Dao Kaew Duen (2013) - Review

"Dao Kaew Duen" aka "the star circles the moon", is a lakorn that took me by surprise because I liked it more than I anticipated. It kind of reminded me of Sood Sanaeha with its urban feel and the lack of forced kissed, screams and too cartoonish antagonists. It is more of a light comedy with a build up in the romance.

What is this about:

Dao (Janie Tienphosuwan) is a photographer that really wants to start a family and have children, but she is very disappointed with her past experiences with her boyfriends. So, she decides that she wants to go through IVF, but she has to find the sperm donor. Jan (Aum Atichart Chumnanon) is a business man that has the reputation of one-date-man, but that is because his mother is always trying to fix him with women that clearly are not his taste. To avoid more such dates, he agrees with Dao to pretend that they are couple.

My review:

I am trying hard to think of any other lakorn that objectifies the man, even as less as here, but I can’t. this is as forward as lakorns can be and only for that I love it. It tackles a controversial topic, at least for the values of said society, of an unmarried mother, with sensitivity, humor and romance. You can't get better than that. 

Dao (Janie Tienphosuwan) is girl crush. She is autonomous, she is confident and loyal to her family and friends. She wants children because she wants to share the love with them and since she has money, she knows she can manage. Her conviction she supports with reason and is brave enough to pursue her dream. Love her. And hooray! A lakorn that admits that the female lead has boyfriends before the male lead! However, I have to say that it is quite apparent that she doesn’t want just a child, she wants the whole package, it’s just that she is tired of waiting for the right guy, since her previous boyfriends were assholes. 

Jan (Aum Atichart Chumnanon) is one of my favourite male leads, not just in lakorns, but in asian dramas in general. Yes, he is arrogant and doesn’t trust easily, but he is never rude or mean. He always keeps his manners and behaves with dignity. When he does a mistake it doesn’t take him long to apologise. Frankly, I don’t really find the actor very handsome, he is not my style, but here he sold his character so well, he gave this aura of gentleman that I fall in love with him alongside with Dao. This character in the wrong hands could have been boring and bland, but Aum’s gestures and way of caring himself brought more dimensions to the script. 

Very keen on dating ...

Love her!

My third favourite person in this lakorn is Jan’s cousin, Ying Nim. She is the ultimate shipper of this couple and we love her for that. She tries to bring them together and ease the misunderstandings between the fake-couple-soon-to-be-real-couple. She has her own storyline with the second lead that tries to win Dao over, but in the meantime fell for her. It was ok, but it took too much time until they both realized their feelings and do something about it. They did sell the cute, though.

The unholy union of ugly hair, makeup and overall style.

There are several antagonists that want to break Dao and Jan apart, for their own reasons. Didn’t care so much about them. Honestly, I have mostly forgotten about them, who they were and what they were doing. Anyway, they weren’t the focus of the story, so they can be skipped easily.

They started not liking each other very much, she wanted a sperm donor, he wanted to avoid his mother's arranged dates

The direction and the writing reminded me of my all time favourite lakorn Sood Sanaeha. The direction had a very urban feel, with many shots inside the city and the colours that were present. The writing was more interested in the characters than the plot, in a good way. Most of the characters acted according to their personalities and didn’t have lobotomies midway. Each one was right from their own point of view. Alas, in the final two episodes we had an abduction storyline that could have been easily omitted. Seems like there are certain things a lakorn cannot be without, otherwise it loses its identity. Another drawback is that this was filmed during the time the channel banned any kiss from its lakorns, so you will find next to zero skinship here. Finally, it was cut short one episode so the last one felt rushed.

Soon they warmed to each other

Why you should watch:

• If you like romcoms
• If you want something stressfree to watch
• If you like winning characters
• Nice direction and soundtrack

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like lakorns
• If you don’t like romcoms
• If you want more romance
• Nothing groundbreaking

Final verdict:

9/10. Definitely in my top five lakorns. It would have been perfect if the last episode was not so rushed.

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Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) - Review

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is one the classic bollywood movies that cemented the pairing of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. It looks older that it is, but it is quite enjoyable and entertaining. Plus, it has many iconic scenes that are reproduced in other movies and watching this adds to the meta factor when seeing other movies.

What is this about:

 Simran Singh (Kajol) is an Indian living in London with her family. She dreams of finding her ideal man, but her father has other plans, since he arranged a marriage with the son of his best friend back in India. As her last chance to living freely without responsibilities, Simran convinces her father to let her in a vacation around Europe. Raj Malhotra (Shah Rukh Khan) also lives in London and is a free spirited young man that decides to go with his friends to a vacation around Europe. In the train the two meet and Raj starts to flirt with Simran, who is annoyed in the beginning.

My review:

This is the movie, at least for me, that established the “boy meets girl in train station” cliché. To its credit, it is done right.  And I think because it is an old movie and it looks old, I am willing to forgive many things that I would hate in a contemporary movie. However, many scenes haven’t aged that well. But, it is charming. 

Simran Singh (Kajol) is a very romantic girl that dreams of the man that will make her heart melt. She is very disappointed that she has to marry a guy she has never met, but she is raised very traditionally and she will not refuse her father. Her last act of rebellion (before meeting Raj) is traveling and seeing the world, so that she can remember these memories later. But Raj changes everything. She dislikes him right away because he is opposite from her. Without her realizing her heart is moved by this person and she has soon fallen in love. Even though she is in love, she is still a traditional girl and holds her values close to her heart, a characteristic that marks her more dynamic and strong. Kajol is great at emoting her emotions, there is not a moment where you wonder what goes through her mind.

Raj Mahlotra (Shah Rukh Khan) is in many ways the opposite of Simran and in other ways he complements her. He was raised very differently, being free spirited and doing whatever he wants. His father is a big softie that cannot say no to his son if it makes him sad. On the other hand, he is very romantic deep down and when his heart is set, then nothing can change it. I could say that he is the classic “bad boy image but great softie inside” type. Shah Rukh Khan combines the romance with the comedy. However, the problem with his acting is that if you like it, you like it, if you don’t like it, you don’t. It took me a few movies to get used to his acting, I am not a fan, but now I can see the talent beneath the usual antics.

With Simran and Raj’s characters we can see the difference in their upbringing. Simran’s father is austere, strict and traditional. He hasn’t moved with the times and he doesn’t into account what his daughter feels. He thinks this is right, so everyone else should too. In the other end of the spectrum, Raj’s father is a cutie. He raised his son on his own, after his wife death. He has instilled his romantic way of thinking to his son and he is ready to help him in everything. 

As many bollywood movies, the movie is separated into two distinct parts by an intermission. The first part is the meeting and falling in love and the second part is the overcoming of difficulties. In both parts there are cringeworthy scenes. A lot. I eyerolled too many times. Nevertheless, I was enjoying myself the whole time.  

The music is so iconic that has been used in other movies too. It also feels old, but it is catchy at the same time. Once you hear it, you cannot forget it.  The direction is nothing too special and the cinematography also. The charm lies more on the funny dialogues and the performances of the actors.

Why you should watch:

• Shah rukh Khan and Kajol pairing
• Funny dialogues
• Lots of romance
• If you already like bollywood movies
• Catchy soundtrack
• Nice performances from most of the cast.

Why not to watch:

• Too over the top
• Looks old
• High cringe factor
• Storyline not special, hundreds of movies with similar story

Final verdict:

8/10. If you are a bollywood virgin, this is not for you. You will never come back and it is a shame. If you already like bollywood movies, it is a nice chance to see how they were back in the mid-90s.

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