I love this movie so much

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Aman (Rahul Bose) an investment banker has lost his wife and is emotionally adrift. One very rainy night his car breaks down and he gets stranded in the Mumbai Red light district with no working cell phone. He runs into a structure for shelter and there encounters Chameli (Kareena Kapoor), the loud (looks and talk), smoking and smoky voiced street walker. Chameli offers herself to him (he does not want it), tells him three variations of her life story (all made up), as pimps, goons, street children, corrupt cops, transvestites walk in and out of the scene. Then things start to turn ugly and Aman gets embroiled in the mess of Chameli's life out of chivalry for one he sees as a helpless woman. But who is helpless and who is chivalrous is not immediately clear as Chameli shows many unusual facets to her personality. In the end she is able to break down Aman's self created barriers in his own personal life so he can cauterize his past wounds and move on.The movie is brilliantly acted by Kareena Kapoor - those who doubt her acting ability need to see this one. She is equally good as the kind hearted woman, the childlike playful one, the seductress. And she is stunning in looks. Rahul Bose is very good as Aman, he is by turns sad, full of disgust, then wonder, then amazement at Chameli. There is not much else to the cast of characters, but the minor players all perform up to expectations. The music is quite well integrated (except for the opening song) and beautiful. The cinematography is brilliant and the direction by Sudhir Mishra very good.This is an unusual and fine film, a little idealistic, but in the end you leave feeling the uplifting moments and not the sordid ones.

Summary: Investment Banker Aman (Rahul Bose) on his way from a party in a stormy night gets stranded in one of Mumbai's not-so-decent places. He then, encounters Chameli (Kareena Kapoor) who is a prostitute. Aman who is new to this other face of Mumbai faces new challenges hitherto unknown in his high-profile life.Comment: Although he story is fair, what is more important in the movie is the characterisation. Rahul Bose seems to repeat his role from 'Mumbai Matinée'; only this time he is richer and more sophisticated. In fact, it would be better to say that he has repeated his roles of both 'Mumbai Matinée' and 'Mr & Mr Iyer'. The common thread in all these three movies of his is that the conclusion is seen only in the last few frames of the movie.Kareena has stolen the show with her stunning performance. From the bubbly character of poo in K3g, this role is far away from it and Kareena has put life into the character. There is a mention of Umrao Jaan and Chandramukhi (of devdas fame) in the movie. Probably one can say that Umrao Jaan, Chandramukhi and Chameli are the similar character shown in three different generations and settings.The chemistry between the characters has been portrayed well. Although to some extent it may seem difficult to believe an investment banker falling in love with a Prostitute; well, thats the directorial licence to say "Life's like that". Well in one line, it is a movie worth watching.

This movie was one of the best Indian films I have seen! I loved it. Such a well written film, and so sensitively portrayed. The acting was superb. I adore Rahul Bohse, he is always a delight to watch. I agree with another comment on this page, that he would have been ideal for the role in Kal Ho Na Ho, actually he would be ideal for many roles that I've seen being handed over to lesser actor's for their commercial appeal. He is a delight to watch no matter what character he plays. I first noticed him when he played Sunny in "Thakshak". He managed to upstage Ajay Devgan, who in my opinion is one of the best actor's in Bollywood. He proved he could do comedy too, with his role in Jhankar Beats. As for Kareena Kapoor, she was a pleasant surprise. I knew that she could act,but since she was always being "type-cast", she couldn't do much with her roles. I think she bought a touching sensitivity to the character. The fact that it was Kareena Kapoor acting as Chameli somehow made her plight even more poignant, because we know what she is like as a "carefree" character, and this is a direct contrast from that. This adds to the pathos in my opinion. There was a lot of depth in her performance. Well done Kareena!As for story, it attempts to realistically portray the lives of people in the red light districts, and especially those of women and their plight. The two protagonists are both in pain. They are both going through different types of pain in their lives, and for a moment they stop to share their plight with one another. It's the kind of encounter everyone dreams of. It's a very romantic meeting, albeit in a very unromantic setting. At heart, this movie is about finding love in the most unlikely places, and how a women who has lost faith in men has it restored by a kind and handsome stranger who wanted to help her without wanting anything back. This movie makes you believe that chivalry is not dead after all!

Some actors,tend to grow on you, even though you had dislikes because of the initial type-casting. The case in point-Kareena Kapoor. It is easy to dismiss her as a mediocre or run-of-the-mill Bollywood actress that made it to fame because of family name,connections or whatever; but when she gets under the skin of the character,you slowly change your opinion and keep an open mind about the capacity of an actor to emote-albeit she is not in the same class as a Rehman, Rani or a Dixit. Circumstances, bring together this couple, who seem to be woven from different societal fabric, but the commonality of caring and sharing weaves an heartwarming story, that reveals shamelessly, lot of the ugliness; that is the underworld that the very society, tries to sweep under the rug. Rahul Bose, is never a disappointment and he shows that he can play a character better than any of the current crop of actors, who seem to have a chip on their shoulders and they overact to cover their inferiority complex-as a matter of fact I think he would have been perfect to play the leading part in "Kal Ho Na Ho", but the status quo, that makes Bollywood the Boringwood, we are forced to watch the same overacting idiot (ugly and menacing) in every other movie. In Chameli-the flame of love keeps burning, even it was a lit by a "whore"