The Expression Hub

Starring : Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Kapoor , Swaroop Sampat, Rajit Kapoor

Directed by : R Balki

Genre: Romantic Comedy

” A gender equal society would be the one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.

Gloria Steinem

As part of Women’s Day celebration this is a belated post .But I would love to take this opportunity to celebrate the occasion by doing what I am good at – letting you know my latest pick to celebrate the same.
We do celebrate every working woman ; every woman who is strong or has made a name for themselves. But there is one section of women which always gets neglected while we raise the toast for other women . That section is that of the homemakers/ housewives. How many of us actually do acknowledge or even appreciate the efforts of the women who actually work round the clock to make the lives of those of us who are working comfortable? We feel just because a housewife does not go out to earn a living she does not do anything . But this is where our thought process actually goes wrong or becomes sexist to put it in a very strong language. This is because according to a study , if we actually calculate the economic value of the efforts put in a by a house wife , it amounts to a salary equivalent to around 2.5 lakhs per annum. I suppose for most of us it wouldn’t be a pretty big amount . After all we do earn pretty great salaries by putting in a certain amount of fixed hours for a fixed number of days and enjoy all the perks that come with our job. But what about a housewife or even a stay at home dad? She/ He have to be on their legs for 16-18 hours a day as they have to juggle a multiple responsibilities to make a house a ‘home’ . Yet we so easily disregard the efforts put in by them by saying so easily that they just stay at home and do nothing. It is them who act as a strong pillar to those of us who go outside the house to earn a living . And what salary do they work upon ? Nothing just loads of love and selflessness for their families. So, lets for a change this Women’s month also change our thought process for the better good and acknowledge as well as appreciate the efforts put in by those who actually stay at homes and make our lives better. Do like or share your thoughts on this. I would love to listen from you guys .

So the reason why I created a buildup like this is because my latest pick in the fantastic world of movies tries to explore this territory. Presenting to you ladies and gentlemen, my latest pick – Ki & Ka. For those who are not familiar with the language , let me offer you a little explanation so that you can have a better understanding. The word ‘ki’ is used to describe a female; while on the other hand, the word ‘ka’ is used to describe a male.

Story line: The film revolves around two individuals named Kia and Kabir. Kia is a self driven highly ambitious lady who wants to reach new heights in her career of marketing. While on the other hand, Kabir is the son of a building contractor who is pretty successful . But Kabir does not want to take over his father’s business nor has any interest in inheriting the family inheritance. Both the individuals have a lot of things in common- they share the same birthdays, have the same outlook towards their lives, have single parents and most importantly have the same passion for their respective careers. While Kia aspires to climb the corporate ladder quickly, Kabir despite being the MBA topper of the business school he attended wants to be a person who actually is responsible for running the household. In other words, Kabir wants to be a homemaker by profession . Sounds strange right? But Kabir always felt that being a housewife is actually equivalent to being an artist. So both decide to embrace their respective jobs. Initially everything goes well . But trouble starts brewing when Kia starts getting insecure after her so called house husband starts getting attention. So how do things pan out between the two after insecurities start creeping in their personal lives? Are they able to sort it out or does the distance grows between them? What are the important lessons they learn in the process? What are the lessons they advocate to the world? Are they able to change the so called stereotypical mindset of the society? Or do they face the heat ? The answers to these questions can be found out by watching the movie.

Scrutiny: The movie tries to explore the stereotypes faced by members of both the genders. It tries to address the issue of gender equality in a light hearted manner. Coming to the positives of the movie-

1. A fantastic story line. The issue of gender equality is addressed in a light hearted manner without sounding too preachy. This actually acts in its favour.
2. Great dialogues. So hats off to R Balki sir who actually has put in a lot of efforts to write this story.
3. Fantastic music. After all songs do make up a major part of the movie. So huge shout out to all the music directors involved in the process. Right from the veteran Ilaiyaraja to the recent ones in the form of Meet Bros, Mithoon and Yo Yo Honey Singh.
4. The beautiful cinematography undertaken by P. C. Sreeram sir. It just makes the viewing of this movie a visual treat to the eyes.
5. The artistic brain of Kabir who designs the house revolving around the theme of trains. I was like he did deserve his share of credit of being a business school topper. That is actually pretty good utilization of the space which a house can offer . It actually gave me some pretty good ideas to work upon(HAHA)
6. The emotions involved in the movie. They actually feel genuine. That is also one of the parameters that should not be neglected in the making of a movie.
7. Wonderful histrionics by both the lead actors. After this actually I really felt that maybe Arjun Kapoor is not a bad actor as he is supposedly made out to be . He can actually put in efforts if his acting skills are put to a good use.

Coming to the negatives of the movie-

1. Could the number of intimate scenes be reduced? Its not that I don’t enjoy being a romantic at heart. I am actually one at heart. But you need not fill your entire movie with it. The scenes just feel over the top. And anything done in excess just spoils the beauty .
2. At some places the sense of humor is just cringy in nature. Maybe we could have addressed it in a much better manner.You will get to know what I am referring to after you watch the movie. I feel even you would feel the same.

Sentiment: I have a philosophy which I like to apply while making a decision in every aspect of life. I do hope that it helps you as well to make great choices in every aspect. That philosophy is pretty simple – if the pros(positives)outweigh the cons(negatives) then you shouldn’t give it a lot of thought . Just go for it without giving it a second thought. There’s a reason behind this- the more we think about a thing , we tend to get confused a lot. And who needs confusion when you can achieve clarity in your thoughts? So, maybe by now you would have figured it out what my sentiment might be. Go for it at least once in your life. Maybe you would open up new windows of your thought process. Maybe it will help you become less sexist in your thought process. Maybe it will make you look women who you never appreciate or acknowledge at all in a new light. So, its a resounding yes from me. Do share your experiences about the same . Would love to hear from you as well. Meet you next week with a new pick. Till then lots of love and take care and be safe.

Quote Unquote: “Mera maqsad mehnat se bachna nahi; meri mehnat faltu maqsad se bachke rehna hai.”(Kabir to Kia )

Que: What brand of oil does Kabir has to endorse for Kia as part of the advertising campaign?

a. Dhara

b. Fortune

c. Ruchi Soya

d. Saffola

Rating: *** and a half stars