Peereddi
I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Connianatu
How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
jetsetter311-540-775830
I've watched Stepmom several times and sure it made my eyes water, but the story wasn't so much about a mother dying as it was a story of two women finding a common bond for the sake of good (the kids). The structure of the film flowed very well and was wrapped up in a nice little bow.This version made me cry my eyes out. It was good in that it focused on the kids and the mother helping the children transition to a life without her. The storyline was a bit disjointed in that there seemed to be some flip flopping between the mother feeling territorial.Some other notable differences in my mind are Kajol not using medicinal marijuana! Just kidding, although she doesn't, but the impact Shreya has on the kids is not depicted and Aman moving back is unfathomable to American audiences but is perhaps more realistic for Bollywood moviegoers. Also, I'm not a Julia Roberts fan, but her performance as a woman inheriting children was much more compelling than Kareena Kapoor. Maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges, I'm just saying. Lastly, the music. It didn't seem as if the music was always appropriate for the content of the scene - it was an interesting artistic choice.Overall, I enjoyed the film and absolutely LOVE Kajol. Her scenes moved me every time. And Arjun Rampal is much better to look at than Ed Harris. Sorry Ed.
Shyam Narayanan TK (ShyamNTK)
I haven't watched Stepmom, so cant compare this with the original… Anyway, this itself is a very good movie you can watch with your family or your spouse. This is not a kind of full entertainment movie, of course, the movie has its light moments, but the main task is far more than brainless entertainment…Siddharth Malhotra, the debutant did a very good job as the director. Performance wise, Kareena and Kajol were equally good, both of them acted very very well… Arjun Rampal was also good, he did complete justice to the character.. In fact, he is one of the very few actors in Indian film industry, who can portray this role… The kids were very good, especially, the eldest girl. Some of her expressions were just WoWWW!!! The youngest girl was so cute, she was like a doll in Bumm Bumm Bole also… The other child, the boy was also good, don't know why, he did not get that much role as of the other two.Music department, not so great… I saw many people praising a song Hamesha & Forever, I didn't feel anything for the song… In fact, the other songs like Aankhon Mein Neendein, Reham O Karam and Let's Rock were nice…A good movie, on the whole..
Pratik Jasani
Its sometimes hard for children to know and how to deal with situations that one is not able to control. A divorcée, finds out that she is suffering from terminal cervical cancer and decides to ensure that her children are looked after by the woman who her ex husband has been seeing, which leads to a conflict between the two women.A movie that carries a lot of emotions related to motherhood, starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, child artists Nominath Ginsberg, Aachal Munjal and Diyya Sonecha.Kajol and Karan Johar, the producer of this movie, has roared with talent. Here, once again, she has shown why she is regarded as one of the best actresses in the Industry, even though, she looks pregnant and is pregnant. Kareena Kapoor, needed a good change from the roles the characters that she has been recently been perform and she has it in this. As the "other woman" she has done an excellent job, as has Arjun Rampal as the ex husband and father. Finally, the child artists – all have really performed well and in particular Divya Sonecha as the youngest, "Anjali" and Aachal Munjal as "Aleya," a teenager, who unable to accept what is happening around her.Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, is good as always and in particular as certain Elvis Presley type song, "Rockn Roll" genre. There's no glitz and there's no glamour in any of the songs and one will be disappointed if they are expecting any.This may be a copy of the 1998 movie "Stepmom," but the débutant director, Siddharth Malhotra, has handled the topic very well and manages to convey the emotions that are involved and especially where motherly emotions are concerned.Though a tearjerker and one will need tissues with them, this is a good family drama and is worth watching. But if one is expecting glitz and glamour, then they will be disappointed.
MovieMan12312
The negative reviews of this movie have a common theme among them - it doesn't match up to Hollywood. Well off course it doesn't and nor should it. If you want western films - go watch a Hollywood film! Thats what Hollywood is for. Bollywood is there for us Indians to identify with the characters and emotion. If Bollywood were to become like Hollywood - then whats the point! The film itself was overall fantastic. The best part about it is that it doesn't sell itself on its music. It sells itself on the story and the superb acting from all the actors. I watched stepmom after watching We Are Family and I was impressed how the bollywood version took it one step further and showed life after Kajols death...whereas in Stepmom it didn't. So who says Hollywood is better than Bollywood? The last 10 minutes were fantastic, especially where the children run up to their mother and cry. In those moments, nothing needs to be said by the actors, its completely said through their expressions.I recommend this film to any bollywood fan.
