Paheli – Far from hackneyed, yet entertaining

Rating:- **1/2

PAHELI is a simple film revolving around simple characters. Yet, it works, partly because of a story that defies the stereotype and partly due to the super-efficient performances.

Lachchi [Rani Mukerji] is married to Kisan [Shah Rukh Khan] who is only interested in making money. Just after the wedding night, Kisan leaves home for five long years on account of his business. A ghost, who is in love with Lachchi, takes on the husband's appearance and enters her life.

Four years later, when the husband returns home, the villagers and relatives are bewildered. Lachchi is caught in a dilemma. So is Kisan. And also the ghost, who wants to remain human and love Lachchi.

The villagers also find themselves in a dilemma, whether to live with ambiguity or to resolve the riddle.

Based on a legendary story 'Duvidha' written by literary stalwart Vijaydan Detha, with screenplay by Sandhya Gokhale, PAHELI transports you to a world that you rarely visit as a moviegoer.

One often complains of a good story getting ruined in inept hands. Fortunately, that doesn't happen with PAHELI. The cinematic interpretation is akin to a fairytale that holds your interest from start to end.

Yes, the pacing is slow in the first half. But the post-interval portions more than make up for the blemish.

Director Amol Palekar has combined form [technique] and content [script] beautifully. Special effects are expertly executed and are akin to the icing on a delicious pudding.

More than anything else, Palekar has handled the story with amazing flourish. Sandhya Gokhale's screenplay is almost flawless… and bold at the same time, especially Rani's decision at the start and also at the end of the film. Suniel Shetty, Juhi Chawla and Amitabh Bachchan have rightly been given footage in accordance with their characters, and no more.

Dialogues, also penned by Sandhya, are another area where the film scores.
Ravi K. Chandran's cinematography is mesmerizing. The Rajasthani look is captured with élan by the lensman. Muneesh Sappal's sets deserve special mention. The detailing that has gone into giving a particular feel to the film is worth appreciating. Kareem’ music may not be of the chartbusting variety, but it has some wonderful melodies. 'Lagaa Re Jal Lagaa', 'Kangna Re' and 'Dheere Jalna' are embellished with words [Gulzar] and tunes that are soft and soothing to the nerves.

Shah Rukh and Rani are in terrific form. The film is amongst SRK's most accomplished performances ever.

Rani also proves why she's the virtual queen today! She (who has already proved her mettle in two diametrically opposite films this year [BLACK, BUNTY AUR BABLI], delivers yet another performance.

Amongst character actors, Anupam Kher and Rajpal Yadav stand out. Their individual scenes bring a smile on your face. Dilip Prabhavalkar is competent. Neena Kulkarni, Padma Rani, Mohan Bhandari, Aasif Sheikh and A.K. Hangal are natural.

On the whole, PAHELI is one of the finest films produced in the recent times. A film like this proves yet again that we don't need to seek inspiration from outsiders [read Hollywood], when the Indian literature is rich enough to provide us with captivating stories.