destination and wondering which kitchen utensil or household appliance will prove to be 'fatal'. It was sort or reminiscent of the miscarriage scene in Dil Kya Kare except for the actual means.
Then Preity enters the frame. Which is also where the nails hit the blackboard. Although adoption seems to be the most obvious alternative, it is certainly understandable that they both want the child to be 'fathered' by Salman. But why a prostitute? I suppose there is a certain truth that in traditional Indian culture an unwed woman would not be willing to get pregnant. But does that mean that there are no such women? Maybe not in India, but what about the rest of the world? Even without taking all this in account, a prostitute is hardly the obvious choice given the time we live in. Ever heard of AIDS or other STD's?
What really makes my hair stand at end, however, is the actual getting pregnant bit. There was absolutely no need for Salman to sleep with Preity. Artificial insemination is a complicated procedure which I'm sure the Swiss (where they are staying) have heard of. And even not being interested in AI, there are more primitive methods. For a long time I thought that the turkey baster method was a myth, but if they can do it in If These Walls Could Talk 2 and Popcorn and Chutney, I have two words for our three musketeers... turkey baster.
Nonetheless, if ignoring these DETAILS it is still entertaining to watch Rani and Preity at work. You can almost taste Rani's desire to become a mother even if her motives are a little skewed. The star however is Preity. She really is Pretty Woman in her transformation from working girl to... to what? ... herself, I suppose. It's hardly surprising to watch her fall in love with the first man who has ever shown her true affection and respect. In Salman and his family she finally finds the love she has been craving for. Which makes her sacrifice even more noble and touching. Well done Preity. Her love interest is another matter. Salman Khan is a great actor. Unfortunately his character lacks depth. He gets married because his grandfather wants him to. He wants a child because his grandfather wants a great grandchild. He finds a surrogate because his wife wants him to. The makers should have take an extra page out of Pretty Woman and given Salman Richard Gere's spine.
Finally the dance sequences and songs are wonderful. Especially No. 1 Punjabi and ofcourse the title song Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.
***/5 stars
In Chori Chori Chupke Chupke we see the love of a close family. Amrish Puri plays the patriarch of the Malhotra family. His health is ailing and his one desire before he dies is for his grandson Salman Khan to give him a great grandson. Reluctant at first he eventually gives in to his grandfather and agrees to get married. His family arranges for him to wed Rani Mukherjee and before long they are expecting their first child. Unfortunately Rani miscarries and is told by her doctor that she can't have any children anymore. For fear of disappointing their grandfather they decide to find a surrogate mother, which they do in the prostitute Preity. Things go horribly wrong when Preity falls in love with Salman and her maternal instincts start kicking in...
The premise of 4C is quite innovating but too bad it is badly executed. It remains a nice story but it has inconsistencies that have a similar effect as nails on a blackboard. The first half of the story is about the romance between Salman and Rani. Or should I say lack of? Salman and Rani fleetingly meet at a party and promptly her family makes an offer for marriage. What a coincidence... Is this destiny at work? Or does her family make offers to all relatively handsome wealthy men?
Her miscarriage forms the turnpoint of the movie. Ofcourse this is a very tragic tearjerky moment that the viewer saw coming miles away. It's kind of like watching Final Destination and wondering which kitchen utensil or household appliance will prove to be 'fatal'. It was sort or reminiscent of the miscarriage scene in Dil Kya Kare except for the actual means.
Then Preity enters the frame. Which is also where the nails hit the blackboard. Although adoption seems to be the most obvious alternative, it is certainly understandable that they both want the child to be 'fathered' by Salman. But why a prostitute? I suppose there is a certain truth that in traditional Indian culture an unwed woman would not be willing to get pregnant. But does that mean that there are no such women? Maybe not in India, but what about the rest of the world? Even without taking all this in account, a prostitute is hardly the obvious choice given the time we live in. Ever heard of AIDS or other STD's?
What really makes my hair stand at end, however, is the actual getting pregnant bit. There was absolutely no need for Salman to sleep with Preity. Artificial insemination is a complicated procedure which I'm sure the Swiss (where they are staying) have heard of. And even not being interested in AI, there are more primitive methods. For a long time I thought that the turkey baster method was a myth, but if they can do it in If These Walls Could Talk 2 and Popcorn and Chutney, I have two words for our three musketeers... turkey baster.
Nonetheless, if ignoring these DETAILS it is still entertaining to watch Rani and Preity at work. You can almost taste Rani's desire to become a mother even if her motives are a little skewed. The star however is Preity. She really is Pretty Woman in her transformation from working girl to... to what? ... herself, I suppose. It's hardly surprising to watch her fall in love with the first man who has ever shown her true affection and respect. In Salman and his family she finally finds the love she has been craving for. Which makes her sacrifice even more noble and touching. Well done Preity. Her love interest is another matter. Salman Khan is a great actor. Unfortunately his character lacks depth. He gets married because his grandfather wants him to. He wants a child because his grandfather wants a great grandchild. He finds a surrogate because his wife wants him to. The makers should have take an extra page out of Pretty Woman and given Salman Richard Gere's spine.
Finally the dance sequences and songs are wonderful. Especially No. 1 Punjabi and ofcourse the title song Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.
***/5 stars