Akela Kramer Akeli Kramer | Kramer Vs Kramer And Akele Hum Akele Tum | Under Lens

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep share 5 Oscars between them and two of those came in Kramer Vs. Kramer where they were paired against each other. Based on plot of estranged couple fighting for child’s custody, Kramer Vs. Kramer was, surprisingly, unbiased and ended on a positive note. It spoke about motherhood, fatherhood, choices in career and priorities of an individual. After about sixteen years, in India Akele Hum Akele Tum was released with Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala doing a Hoffman and Streep.

Keeping in mind Bollywood ethos, Akele Hum Akele Tum was a decent watch. Music was hit and movie did fair business. Lead couple’s performance was appreciated. Just like the acclaimed original, the lady of the house leave son with father and pursues a career. Not quite adept at household chores, father tries to strike a balance between career and fatherhood. He fails miserably on career front but at no point gives up on his child. Successful, lady returns in their life and claim her right on child. They decide to fight it out in court. Mother is successful, father is trying to catch up on his career without much success. Decision is easy for court but that decision is the most difficult thing for the parents. Lot of love is still there, how can they let the child suffer?

While KVK is very subtle movie and not much histrionics are on display. Being a musical to some extent, AHAT is loud and extremely dramatic. Some typical Bollywood of ‘90s flavor is also there. It can be a little turn-off if you have seen the original. Having said that AHAT was well made. Though definitely not in league of its esteemed original, it’s still a benchmark for remakes.

Written By: Sujoy

Under Lens: Genesis From Paper To Screen - 1

What is common between Ben Hur and Harry Potter? Both are top grosser of their times and have originated from some novel.

Around The World In Eighty Days, Charlotte’s Web, Love Story, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Schindler's List, Devdas, Parineeta, Shatranj Ke Khiladi… They all were based on novels. Beautifully written and wonderfully crafted. For sometime now… Under Lens we would discover some of the novels that were brought live on celluloid.

Novel-“Guide” Movie-“Guide”: Guide was a wonderful movie starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Indian Cinema. It was based on a novel by the same name- Guide. R.K. Narayan was the writer of Guide. The story strikes a perfect blend of two contrasting lives of the same person in present and flashback. In the former he is a revered saint and in the latter he is a shrewd guide.

Novel-“Forrest Gump” Movie-“Forrest Gump”: Winston Groom wrote a beautiful story of a person suffering from autism. The lead role was portrayed exceptionally by Tom Hanks. The story teaches a big lesson in life that even if you have the bare minimum, try to live it to the fullest. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.

Novel-“The Graduate” Movie-“The Graduate”: On AFI’s list, the movie based on the novel with the same title is at seventh position. Author of this ’67 comedy-drama movie must be a happy person. He was Charles Webb, who wrote the piece shortly after graduating. The protagonist Ben (played by Dustin Hoffman) is seduced by an older woman and finally falls in love with her daughter.

Next time we will return with some more fabulous novels brought alive on screen.

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh