Producer & Director: Rakesh Roshan
*ing: Hritik Roshan, Amisha Patel, Anupam Kher, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mohnish Behl
Music: Rajesh Roshan

Released on : January 14, 2000

Reviewed by: Alok Kumar
alok@indolink.com

out of 
After Khudgarz (Plus points being Neelam and one of my favorite songs "Aapke Aa Ja Ne Se"), King Uncle (With sexy Anu Agarwal and Jackie Shroff), Kishan Kanhaiya (Anil Kapoor in a double role), Khoon Bhari Mang, Karan Arjun, and Koyla (Plus points being Deepshikha), Rakesh Roshan brings us Kaho naa... Pyaar Hai. Rakesh Roshan sure hit the nail on the head when he claimed that his Kaho naa... Pyaar Hai would be an entertainer. He also hit the nail on the head when he claimed that son Hrithik would be the next big thing. When Rajesh Roshan claimed his music to be "different", he wasn't lying, it is different and good. And Amisha Patel, looking a lot like Neelam and pretty good for a newcomer, is a breath of fresh air. Yes, folks, I'm telling you all to go see KNPH, a movie with which I had low expectations. The film ended up being very entertaining and Hrithik makes Bobby and Akshaye look bad with his stunning debut.

The film has everything, romance, action, and, most importantly, a bit of suspense. Struggling singer Rohit (Hrithik Roshan) and rich brat Sonia (Amisha Patel) fall in love through a variety of interesting situations (Even getting stranded on an island), much to the dismay of Saxena (Anupam Kher), Sonia's pampering father. Trouble ensues when Rohit witnesses corrupt police officers (Ashish Vidyarthi and Mohnish Behl) murder the police commissioner after he finds out about their illegal drug syndicate. The villains kill Rohit, much to the dismay of Sonia, who is left alone with cruel memories of her love. Heartbroken, she goes to New Zealand where she meets a young man named Raj (Hrithik again), who looks remarkably like our dead hero Rohit (Wow, who'd have thought?). The new twosome return to India only to have the villains assume that Raj is Rohit and chase after him. The rest of the film (This is where the suspense comes in...) focuses on who Raj really is and why he looks so much like Rohit. If you think you'll see the same, tired, twin-brothers-separated-at-birth story, think again.

You've heard it all before, right? Well, I'll let you see the film to decide. In my opinion, Rakesh Roshan has made a great film, which may not be award winning, brilliant stuff, but entertains. The plot, while not entirely new, is presented with style. The locations are beautiful, Hrithik and Amisha make a good couple, and the songs are fantastic. Hrithik acts pretty well for his debut. The film practically showcases his talents, of which he has many. Hearing the female audience in the theater go nuts over how "hot" he is was irritating, but he's a great hero, with charm, looks, and dancing skills. Amisha looks very good. She's got a beautiful face that looks a lot like Neelam's and a killer body to match. She's not very tall, which is definitely a negative point on my scale, but does a commendable job for a newcomer with her role, which was totally overshadowed by Hrithik. Supporting cast members Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, Satish Shah, Mohnish Behl, and Ashish Vidyarthi are okay. Johny Lever is very annoying in his thankfully short role.

Rajesh Roshan's music sounded great to me on the soundtrack, but watching the songs on breathless locations such as Greece, Fiji Islands, New Zealand, and a cruise ship made them even better. Lucky Ali's two numbers are great, and the title track is very catchy. Rakesh Roshan's direction is good. It's nice to see him bounce back after Koyla, which was enjoyable as well, but was very far-fetched.

Overall, Kaho naa... Pyaar Hai is certainly no must see, but after garbage like Mela and Bulandi, it's certainly good to see a commendable effort from an Indian film maker, and a "great entertainer", a title which Mela couldn't live up to.