Review of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

Introduction

In April 2000, Digital Entertainment Inc. (DEI) had released the box-office hit Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai onto DVD, and helped launched many changes in the Indian DVD market. Firstly it was the first major Hindi film title (after the low grade flicks `Kroad` and `Baaghi`, also done by DEI) to have used an anamorphic transfer. Also the picture and sound quality excelled expectations of many Indian DVD fans. Sporting impressive menu designs with a nice collection of supplements which has now set the conventions of doing a special edition DVD of a major Indian film title.

However there was two major factors that put the DVD into doubt. Firstly due to the success of the film the producer/director Rakesh Roshan, decided to include a deleted song `Janneman Janneman` into theatrical prints in India. This made some more money for the film as it brought audiences back into the cinema for the second time. Also many DVD viewers complained on the quality of the supplements. DEI then decided to work on both these feature for this new collectors edition.

The picture quality was improved upon by moving the supplements onto a second DVD. This also helped provide more average bit rate space for the main feature, even thought I felt that the picture was truly the bomb.

So behold an exclusive second look at the DVD title which is the first to sport a two DVD set for an Indian film.........another first for DEI.

Video

The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, persevering the director`s original vision. The picture is also anamorphically enhanced.

The picture is quite similar to the pervious DVD release, showing no major signs of any wear and tear, and is virtually clean from all artefacts and grain. However shimmering still presented similar problems on this DVD, and can be founded during the credit sequences. Yet this is due to the limited resolution founded on the NTSC format and is not entirely the fault of the authoring.

The picture gives an overall display of precision and sharpness, which defines excellent picture information that is at times more clearer then on cinema. For instance in the airport scenes you can see and read the little text founded on information boards and yellow signs without any problems.

When viewing in anamorphic mode the many millions of colours seen in this disc are well handled, adding a near three dimensional quality to the picture. No colour fidelity flaws are to be seen on this DVD at any point. When viewing the the film in letterbox mode the picture looses that three dimensional quality but still retains fine picture colouring information that is impressive and flawless.

Dark levels and contrast details are also top-notch, from the highly white fumes of the sun when on the hot isolated island to the darkly lit climax. Here the picture never fails, delivering many shades of black and white that will enhance your viewing and understanding of the many cinematic moods normally lost on the big screen.

Audio

The sound is presented in its original format of Dolby Digital 5.1. Here the sound displays a wonderful mix of music and ambient sound that enhances viewing. From handling of the vocal performances to the handling of the rather active background score, everything is perfect.

All channels will give your 5.1 set up a massive work out that could only impress. The songs sound even more beautiful then ever as it had more music and vocal dynamics to offer since it was created from its original source. The soundfield never deters from your 360 degree set-up, and at times you can almost feel the surround mix around you swaying in many themes and context that is going accordingly to the film`s plot points.

The LFE channel is also very happening, especially during the songs and action sequences, and can be describe as being very deep and elaborated. Overall the sound is giving clear and precise information that accompanies this film without signs of sound distortion like hissing and noise.

Features

The special features menu on the first DVD asks you to insert disc two. However to get back to the main menu is quite hard as there are no options at all on this page. A choice of the following five can be made on the second DVD:- Original theatrical trailer, ten t.v. promo`s, filmfare awards, a `Kaho Naa...Hit Hai` promo & `in conversation with....`

Under the t.v. promo`s option you can view the ten promo`s separately, or you can view them all in one go. The filmfare awards is an exceptional feature included on this DVD. Here you can select the three segments separately or you can play them all in a sequence. The segments included are Hrithik at filmfare awards and two live song performances.

The Kaho Naa... Hit Hai! promo gives a brief look on the viewers verdict of the film. While the feature titled `In Conversation with.....` give the audiences a deeper look into the making of this film. This segment was produced by DEI exclusively for this DVD and was rather informative. The quality of this feature was poor on the last DVD and was laden with heavy artefacts and low sound quality, but now all of these problems have vanished and the results are exceptional. However one problem still lies with this feature. It had no chapter marks, which was a shame. If it was chapter then you could have accessed your favourite part very easily. DEI could have rectify this when they had a chance....oh well at least the quality has improved.

Now lets talk about the deleted song on this DVD. DEI could have made this song as part of a process called `seamless branching` used on the `T2: Ultimate Edition` and `The Abyss` DVD`s. However DEI didn`t bother to use this feature and the results are somewhat disappointing. Many people, including myself never liked this extra song and thought of it as time consuming as it lacked narrative. Yet we are forced to watch this song without having a choice to deleted it from viewing which the DVD hardware and software can utilize. The only option of watching the film without the song is too purchase the previous DVD. But many might not do this as the supplements are affected. So we are left with tough decisions. While the way DEI blended the song into the film was fair, the chance to utilize this format, for the benefit of the audiences was missed upon. Still you can at least forward the song as it is individually chapter marked.

The DVD dons some very thematic and well designed menus, while the main feature has included five fully subtitled languages. The disc comes with a very attractive booklet which has some nice stills, and full Hindi lyrics from the soundtrack.

Conclusion

After viewing this film I can honestly say that this was so far the best Indian romance/comedy/drama to have release in ages. Rakesh Roshan lived up to my expectation with this fine feature which he had worked hard on, belonging in his list of other excellent films like :- Kudhgarz (1988), Kishan Kanaiyha (1989), Kala Bazaar(1990), Karan Arjun (1994), and Koyla (1997). Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai exhibits from nearly all from his other movies. But the plot is both innovative and brilliant, showing at times little flaws that can easily be avoided.

Its ingredients of the film looks as if they were devised to appeal to all audiences. By all rights the movie should be a pale imitation of its betters, but sometimes lightning does strike twice, and this is a wonderful film, filled with romantic moments that ring true, and with big laughs. The film also offers breathtaking locations that at time do resemble the ideal utopia.

The performances from Hirthik and Amisha are very impressive, from the comedy scenes when they are lost at sea to the dramatic sequences when both are being chased by the police. If they continue to display versatile talents like so, along with choosing viable scripts, then they can both go very far. The rest of the cast also perform well. The cameo appearance of Johnny Lever was a welcome treat.

The film is a showcase for Hirthik, just as `Barsaat (1995)` was a showcase for actor Bobby Deol, and `Himalay Putra (1997)` was a showcase for Akshay Khanna. I won`t compare the actors because its not fair, as all are very different in their approaches to performing. But I can say that Hirthik Roshan does meets the requirements needed to be a film star in Hindi films, but also display talent as an actor too.

The music is very melodious, displaying many moods and themes that associate itself well with the plot in film. The songs comprises of new dances designed by excellent choreographer, Farah Khan, who uses influences from Indian folk to the MTV generation. Rajesh Roshan has never failed to deliver a great score for all of his brother films, and continues to do so here.

Also other technical values like cinematography, lighting, editing etc... are done with style and charisma that adds more charm to the movie viewing experience.

This DVD helps the audience to experience this film more-so. With great picture and sound quality for an Indian DVD, and boasts some really good special features too. A reference and recommended DVD.