I Have Found It

This Tamil-language "Kollywood" film provided an interesting contrast to the Bollywood films I have recently seen. There are differences between the two Indian cinema styles, although both present their stories in similar ways. Not only the language, but the gestures and facial expressions differ between this Tamil film and its Hindi cinematic cousins. Kandukondain Kandukondain (I Have Found It) didn't seem as flashy or energetic, and the music and dancing also seem to reflect a more subdued different style. As I was watching the film, I thought to myself that this was a four-star film, but once it ended and I began reflecting upon what I had just seen, I realized that I was more impressed than I thought. Inspired by Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, I Have Found It does deliver great drama and romance, wonderfully rich characters, and - of course - great entertainment of both mind and soul.This is basically the story of two sisters - one serious and pragmatic, the other wide-eyed and idealistic. Products of a good family, they enjoy an easy lifestyle, but all of that is put in jeopardy by the death of the girls' grandfather. Forced to leave their own home, they move to Madras and struggle to get by on almost nothing. The older daughter, Sowmya (Tabu), has trouble finding work because she is overqualified, and she is also burdened with the social stigma of being jinxed after the death of her fiancé and a string of reluctant suitors. She meets a young filmmaker in the most embarrassing of circumstances, but their possible marriage has to be delayed until such time as he makes his first film - and time and distance pose new problems that have Sowmya coming to believe that she truly is cursed in love. Meenakshi (Rai) is a hopeless romantic who fully expects the man born for her to ride in on a white horse and sweep her off her feet. She thinks she has found him in a flashy, brash stockbroker who can quote Bharathi, but he is besieged by severe financial problems and basically leaves her hanging for months on end. This is all rather disheartening to Major Bala, a family friend, who has fallen in love with her. Bala isn't a natural match for Meena; he's older, he lost a leg in the Sri Lankan campaign, and he has a tendency to turn all conversations to guns and fighting. No matter what his head tells him, though, he can't change his heart.The film runs about two and a half hours, which is almost short for Indian cinema, but it tells a beautiful, multi-layered story full of great drama. You don't witness the kind of passionate romance that Hindi films tend to portray, but there's a realism to this story that makes it special. Mahmooty is wonderful as Bala, a bitter man who really turns his life around because of Meena. Tabu's emotional performance as the unlucky Sowmya who almost gives up on love in the interest of practicality is also marvelous. Aishwarya Rai is, of course, absolutely wonderful as Meena, although I must admit I wasn't completely enamored with her character early on. Sowyma and Neena represent sense and sensibility in their individual characters, but it is a combination of both characteristics that will finally lead them to the romance each one dreams of.The film's music, composed by the brilliant A.R. Rahman, is excellent, although I much prefer the music of your typical Bollywood film. This music is just slightly different from what I'm used to - less energetic and heart-pounding. The music, like the film itself, just seems less energetic than what would find in a Bollywood offering. This isn't a bad thing, it's just different. As for the subtitles, I had no problem with them whatsoever. If there was any lag in my Kino DVD of this film, I surely didn't detect it. The bottom line is this: Kandukondain Kandukondain is a feast for the senses and an impassioned human drama. You just can't find storytelling like this in the canned movies coming out of Hollywood.

I am more than a little amazed at the brazen ethnocentrism of too many of the above reviewers. What is your definition of "Bollywood?" Any movie us Brown Folks star in? The first reviewer made an important distinction, this is mainly a Tamil film, a contrast to the usual Bollywood fare. Analogously, you wouldn't want to confuse the very different and sometimes very high quality "indy" cinema coming out of all kinds of places in North America that are not the Hollywood mainstream; just because the film has a lot of white people in doesn't make it a Hollywood blockbuster. I'd really hoped that the increasingly heterogenous and diverse USA had gotten past the we "all look alike" stage, but maybe we've got a little ways to go....I suppose part of the blame goes to Kino for putting "Bollywood" on the packaging, but even the casual viewer should be able to tell some distinct cultural differences in language, other aspects of culture, and even the casting choices.

I'm a Jane Austen fan, own all the English language videos of her books, and will add this one to the collection. I loved this movie; it is the Indian take on Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Updated to this century's time and place, the story maintained the same thesis, character personalities, and end result as the Austen original, while changing the action enough to lend a distinctly Indian air to the film. In addition, I am a sucker for lots of singing and dancing, although I cannot figure out how they manage to dance so actively and still keep their saris in place. The sisters (played by Tabu and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) were excellent, as was Mammootty, Meenu's older eventual love interest. Otherwise, the actors were OK, but nothing to rave about. The photography is lovely throughout; the monsoon scene with shot of Meenu falling into the manhole is absolutely astounding. Don't miss this movie: romance, color, good costuming, lots of singing and dancing, all make for a great viewing experience that you will want to own.

I love, love, love this movie. It was my first Tamil film, and is by far still my favorite. The music is awesome by A. R. Rahman, I'm wanting to buy the soundtrack, but can't seem to find it *hint to Amazon*. Even my kids love this movie, age 7 and 5. I lent this movie to a friend two weeks ago, who has yet to return it. It's just a fun wholesome movie for the family. The actors are brilliant, the costumes are brilliant, I can't say a bad thing about this movie. I've seen two different subtitle versions of this movie, and by far Kino has the best subtitles, the other one I saw was really furstrating. So, be careful about which subtitles you get, it really does make a difference.

Not being a true Bollywood fan, I deeply regret having bought "I have found it." It may be for some, but the whole genre and presentation of the movie were appalling. I was simply unable to watch through the entire movie. The story line, supposedly based on one of Jane Austen's novels, had much potential. That was my reason for buying the DVD. Unfortunately, the director of this movie simply butchered it. There's no question it was one of my worst movie-vewing experiences.

This treatment of Jane Austin's Sense & Sensibility was very well done. My only critique is some of the characters were not well defined when introduced and it takes a while to figure out how they fit the plot. The music is underplayed and the story takes the main stage unlike most Bollywood productions. The slightly out of sync couples and the turns of events keep you wondering to the last how it could ever work out to a happy ending. As the title states they find it in the end. Will watch this movie again and again and enjoy it equally each time.