The first thought that struck me as I walked out of the movie hall after having watched ‘We are family’, was, ‘Who, in the name of everything holy, is Siddharth Malhotra?’ And why did Karan Johar entrust a debutante director, having no commendable previous work to speak of ( I actually did a google search on this guy), with a script that needs unbelievable amounts of maturity to be done justice to?

To even think of comparing this terribly contrived and in- your- face movie with one of the best family dramas of all time, ‘Stepmom’, is blasphemous. I don’t really want to delve into the story, although it has been tweaked a bit, and is not exactly the same as Stepmom. Suffice to say that all the adults in this film are confused at best, and downright unreasonable at worst. The kids are okay, but helpless against a script that makes hardly any sense. Let me illustrate. It’s incredulous how Kareena’s character manages to win the kids’ hearts. One moment they are spewing venom at her, and the next, she becomes their best friend. Just like that! The moment Arjun learns of Kajol’s sickness, he decides, then and there, without even talking to Kareena or sleeping over the matter, that he will cut off all ties with Kareena. Just like that! Wow! I didn’t realize relationships were that simple to build and break! Even those who haven’t seen the original will find this film nonsensical and unreasonably melodramatic.

As far as performances go, my heart goes out to Arjun Rampal- the only actor who manages a subtle, understated performance in an otherwise loud film. Both Kareena and Kajol are terribly talented, no doubt. But it’s hard to explain why, at no point during the movie, does one feel any kind of sympathy towards either of these characters! Maybe because Kareena was hamming quite a bit, and maybe Kajol’s character was too depressing and too pessimistic to relate to. I liked Arjun Rampal though. He is getting better with every film. Plus, he looks amazing in this one.

Ultimately though, I don’t blame the actors. I don’t even blame the changes in the original script. The one and only reason for the disaster this film has turned out to be, is the director. I used to think remakes and movie adaptations aren’t difficult to create. I mean, even if you lose your own sensibilities, you always have the original to fall back on and draw perspective from. Siddharth Malhotra proved me wrong. Even some seasoned directors might find this script challenging. For a debutante to even attempt to handle something like this, he/she must either be insanely talented, or obnoxiously arrogant. Having said that, though, everybody deserves a second chance. Maybe the next time around, if at all there is one, Siddharth Malhotra wouldn’t be so reckless.