Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye   Producer: Shemaroo Director: Samar Khan Starring: Arshad Warsi, Mahima Chaudhary, Shravan, Mahima Mehta, Parvin Dabbas, Sandhya Mridul, Rohit Roy, Jaspal Bhatti, Sachin Khedekar, Iravati Harshe and Shah Rukh Khan (cameo). Music: Himesh Reshammiya Lyrics: Sameer Genre: Comedy Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance Approximate Running Time: 130 mins Film Released on: 15 April 2005 Reviewed by: Shahid Khan  - Rating: 5.0 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review

Every so often, there will come a film where you wish that you had directed it yourself. Samar Khan´s directorial debut is one such film.

With so much potential in such a story setting, I couldn´t help but be disappointed at the final product. Oh, "Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye", is sweet alright. But the sweet ingredient is blended with various other foods along the way making it cheesy and corny.

Passengers check in at Ganganaga airport but a minor glitch means that there is a slight delay in the scheduled flight. That minor glitch turns into a bigger problem and the passengers are left stranded at the airport for hours. We get a peek into the lives of these people. There is a bachelor (Parvin Dabbas) being pursued by two women, an airhostess (Sandhya Mridul) living with the guilt of an extra-marital fling, the divorced couple who rediscover love (Sachin Khedekar, Iravati Harshe), young lovers who met each other through the Internet (Mahima Mehta, Shravan).

As well as several other mini-love stories, there is also the drunk airport manager, a role essayed by Arshad Warsi, and his clumsy assistant (Jaspal Bhatti). The film uses Arshad´s character as the narrator who links all the stories together. He himself is a devdas who is in love with Gulab (Mahima Chaudhary) but has never managed to tell her. She is married and is going through problems with her husband.

Most of the cast are actors making the leap from television to the big screen. Unfortunately, they have brought with them the Indian television style of acting. Cinema acting, and especially in a story like this, requires more subtlety and less exaggeration. The most impressive actress of the lot, Sandhya Mridul, only comes in four scenes. What a criminal waste of talent! Still, it says a lot that she manages to leave a mark.

Those looking for comedy from "Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye" will feel let down as there are not many memorable gags. Arshad Warsi is best known for comedy but taking up this role is actually a sensible career move on his part. It shows his capability of being a fine actor when it comes to emotions. Mahima Chaudhary performs well and brings the necessary glamour quotient to the film. Her character is rather half-baked and there should have been a much better resolution to Gulab´s romantic dilemma.

There is another Mahima who makes her debut. Mahima Mehta is adequate in her role. Her co-star, Shravan, who is also making his debut, has more charisma and confidence as an actor. He just needs to improve on his dialogue delivery. Parvin Dabbas is good as the hot bachelor being chased by two squabbling young ladies for marriage. Jaspal Bhatti is hilarious when he has his moments. Shah Rukh Khan, who makes his entrance with the following tune as his theme song "Tum paas aaye, Yun muskuraaye, Tumne na jaane kya sapne dikhaaye...", brightens up the film considerably. The rest of the supporting cast do not stand out and mainly irritate.

The story/screenplay by Samar Khan and Rohit Malhotra is very unimaginative. There are several stories going on at the same time between the passengers. While that is an interesting and inventive idea, most of the sub-plots are schmaltzy and make the fatal mistake of being predictable. All the love stories are tied up with convenient endings. Also, is it necessary to focus on all the passengers? It would have been better to focus on the most interesting characters and create just four stories. This would have given more room and time for dramatic development. We are inundated with so many characters that we quickly lose interest.

The whole setting and the way it is done makes it hard to believe. People seem to wander in and out of the airport manager´s office at will! There are also characters who have deep and meaningful conversations near the runway. You wonder how they can hear each other when there´s a plane zooming over their heads. The viewer is asked to suspend their disbelief and pretend it is an unusual airport where anything goes. Unfortunately, the nature of the story means that it needs to depend on realism and with an unrealistic setting, it does not work. To give credit where it is due, Sabu Cyril´s art direction does make the airport look good. Himesh Reshammiya´s enjoyable tunes are brought alive with Sameer Arya´s cinematography.

Samar Khan´s "Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye" is not bad but there is very little that stays with you after watching the film.