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Kisna - The Warrior Poet - 2005 [DVD] |
Overall Rating
My Rating
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The film is set in the India of the tumultuous 1930's when nationalists fighting for the country's independence rose up as one, urging the British to quit. At this time, a young Indian, Kisna ( Vivek Oberoi ) befriends and then shields a British girl Katherine ( Antonia Bernath ), from an enraged mob of nationalists including Kisna's own uncle and brother. Katherine is the young daughter of a ruthless British collector. Kisna takes it upon himself to escort Katherine to the safety of the British High Commission in New Delhi, who will arrange for her to board a ship home.
A tender attraction develops between Kisna and Katherine during the journey, a love story that is torn between ' Karma ' (the noble deed) and ' Dharma ' (the duty). Laxmi ( Isha Shravani ), the Indian girl Kisna is engaged to, forms the third point in an emotional triangle involving the Indo-British romantic pair.
With item numbers in film being the call of the day, Kisna too has one. But one may wonder how Ghai will incorporate an item number in his period drama. After all item numbers were not a thing of the past. But qawalli sure was!
And Ghai has roped in the sensuous Sushmita Sen to gyrate on this qawalli composed by music maestro Ismail Darbar and choreographed by Ghai favorite Saroj Khan . The qawalli is picturized on palatial sets created by Samir Chanda on the backdrop of a rich haweli in beautiful blue shades. Sushmita's costumes designed by Bhanu Athaiya are such that they balance out the grandiose of the backdrop. So, while you get to see La Sen in a mustard color outfit, the chorus dancers sport white costumes.
Apart from Darbur, A.R.Rehman (who earlier worked with Ghai in Taal ) has also composed 3 tracks for this film. Subhash Ghai who is known for his rich sense of music seems to have drawn the best of both worlds from his music composers. Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics for the film. |
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Member Reviews |
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5 members reviews for this DVD |
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Excellent |
Global365 |
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I enjoyed this movie and it was interesting to see a different mix of songs in the movie. The standard Bollywood songs were excellent,but for some reason they threw in about 4 English songs very reminiscent of Andrew Loyd Weber. The English actors were HORRENDOUS.....woah. Overlooking the really bad acting I really enjoyed the movie. Definitely worth watching. |
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Kisna Movie review |
MV |
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I have read several reviews of this move, and many of them are negative. It has been said that there is no real story line. However, I think this is a very thoughtful and honest depiction of Life under the British rule for all Indians I am sure that there were hundreds of such untold stories in real life during the British rule in India. The fact is that all Humans are very sensitive in nature and we all have similar aspiration and emotions. It doe not matter under which circumstance we grow up, but Love between a boy and girls is universal phenomena and can happen to anybody anywhere (even in prison or under extreme hardship or as in the early 1900 under war like conditions). Love does not discriminate in terms of race, religion or creed. Love does not know any boundaries, so if two people happen to falling love, it cannot be controlled or contained.
This is the essence of this movie. Kisna is trying to live up to the Ideal of the Hindu race and also for his true love Katharine. Vivek Oberoi is very believable in the role of Kisna. The apparent stubbornness (which is actually his strong respect for his Mother and his religion and his inner soul searching for his true love.) is shown in a very sincere manner without any overacting. Once can feel the true love and the pain that Kisna & Katharine have to endure to be together.
The music is simply divine with AR Rehman & Ismail Darbar having composed the songs together. Both composers are able to combine classical Indian music with contemporary overtones, which gives the music unique blend of rhythm & harmony. The cinematography with the long shots of nature is reminiscent of David Lean movies (Passage to India, The Bridge on the rive Kwai.). This movie was not just a tearjerker, but it had some very deep philosophical questions that Subash Ghai largely left unanswered. As in the Mahabharata, in which Arjun was torn between his duty to save the kingdom of Hastinapur and fighting his own cousins, so to is Kisna torn between his duty to save Katharine's life and to fight his own relatives.
Of course it is also debatable if Kisna who truly loves Katherine should have stayed married to Laxmi just because of duty and tradition. Was this fair to Laxmi? I truly enjoyed this movie; it brings a fresh perspective into the interracial relationships during the tumultuous times of the 1930's in India. |
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intense |
ab |
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Another intense love/fight movie. I haven't watched many hindi movies lately, however they need to eventually get it over with inter-racial marriages. The only thing that does not jive is that they show that a villager in 1947 having so much confidence and self esteem as today's Indian youth. |
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Review of Kisna |
Rohit Sen |
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Well Kisna is a well made movie. It has a good visual and excellent cinamatography which made this movie so beautiful. Nice performance by british actress Antonia Bernath and Vevik was good at some places and not forgeting a newcomer who is so fexible. Half the time in the movie she just swing and show her acrobatics stuff on the tree. |
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Nothing survives forever ... but love!!! |
EssBee |
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Big names, big music directors, big budget, trained singers and big orchestras.
Flute the primitive musical instrument. Right from the 4000 B.C. to this era. Always has maintained its integrity, simplicity and magical touch. Rahman, has perfcted the use of this instrument in the theme of Kisna. Right from the ages of soulful theme of "bombay" to this magnum opus of ghai- "Kisna". Naveen the flautist has delivered time and again.
Its been over 4 years since Subhash Ghai came up with a directorial venture of his own. After watching the movie, you would be left with no second thoughts in your mind regarding the efforts that have been put by the showman and surely he has delivered the goods this time unlike in his last movie Yaadein which was nothing short of a disaster. This time though showman has taken extra care with the script, locales, story, screenplay and he has come up with a refreshing story which has Vivek Oberoi who plays the role of Kisna and we have 2 new faces that enter the bollywood bandwagon and they are Isha Sharvani, a renowned dancer from Kerala, and Antonia Bernath from London along with famous British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Lingruish and veteran actress Polly Adams. The film also stars Vivek Mushran, Hrishita Bhatt, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Yash Pal Sharma, Shivaji Sattam, Zarina Wahab and Rajat Kapoor.
The film is set in the India of the tumultuous 1930's when nationalists fighting for the country's independence rose up as one, urging the British to quit. At this time, a young Indian, Kisna (Vivek Oberoi) befriends and then shields a British girl Katherine (Antonia Bernath), from an enraged mob of nationalists including his own uncle and brother.
Katherine is the young daughter of a ruthless British collector and is a childhood friend of Kisna and due to the clashes between natives and the rulers she is faced with a situation wherein everyone is gunning for her and so it is left to Kisna to rescue and our hero makes it as his Karma to save her life and escort her all the way till Delhi where she will be safe and leave for England. He also knows that there will be strict opposition from his brother, his uncle and also his friends who are against him taking this step. Meanwhile there another character in the story Lakhsmi (Isha Sharvani) , an Indian girl who is always jealous of the friendship that Kisna and Katherine. She gets engaged to Kisna and forms the third point in this so called emotional triangle that already had an Indo-British pair.
This ardent journey has suspense, love, emotions and classic cat and mouse chase that involves a Indian King Raghuraj, and Kisna's own brother trying to get Katherine and Kisna. There is also a beautiful portrayal of love that is torn between Karma and Dharma and I would rate this movie as the best work of Subhash Ghai in a long long time.
Surely, this movie cannot be left unwatched. |
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