VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Executscan Expected more

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Meghal It is difficult to fathom the minds of Indian directors - what drives them to create period movies with stories that are still relevant in 21st century. Whether it is Vidhu Chopra's "1942 - A Love Story" or Sudhir Mishra's "Khoya Khoya Chand". With too much focus on recreating the past, the story takes a back seat and as a result, the movie fails to impress.Time to time, Bollywood keeps making movies about itself - mainly the struggle for new comers and its dirty ongoings, right from Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" to Zoya Akhtar's "Luck By Chance" (Best among the crop being Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Guddi"). Sudhir Mishra takes one step further - he makes a movie about 1950's Bollywood. He tries to cram everything into a story - new comer struggle, casting couch, art v/s mainstream cinema, etc., etc. But while putting so much efforts to recreate that "magical era", the story, the dialogues and the character development takes a back seat. The result is just a movie that seems to be going nowhere.The movie centres around Nikhat, an actress, played by Soha Ali and Zafar, a script writer/novelist/director/producer played by Shiny Ahuja. The movie centres around the ups and downs in their relationship, and between other characters along a time period. However, crammed with corny dialogues, annoying stereotype characters and clichéd situations, the movie drags right from the start. After a while, you just don't care what happens to the characters. Inconsistencies and loopholes are galore. Since the main characters have a Muslim background, it is customary to speak "khalis Urdu" and observe that "tehzeeb". However after few scenes, all that mannerism seems to disappear in thin air. The height of ridiculousness comes when to show her alcoholism, the director shows Soha Ali in a car parked on Bombay street side and Soha enjoying a glass of hooch.The character of Shiny is supposed to be some kind of deep brooding, which he plays to an annoying extreme. It reminds me of similar character played by Akshay Khanna in "Dil Chahta hai". But speaking in a slow baritone voice doesn't make you an intellectual, it just makes you look a phony.This movie somehow reminds me of Scorsese's "The Aviator". In "Aviator" however, with emphasis on recreating past, the director did not lose focus on the basic element for a good movie - a strong solid storyline. With "Khoya Khoya Chand" however, no such hope exists,sadly. The only positive aspect that I did not spend any money to watch this drivel, a simple walk to public library is all the effort that I put in watching this movie. I still gave 4 starts to the movie, as there are still movies that are worse than this and are still popular and made big monies at box office.

Avinash Patalay Movies from Sudhir Mishra's basket as always stand apart from the rest of the crowd. The subjects he chooses, the characters he brings to life and the way he presents them on the celluloid has always been different. And Khoya Khoya Chaand is no different. This time around he attempts a period movie against the backdrop of the Indian film Industry (I would abstain from using the word Bollywood as I very much doubt if the term existed in 1960's). He takes bits and pieces from the film magazines, scandals, rumours and biographies to weave a plot and base it on the love-story between the writer/director and the actress. Sounds familiar? Well, fact meets fiction and a thin line separates the two. For a novice it would seem KKC is a tale taking snippets predominantly from the lives of Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Kamal Amrohi, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. And perhaps more, if one were to ask an expert on the subject. As with Sudhir Mishra's movies he infuses the grey shades to the characters owing to which they flesh out very much true-to-life. ם Shiny Ahuja:: Does a good job. Its evident that his character loosely inspired on the life of Guru Dutt and perhaps Raj Kapoor.ם Soha Ali Khan:: Quite a matured performance indeed. Her character has many layers and safely manages to deliver the goods. I am sure the inputs from Mum must have helped.ם Vinay Pathak:: Initially you feel the actor is wasted in a pathetic character, but in second half the character gains momentum.ם Rajat Kapoor:: As usual dependable. ם Sonya Jehan:: Extremely pretty however her performance seemed very plastic. The set, makeup, songs, dances, costumes (and even the telephone ring) transport you into the era of 60's. Everybody who has contributed to the movie deserves to be acknowledged for the valiant effort. KKC is not Om Shanti Om, the goody-goody glorified industry, it is not Bollywood Calling, the dark satire and neither Luck By Chance which portrays the industry from the struggler's perspective but yes - it belong to the same genre. It does not shy away to tell the darker side of the industry and attempts to realistically portray the picture behind the iron wall without being derogatory. The movie caters to a cross-section of audience hence there is hardly any room for commercial or wider acceptance.

