LAAL SINGH CHADDHA

Slow-moving film remake has memorable moments

Starring: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan Director: Advait Chandan

THE Bollywood remake of acclaimed 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump sees Aamir Khan take on the iconic role portrayed by Tom Hanks.

Like the original, we see the simpleton title character’s life from being a disabled child brought up by a determined single mother to finding his way in the world and be part of important events. Constants that remain in his life are being able to have a positive impact on others and an ability to find good in a conflicted world. He also has a bond with a childhood friend.

It was always going to be a huge challenge adapting such famous source material from America into a commercial Indian cinema setting and this film does it with mixed results. The ambitious film largely captures the soul of the original and adds in interesting cultural touches. There are memorable characters, exciting moments like a quick cameo from Shah Rukh Khan, and some solid performances. Aamir Khan breathes life into the title character but at times looks caricature-like, and that he is aping his PK role. Kareena Kapoor Khan is superb, but the character she plays is done a disservice by removing the scars and darkness that defined her in Forrest Gump, which counter-balanced the light of the title role.

But the biggest things that work against this movie are the excessive running time and slow pacing. There was also a lot of scope to make the adaptation more unique, but there seemed to be too many scenes lifted straight from the original movie.

The music is also surprisingly flat and doesn’t really add anything. Those who haven’t seen the original or have forgotten it will take away most from this film. What remains is a decent enough effort that could have been really outstanding, if more thought had been put into it and a better director was at the helm.