September 3, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): The promos of 'We Are Family' gave an indication that it is an emotional dramatic affair with ample fun moments. The stress here is on the word 'fun' because an attempt has been made by the makers to create an impression that there are enough laugh hearted moments in the film to keep the smiles on right through the film's narrative.
The fact though is that fun moments are only intermittently placed in this directorial debut of Siddharth Malhotra. And thank goodness for that because the best parts of the film are when the story teller either gets some good drama rolling or raises the emotional quotient of the film. Ok, so the light moments may not be over the top or artificial but when a film has actors of the calibre of Kajol and Kareena Kapoor, you want the sparks to fly and histrionics to be visible.
There is a jerky beginning to 'We Are Family' though. The character establishment of Kajol as a divorced mother of three, Arjun as a caring parent and Kareena as his steady girlfriend is done pretty quickly but still, one waits for the drama to kick start soon. One slowly warms up to the characters but the film gets it's complete attention only when Kajol and Kareena come face to face. In the midst of it all, Arjun handles the situation in a mature manner without resorting to being a 'bechara pati'.
Post an unnecessary ramp show that doesn't add much to the film, the film does pick up further as tension rises between the two women. From this point on the film comes on it's own and the strength again lies in the subtle manner in which the proceedings take place. Once Kajol decides to allow Kareena become a part of the family, one does expect some fun element to set in, courtesy the coming together of two mothers in a single house. However, this pretext is hardly churned much which leaves one a tad disappointed.
It appears that the constraint here was keeping the film's length in check due to which the story comes to it's main point soon after. It won't be fair to talk about the twist element here but the moment the narrative starts delving deeper into the trouble that this family is facing, the drama gets engrossing. From this point on there is no looking back as Siddharth manages a good control over the proceedings way till the climax.
It would be only fair to say that performances are the strongest point of 'We Are Family'. Kajol is the central element here and does what is expected from her i.e. come up with a fantastic performance. She stays natural right through the course of the film and her act during the last 30 minutes is a testimony to that. As for Kareena, she certainly has a far tougher role to play as she has to fluctuate between playing someone who is cornered to being defensive to being submissive and then also someone who is trying hard to be accepted. As a working woman who has to go through varied emotions while being a part of a stranger family, Kareena excels in doing it all with effortless ease.
Arjun Rampal's character is such which is required to keep things in control around him and he does well in doing that. One can see his growth as an actor and he does more than just being a silent observer. At number of instances in the film, he does demonstrate his point of view and gets things done his way as well which justifies his character which, despite having a lesser screen time, isn't less important. As for the three kids, they are plain natural and turn out to be just perfect for their respective parts. Music in the film is plain average though 'Reham O Karam' turns out to be the pick of the lot, courtesy it's sound that continues to haunt even after the film is through.
Overall, 'We Are Family' may not have the high voltage drama that one may have expected, courtesy the two powerhouse performers coming together. Reason being that Siddharth plays it all subtle and gives a modern day touch to the story telling which is totally unlike the 'saas bahu' sagas that we are exposed to every hour on the small screen. This is the reason why one appreciates the histrionics even more since everything is underplayed in this two hour long film which primarily caters to that segment of audience that wants to shed a tear or two during a movie watching experience.
'We Are Family' isn't one of those films that takes a whopping initial on it's first three days and then disappears in quick time after making profits. This Karan Johar production should take a decent opening and only grow from word of mouth to stay consistent at the box office for few weeks despite a strong competition ahead in 'Dabangg'.
Rating: ***
-- Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Wire