pottermaniac_16 It is inevitable to bring in the reference of Sudhir Mishra's previous film,"Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi" , when one sits to ponder over KKC's relevance today. Like his previous film, KKC is also set in a bygone era, a time that boasts of being the "golden" age of Indian cinema, HKA was based set in the most turbulent times of Indian politics(well...it's turbulent now too), but both films have struck the right chord as today's audience could identify themselves with those in the films.Coming to Khoya Khoya Chand....whatever I had gathered from the trailers and reviews of the movie....everything was very discouraging. But after I saw the movie ,I did not get up from my seat for a good few minutes.I agree with most people , who have taken it to be their sole ambition to slander the movie and the filmmaker, that the story has been told many a times before....but I doubt whether it had received such a palpable treatment.Sudhir Mishra should be solely championed because of the characterization of Zaffar, Nikhat ,Ratanbala ,Shyamol ,Noni Ganguly....But I guess the best one's that of Prem Kumar's. With a stroke of artistic brilliance, Mishra has asserted the fact that, nobody wants to harm anybody-they just want to pursue their own interests, but if you stand in their way, well only a few would spare you to be busted out. That's how the world rotates on give-and-take policy. The director creates many cinematic moments and the language of the camera is impeccable. The performance are flawless ,to say the least , and every actor- be it the main leads or the supporting cast ,they have done a brilliant job. The scene in which Prem Kumar's engagement is announced , the broken,cheated look on Nikhat and the compassionate look on Ratanbala , who too has been cheated, superbly portrayed by Soha Ali Khan and Sonya Jehan.The flashback scenes of Zaffer's troubled life in Lucknow, the look of shock and despair on Zaffer's face when he returns from London, only to know that His beau Nikhat was married to his best friend as she needed support in the brink of her downfall, Zaffer's father praying for forgiveness , Zaffer caught by Nikhat making love to Ratanbala and the look on their faces, the drunken brawl of Zaffer with Nonida.....I can go on and on and on.Rajat Kapoor is marvelous as the talented,charming,sly, opportunist, compassionate , wicked(yes , he is the most humane of all characters, neither fully good nor fully bad)superstar and Sonya Jehan is a good find of Mishra's(she only did a "Taj Mahal" before)as the seductive , fussy, actress, cheated again and again in love. Her portrayal of Ratanbala reminded me of the penpicture of the lonely moon in Shelley's "To the Moon",filled with a sense of nihilism. She is the Khoya Khoya Chand in my opinion. Soha has delivered her best performance till date and Shiny like always delivers this time too.Sushmita Mukherjee, Saurabh Shukla and the actor playing Nonida,do justice to their characters but kudos to Vinay Pathak's Shyamol,Zaffer's friend , repenting every moment of his marriage to Nikhat and to see her suffer.Superb.The impact of the film keeps haunting you for quite sometime. The music resonates in your memory long after you have actually ceased to hear it.And you can still hear someone saying,"Zaffer, Ab To Mauff Kar De Yaar"(forgive me now at least) or "Pata Hain Tum Apne Bap Se Itni Nafrat Kyun Karte Hon??Kyunki Tum Jab Bhi Apne Andar Jhankte Hon To Unhi Kon Paatein Hon"(do you know why do you hate your father so much?because whenever you reflect upon yourself, you find him)

Bittoo Kumar I was always excited to see classical films, showing royal and grandeur of palaces, old machines, slow pace of time, the natural way of action and the background score and hence, when I watched the trailer of Khoya Khoya Chand, by Sudhir Mishra, I got interested. Yesterday,I saw the movie.My first expression while coming out of the theater, was WOW! and it really is interesting my friends, to see something a revival of the classic without blindly copying the classic. The movie is directed by Sudhir Mishra, who has a fine taste of classical elements, and the movie shows his hard work and keen efforts to bring to us what we used to have in the past, while retaining the contemporary essence to it.The movie is set in the 1950s era, showing the events associated with stars and