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The `woh' factor is back

Live-ins, homosexuality and extra marital relationships are not an odd case in Hindi films any more. Karan Johar's `Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' is the biggest gamble of them all. Sangeetha Devi. K reports

MATTERS OF THE HEART Film-makers are intrigued by live-ins and extra marital relationships

Is Karan Johar doing a Silsila? That's the question on everyone's minds. Karan, synonymous with saccharine sweet family dramas, would love to underplay that aspect until Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK) keeps its date with cinema halls in August. Like Silsila, which starred the then top-of-the-form actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Rekha and Sanjeev Kumar, Karan's latest flick has today's top actors Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji and Preity Zinta. Amitabh Bachchan is also part of the cast. The story revolves around the couples - Shah Rukh and Preity, Abhishek and Rani - caught in unhappy marriages. Do SRK and Rani break free from their respective unhappy homes? Adultery is not new to Bollywood, but this will probably be the biggest film in recent times to explore extra marital relationships.

That Karan wanted to break free from sugar coated love stories was evident in his last production, Kal Ho Naa Ho. Remember Jaya Bachchan's internal conflict and her sustained efforts to support her husband's daughter born out of wedlock? Or even the Kanta behn episodes steeped with homosexual humour? The claws were out but Karan wasn't yet ready to experiment. After all, KJ invited people to laugh, cry and fall in love watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and then marketed Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham with the tag line `It's all about loving your parents.' Will his risk in KANK pay off?

"People are eagerly awaiting Karan Johar's movie. Period," says film distributor Riaz of RGV-Pratima Films. "Karan makes one movie in two to three years. He understands the audience well; the film stands a chance irrespective of its risky story," he adds.

From Arth to Ankahee

Of late, you can categorise Hindi films broadly into these categories — comedies, remakes of yesteryear hits, historicals, and those on `relationships'.

Mahesh Bhatt's Murder and Vikram Bhatt's Ankahee talked about infidelity, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai and Salaam Namaste put living in couples under the spotlight, and Rajat Kapoor's Mixed Doubles looked at changing gender equations.

Mahesh Bhatt, whose Arth is remembered for its sensitive portrayals of the other woman factor in marriage, says, "Eyebrows were raised even when I produced Murder. Extra marital relationships exist in our society and there are thousands of housewives confined within the four walls of loveless marriages. So why this hypocrisy when movies talk about relationships?"

Trade analyst Komal Nahta feels, "On the positive side, this hypocrisy is slowly dying out. Forget movies, people watch stories of extra marital relations in daily soaps. Viewers are willing to empathise with the characters when the story is strong. KJ (Karan Johar) is known for good screenplays; I am sure he has thought of a strong reason that would make his audience support SRK and Rani."

While the concept of Pati Patni Aur Woh has lent itself to many movies, Nahta agrees that mainstream movies don't always portray the woh as a dark character anymore.

Tow the line

Nevertheless, until now, most mainstream movies have towed the line and stamped the idea of faithful, happy marriages. Silsila, Bewafaa, Aitraaz, Murder and Salaam Namaste are cases in point.

"It's tough for people to accept movies that aren't perceived to be morally correct," believes film-maker Dharmesh Darshan who made Bewafaa, which showed Kareena caught between her husband Anil Kapoor and her ex-flame Akshay Kumar.

The ball is now in Karan Johar's court. Will his film tow the line? Or will he succeed in making Shah Rukh and Rani walk down the aisle?

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