*Hum Saath Saath Hain
*ring: Salman Khan, Tabu, Karisma, Saif Ali Khan, Mohnish Bahl, Neelam.
Directed by Sooraj Barjatya
Music: Ram Lakshman

   Both Sooraj Bharjatya's movies Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Maine Pyar Kiya Hain gave us a feeling of well-being and sincerity along with a craving for family ties, friendships and fun times. He taps into the human hearts and makes them wish for a family such as the one he creates.His stories always focus on religious background with a strong, rich patriarchal family exemplifying filial affection, love and friendships. All his movies are based on safe subjects with no controversial material. His films are full of stereotypes  perfect wife, husband, servants (with a mai-baap relationship). And now his new film Hum Saath Saath Hain follows the same story and pattern. Its Ramayan retold in Kalyug. Ramkishan (Alok Nath) is a hardworking, sincere industrialist. He comes up the hard way  with a rags to riches story behind him. His wife Mamta follows his footsteps and is the perfect wife (1st stereotype as a sati savitri). He has three sons (all good looking, well behaved and highly educated with tremendous love for each other.) The eldest, Mohnish Behl is the step son, but, like Lord Rama loves his step mother and his two step brothers. His right hand gets somewhat handicapped while saving one of his brothers at a very young age. Salman and Saif Ali Khan are the other two brothers. They have a sister Neelam, who has a perfect husband and a !kid. Well all's well and nice and 3/4 of the movie runs along with fun, frolic and songs. Mohnish gets married to Tabu who falls in love with him despite his hand. Last few reels runs tightly without a single song. (Amazingly, this movie has only six songs unlike tons and tons in the other two movies.) Alok Nath decides to make Mohnish the managing director of his estate. While Salman and Saif are extremely OK with it, the mother falling into the trap her three friends bad mouthing Mohnish refuses to allow him become the MD. She also gets upset when her daughter Neelam and her husband get kicked out of their own home by her brother-in-law(in the family business.) Neelam and her husband come under the wings of Mohnish who helps them out with a new business. But all this doesn't change the mom and so she asks Alok Nath to separate the brothers and to stop Mohnish's appointment as MD. Mohnish understanding his mother's dilemma leaves the house silently (like Rama) and goes to live in the village where Alok Nath has his old home. Salman (who was in the States during all this drama) comes back and goes straight to his brother Mohnish who convinces him to go back as MD. Salman goes back reluctantly. He refuses to sit in his MD seat (like Bharatha) but carries on the day-to-day duties. After a few touching and tear-breaking emotional scenes, Neelam's brother-in-law realizes his mistake and apologizes to his brother (Neelam's husband). Tabu gives birth to a son and the entire family get back together with Mohnish accepting the MDship (like Rama again). The underlying message being families are too precious to split. And the members have to follow the hierarchy to grow together both emotionally and financially.

    The movie is extremely touching in some parts. The first part seems a little drab and dull with a relentless introduction of character after character who seem to be too loving and too smiling and too sweet. The sugar gets too much to take. The love couples  Mohnish, Tabu, Salman, Saif-Karishma  keep playing hide and seek, touch-run games in a very lovey dovey manner. Mohnish and Tabu look very nice and cute together. The scene where Tabu supports Mohnish's damaged hand with her own during the marriage ceremony is very well depicted. Mohnish, overall acted very well and so did Salman as the shy yet intelligent younger brother. Tabu dominated the rest of the crop in spite of the limitations set by her role. The rest are okay. The less said about Saif the better. Songs are definitely not overwhelming. The only catchy song is the ABCD... sung by Hariharan, Hema sardesi, Shankar Mahadevan and Udit Narayan. Music by Ram-Lakshman is fine.Overall the movie is definitely entertaining but Sooraj Barjatya after 5 years of gap (since HAHK) didn't offer anything earth-shaking. general, is a kind person who helps everybody. So the viewers don't see anything special in this incident. But the heroine does.Overall the movie is disappointing. Brahmanandam, as a blind journalist, Chandra Mohan as the secretary and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam are the only sparks in this otherwise low-voltage movie. Songs are also a relief. They are good and well composed..