people associated with bollywood! It is basically about a young girl Nikhat(Soha Ali Khan), who is a junior artist in bollywood and dreams to become an actress some day and till now she has been working as a side dancer in some sequences. She has to face the dark side of film industry and is determined to do so. Prem Kumar(Rajat Kapoor) is a super star, one whom directors are willing to make movies with and actors willing to work with. Also, he has an image that no artist can stand in front of him and deliver his dialogue with retakes. However, the super star is attracted to actresses who worked with him and therefore, Nikhat who's always willing to be in limelight comes to be his new attraction. There begins Nikhat's career in the film industry, when Zaffar(Shiny Ahuja), a young, talented poet, actually a story writer, from the families of Nawabs, comes to Bombay.He does not believe in any limelight, pomp or show. Having a troubled childhood, he's a hard nut to crack, his emotions do not easily come out, but when they do, it sets the stage on fire. The fine sense of direction by Sudhir Mishra, actually takes us to that period and one, which lacks in Indian Movies normally. Last I remember, having seen Rand De Basanti, where to depict a feeling or an emotion, the director used a different set up all together and left the audience to understand what he wants to convey by the set. Its the case in Khoya Khoya Chand, rather than actually showing everything happening, the director has, in between tried to give a hint or show whats to be understood.Shamol(Vinay Pathak), a fine actor plays the role of an assistant director to big directors, and is a friend of Zaffar. He takes Zaffar, into the film industry to try his fame as a script writer, realizing Zaffar's talent of writing. He is liked by everyone and there comes his first meeting with Nikhat. They interact, chat, work with each other and eventually begin to like each other. Nikhat, however continues to work in the film industry but slowly gets frustrated with the people around. Even she had a troubled childhood, and the thougths of which, disturb her sometimes. The movie also features Ratnabala(Sonya Jehan), who's a beautiful actress and has risen up the same way as Nikhat has. The role has been played extremely well, of a greedy, jealous, young woman, however I do not remember seeing her in any of the movies before this, But she's a fine actress. Slowly Nikhat and Zaffar come close, which is not liked by some people. This gives rise to various differences in opinions, arguments. The second half of the movie is mainly focused on the relationship between Nikhat and Zaffar. Both having achieved an acceptable position in the film industry, work in somewhat different fashion according to nature and interests. Zaffar would want Nikhat to do as he tells her to, but this would not happen. There begins a cold war, a kind of separation, both Nikhat and Zaffar have to live with. However, this does not last long. Nikhat has achieved name and fame, but is she comfortable with her life, satisfied with the way things are coming to her.Is she happy without Zaffar in her life.The dark world of film industry clings to her feet, she's no longer happy and becomes a frustrated spoilt actress, her career drowning. She no longer can work properly, every time either her personal habits or her past comes in front of her, just when Zaffar comes into her life again........But its too late now, for she has now in herself something else except Zaffar and has to abide by it. Thus, the story of Nikhat, an actress who is both in the good books as well as bad records of people, is portrayed.The background score is like old movies, use of traditional musical instruments, slow music, colorful sets, classical dancing sequences, all of which makes us like Khoya Khoya Chand. However, the movie seems to be a collection of events grouped together and therefore, every scene seems to be like an act or a scene in a play. Maybe it has been done intentionally, for in movies of the past, we normally see events like stage plays. It is a complete entertaining package, one of the best movies of the year, definitely an award winning movie. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10 for excellent performance by all the actors, good music, good plot, story line and extremely well direction. Do watch the movie, you'll surely like it.