PodBill Just what I expected

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

indianature Khoya Khoya Chand did not get great reviews and I do wonder sometimes whether professional critics are always fair.Anyway, I saw the film just now on TV and I loved it. The dark plot with several shades of interesting grey was most engrossing, keeping me glued to the screen, commercial breaks notwithstanding.The star cast was superb and they all did justice to their roles. Shiny was brilliant as Zafar. I feel sorry for Shiny Ahuja who's film career is over due to much publicised reasons not necessary to go in to here.Soha was a young Sharmila Tagore reinvented, she really is a carbon copy of her mother! Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapur and all the rest were very very good. The costumes and period settings were wonderful as was the cinematography. I really liked this movie.There is no need for me to repeat the story here, suffice it to say that this is a most enjoyable movie and well worth a watch for those who have not already seen it. Khoya Khoya Chand surely deserved a better innings at the 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.