‘We Are Family' is a heart-tugging family drama!

Director: Siddharth Malhotra

Starring: Kajol , Kareena Kapoor , Arjun Rampal , Aanchal Munjal , Nominath Jinsberg and Diya Sonecha

OyeG Review

Karan Johar Productions’ We Are Family’ is a remake of Hollywood hit ‘Stepmom’ and, as the name suggests, it has ample dose of emotions, family bonding and touching sob-sob moments. Maya (Kajol) is a divorcee but a perfect mother. Her life revolves around her three children - Aleya (Aachal Munjal), Ankush (Nominath Ginsberg), and Anjali (Diya Sonecha) and they live like a happy family. When Aman (Arjun Rampal) introduces his new love Shreya (Kareena) to the family, things get tense as kids and Maya find it hard to accept their dad’s new companion. An incident changes their lives drastically, bringing the two women close and under the same roof.

Direction

Debutante director Siddharth Malhotra need not thank God to give him Kajol for his first film (like he said in a recent interview) for he successfully can extract noteworthy performances from his lead cast. The dramatic scenes are handled well. The sequence where Kajol tries to prove that she is a better mom than kid’s new friend-mom Kareena is worth a mention. The performances are the USP of this remake, complete with a subtle touch to suit the sensibilities of the Indian audience (read family-oriented husband, beti ki shaadi and Maa ka kangan). Although, the story hardly leaves anything for imagination and the music is a let down, audience will be able to sail through.

Performances

Kajol and Kareena are probably the finest actresses we have today and were a good choice by the production house to enact the characters of two mothers. As expected, Kajol bowls you over with her knack of being a natural in front of the camera, especially towards the climax where she is weak and shattered. Talking about Kareena, she looks gorgeous and is both fresh and mature in her portrayal of a mom. She beautifully underplays her character unlike her earlier films where her characters were loud and bright. Arjun Rampal puts up a decent performance and can continue riding high on success. The kids, Aanchal Munjal, Nominath Jinsberg and Diya Sonecha, have done a wonderful job without overdoing the ‘act’, with Aanchal getting the maximum scenes to display her talent.