Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

A Brilliant Conflict

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I quite like this film. It seems superficially like Saathiya but is also quite different. Shahrukh plays a self made small time transport business owner and is a very down to earth character. He meets a rich high society girl, played by Rani, and falls for her. He "misplaces" her and then after much searching finds her only to be told she is marrying an old friend in Greece. So off to Greece we go and by the end of the trip she is convinced she loves this man - she never did profess to love her childhood friend. They marry and then the story takes us into an inside look at the marriage between two opposites. Sparks fly, fights are followed by reconciliations until there is an irreconcilable misunderstanding over money and a major rift occurs. She goes off to her family, and he is left to pine... There is an inevitable happy ending, but do things resolve themselves as expected? Not really, and this is where I find Chalte Chalte most endearing. It is quite usual to show "reformed" characters, ideal solutions, in Hindi cinema. Chalte Chalte tells us that in relationships one must accept one's partner for what he or she is and not expect that they will magically be altered or reformed to fit our idealized version.I found SRK's portrayal of Raj the transport biz owner very authentic. His romancing Priya (Rani) was sweet and never very over the top - yes I even liked the hokey feel of Gumshuda, and Suno Na Suno Na was divine in sound and picturization. The same old romantic dude? Perhaps, but much more vulnerable and real this time around. I liked his drunk act, his trashing the apartment. The one OTT moment was at the airport. Rani was fabulous as Priya, stunning in looks and in her conflicts with Raj. This movie was when I first felt that she was a serious actress. Taube Tumahre yeh Ishare - that was one sweet love ballad. Lillette Dubey was a little OTT but I like her so that was no big deal.The music was good, and Prem Nagariya reminded me so much of Aisa Des hai mera (Veer Zaara) - but it came before!! Overall - I gave Chalte Chalte an 8 because I liked the story, the music, the acting and most of all the reality that it is hard for human beings to change what is their true nature.

Story of a Truck & lorry owner (Shah Rukh Khan)– basically one who has a Transport Business.Since it is India my darlings, so the owner has to drive the truck sometimes in the absence of his driver ! Meets the heroine (Rani Mukherjee) who has come-a-visiting India just before she is going to tie the knot with a childhood family friend's son- good looking and tall – same cultural and educational and upbringing values – kinda heaven made match. She has been around with him since her childhood and adolescence and adulthood, both had spent enough time together during their growing age – must have shared comics, novels, shared jokes , discussed classmates, movies etc. fought over small things and then must have made up …like it happens when you are family friends.Anyways, she meets this truck driver …owner - and maybe the stars were not in her favour at that particular point of time, she falls in love with him! He impresses her by saying things like he will be like an obedient dog to her, he knows homeopathy so he can cure minor health ailments thus saving money etc.She rejects him and goes back to her foreign home – he follows her there – waiting to see her in her bridal dress at least – see the last of her ie. – she ultimately decides to marry him! For God only knows what reason – the movie tries to imply that she fell in love – FELL mind you …so apt is this word indeed! They come back to India and he opens his flat door – he is an orphan mind you – and because he had seen in movies and other families to take the impression of the newly wed bride's feet , he brings Talcum powder and asks her to step on it – thus making impression – Cool – making fun of age old rituals ! anyways they begin to pay for it soon. … She belonged to a high class, cultured and educated family whereas he was an orphan with no family or cultural background ! so started the fights – wet towel on dry bed much to her annoyance, shoes and smelly socks thrown all around the house, no civic sense in hubby – she tries her level best to adjust to his style – uncouth and coarse style ie.He understands her problems- starts to spend more time in office to earn more …all for her…come home late and watches TV – while she is cooking and washing the utensils …as they cannot afford to keep a maid for dearth of money…imagine a rich, high class girl washing utensils and cooking for husband !(Attention men: this does not happen in real life – an educated and balanced woman will always look for a match either of the same level or higher – definitely not lower – the body / mind / soul system does not accept it so easily – unless it's a natural calamity or some accident in the family/society that drastic change of life style takes place – eg. Tsunami hit children probably will have no choice)…they even plan to have children on top of dearth of money ! some stupidity it is really – why bring a baby when you cannot provide for its basic needs and necessities ? Such children, who grow up in financial crunch / dearth but at the same time see that his/her classmates bring cakes and patties for tiffin, they become jealous and greedy and later ask their parents what have they provided them with anyways ?- (refer son Samir soni's dialogue to father Amitabh Bachhan in Baagban).In one scene Rani calls the washer- man by his name to her rich Aunt's surprise ! she was amazed at the fact that Rani called him by his name ! whats so amazing about this is what I failed to understand !! with so many revolutions – green and white etc. where equality begets equanimity etc. has been talked about…still there are IDIOTS who think that knowing the name and addressing the helper by his/ her name is a shame !! such IDIOTS should better be kicked out of the country…rather the world.Anyways the inevitable happens – there is a calamity in office and they get under pressure of paying heavy debts. Wife seeks ex-flame's help financially and hubby truck driver becomes jealous ! – he insults both wife and ex-flame – teases him for being Brand conscious – wearing branded shirts – basically showing his true color – a looser in all respect - unsuccessful husband and business man ! Wife decides to leave him for good – he runs to the airport to get her back – after all he had also got the taste of ready food, washed clothes, dry bed sheets etc. Wife comes and start to live together again.Lesson : Look before you leap. The heroine leapt for a more or less "total stranger"- that was the wrong move. She should have married the family friend's son.NB: the truck drivers and other subordinates did not look the kinds to go to …you know what na? that – which the Truck drivers are famous for- going to the brothel ! they all looked pretty decent to me in fact….anyways that is a movie – and a Hindi movie on top of that !

This movie was really cool. Shahrukh, of course, gives a mindblowing performance. Rani was also great (but Aishwarya would have been better :-) ). The story was great. The first half deals with SRK running after Rani. He pulls it off with his great sense of humor. After "saat samundar paar" and winning the girl, the story twists around to divulge into the quarrels of a wife and husband. This portrays a very authentic look into a typical marriage. Songs are good. This movie is great fun!

A lot has been said about the story line and stuff. I will confine myself to a few comments only: 1. Audiences go to the cinema hall for entertainment and any film that could hold them for 3 hrs is bound to be a hit. The one which has moments that could grip you in between does average business and rest are flops. Chalte Chalte with its music, acting, frames, screen play is one such film that grips you during the three hours of viewing and has all the ingredients of being a hit. 2. Shahrukh Khan once again shows why he rules Bollywood. Taking a wafer-thin plot all on his own to convert it into an Ace speaks volumes about the actors class. Anybody anywhere in hindi/urdu speaking communities can correlate himself to his role. After larger than life roles (and that too hits), the actor has managed to come up with a light film in a style and has shown why he is distinct in the best actor hall of Indian cinema. 3. This film might be the turning point of Rani Mukherjee's career and Aishwaria Rai might consider unlucky losing this film. 4. Aziz Mirza deserves full marks for keeping the story simple and executing it with style. 5. "Prem Nagarya" number reminds one of the 80's Yash Chopra or early 90's Rakesh Roshan numbers and is refreshing. 6. Chalte Chalte once again proves the fact that if a film is made keeping in view what audience wants, it will be a hit. Else, how could a film with a repeated theme, usual story line could be a hit.