Cheeni Kum

Cheeni Kum -- Less Sugar

MAIN CAST:
Amitabh Bachchan -- Buddha
Tabu -- Nina
Paresh Rawal -- Omprakash
Swini Khara -- Sexy

BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW:
Buddha is a stern, egotistical chef who owns a popular Indian restaurant in London. When Nina, an Indian tourist, shows him up at his own game, the two decide to date. They eventually fall in love and agree to tell their parents. Omprakash, however, is far from pleased with his daughter's taste in men. You see, Nina is 34...and Buddha is 30 years her senior!

FILM -- 4.5/5
Although it is slow, Cheeni Kum is otherwise perfectly written. It has a lot of snappy, realistic dialogue and interesting scenes, and unless you have absolutely no patience, the movie will engross you from start to finish! The characters are wonderfully fleshed out and three dimensional, and a lot of that comes from the writing. There's an especially funny scene where Buddha goes to buy a condom and runs in to all kinds of trouble. Unfortunately, this scene also showcases one of the film's minor mars: the cinematography. It's usually good, but there is a lot of "flashblack-scene-flashblack-scene" cuts at the end of the condom scene, and there are a few other scenes that could have been shot better. There's also about 15 minutes of footage that I want to remove, but other than that, Cheeni Kum is rarely off its mark.

CHARACTERS -- 5/5
Oh, how I love these characters! They're well-written and well-acted! Amitabh Bachchan manages to keep Buddha stern while showing his softer side when Nina is around. Tabu looks lovely and is charming, as usual. Their chemistry is surprisingly genuine and not-icky; they have a very intellectual connection that I wish more Bollywood couples could have. Paresh is hilarious as the obnoxious, faux-Gandhian father! I also loved the supporting cast, especially Swini Khara, who plays Buddha's cancer-ridden "little girlfriend" with a rather unfortunate nickname. Add in a great mother and some silly waiters for comedy relief, and you've got an absolutely flawless cast that I couldn't get enough of!

SOUNDTRACK -- 4/5
There are no picturizations, but there's a lot of great original background music. It's very modern, but still has some Indian flavor. I especially love the title track, "Cheeni Kum." It's not a super fabulous soundtrack, but it grows on you, and I enjoy listening to it every now and then.

OVERALL -- 4.5/5
I absolutely love Cheeni Kum! I was expecting a very boring film, and while it's certainly slow and lacks a lot of the melodrama and twists found in most Bollywood films, it's still entertaining and sweet. Admittedly, the first half of the film is a bit fresher and more original than the second half. Regardless, Cheeni Kum is definitely worth a rental, and it's probably my favorite Bolly flick from the past year.

TOTAL SCORE -- 18/20 (almost perfect)