Note: As an American who quite likes, but is not an expert on Indian cinema, I'm the first to admit there may be elements of content or style that I might lack the knowledge to fully appreciate. These are just my personal reactions, take them for what they're worth.
Colorful and touching, if occasionally uneven, this story of a Romeo and Juliet like love affair and it's aftermath certainly has it's moments. The performances are strong, it looks great, there's some interesting social commentary about the corrosive effects of class and social status. and there are a few good musical numbers.
But the musical element is odd – too much or two little for my taste. One song an hour is just enough to make their sudden appearance a bit jarring, not fully integrated into the style. There's also a tendency to melodrama and overstatement in the plot and even the (quite good) acting, and some important questions about the "whys" behind characters' key decisions in this tale of love and loss are left unexplored.
None-the-less, it works well enough to enjoy as spectacle, and heart stuck melodrama to be enjoyable, almost like an old style Hollywood film, if not up to the level of Bhanasali's later, quite brilliant and innovative "Black".
Colorful and touching, if occasionally uneven, this story of a Romeo and Juliet like love affair and it's aftermath certainly has it's moments. The performances are strong, it looks great, there's some interesting social commentary about the corrosive effects of class and social status. and there are a few good musical numbers.
But the musical element is odd – too much or two little for my taste. One song an hour is just enough to make their sudden appearance a bit jarring, not fully integrated into the style. There's also a tendency to melodrama and overstatement in the plot and even the (quite good) acting, and some important questions about the "whys" behind characters' key decisions in this tale of love and loss are left unexplored.
None-the-less, it works well enough to enjoy as spectacle, and heart stuck melodrama to be enjoyable, almost like an old style Hollywood film, if not up to the level of Bhanasali's later, quite brilliant and innovative "Black".