Tell Me o Kkhuda Movie Review - Komal Nahta

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Esha Deol goes on a search for her biological parents when she learns that she has been adopted by the parents she is living with. More in the review of Tell Me O Kkhuda.

Business rating: 0.5 / 5 star

Star cast: Esha Deol, Arjan Bajwa, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Farooque Shaikh, Dipti Naval, Johny Lever.

What’s Good: Performance of Esha Deol; a couple of emotional scenes.

What’s Bad: The uninteresting screenplay; the action sequences which look out of place.

Verdict: Tell Me O Kkhuda is a flop fare.

Loo break: Not really.

Watch or Not?: Watch it if you like family dramas.

Miraj Group and H.M. Creations’ Tell Me O Kkhuda is the story of a girl’s search for her parents. Tanya Kapoor (Esha Deol) lives with her parents (Farooque Shaikh and Dipti Naval). She has a boyfriend, Jai (Arjan Bajwa). One day, Tanya is shocked to chance upon some papers which show that she is not the biological daughter of her parents but is rather adopted by them. She is sad but decides to locate her parents. A visit to the municipal office reveals that a fire had broken out in the hospital when and in which she was delivered 24 years ago and that had caused deaths and separation. The municipal officer hazards a guess that she could, perhaps, be the daughter of one Abhay Pratap Rana (Vinod Khanna) of Rajasthan. Seeking her foster parents’ permission, Tanya sets out for Rajasthan in search of the man who could possibly be her father. Accompanying her are Jai and his friend, Kuki (Chandan Roy Sanyal). Much to her sorrow, Abhay Pratap Rana is at first reluctant to accept Tanya as his daughter as he is under the impression that his wife, since dead, had given birth to a baby boy. Tanya probes further and is convinced that a baby girl had been born to Rana, a fact that was hidden from him due to prejudices against the girl child in Rajasthan. Finally, Tanya is able to convince Rana about the birth of a baby girl to him 24 years ago. But just as Rana is about to accept her as his daughter, his servant confesses that it wasn’t Tanya who had been born to his wife but another girl who had been raised in the palace premises but not as his daughter. Disheartened at her misfortune but happy that she had got the girl child her due place in society, Tanya leaves from Rajasthan.

Another visit to the municipal office and Tanya, Jai and Kuki are now ready to go to Turkey to meet Altaf Zardari (Rishi Kapoor), her probable father. Once in Turkey, Tanya is shocked to see that Altaf’s wife (Meltem Cumbul) has been in a depressed state of mind for the last 24 years ever since she had been a victim of the hospital fire. Tanya, slowly but surely, gets Altaf’s wife out of her depression, all along being led (by Altaf) to believe that she was their long-lost daughter. But when it’s time for her to announce to her ‘new mother’ that she was her daughter, Altaf tells her that their child had been killed in the fire. Again heart-broken at not being able to locate her parents but happy to have brought a woman out of her depression of 24 years, Tanya leaves.

Her third destination is Goa, to meet Tony Gonsalves (Dharmendra). Is he her biological father? Who is her mother and where is she? Does Tanya unite with her biological parents?

Tell Me O Kkhuda Review – Script Analysis

The story and screenplay, both penned by Mayur Puri, Ulka Puri and Anand Vardhan Sharma, are good but move on the same pattern in each episode. All the three fathers for different reasons, at first, refuse to even acknowledge that Tanya can be the daughter they got separated from 24 years ago. While Altaf Zardari’s refusal seems justified, Rana and Tony’s denial looks far-fetched and forced. Also, her search for her parents is rarely able to evoke the emotions such a drama should, for two reasons – it follows the same path always, and the yearning to be united with her parents does not come through. Also, the reality about Tanya’s parents leaves a somewhat bad taste in the mouth due to moral reasons.

The action sequences in Tony Gonsalves’ episode looks like a complete mismatch in the family drama and seem to have been added only to justify action hero Dharmendra’s presence in the film. It would not be wrong to say that the action climax sticks out like a sore thumb in the drama.

Although the film is about a young girl in search of her parents and who is accompanied by her boyfriend, romance is as good as missing from the film. Comedy is also feeble. Emotions touch the heart only in one scene (when Tanya smudges the icing on the cake to erase the word ‘mom’ in the Zardari episode). Even the drama does not ring very true because of the poor script. Dialogues, penned by the same trio, are good.

Tell Me O Kkhuda Review – Star Performances

Esha Deol gets into the skin of the character and does a fine job of a girl in search of her parents. Arjan Bajwa has nothing worthwhile to do. Vinod Khanna is fair. Rishi Kapoor is very good. Dharmendra acts reasonably well. Hema Malini leaves a mark in a small role. Farooque Shaikh and Dipti Naval should’ve been given more significant roles. They are okay. Meltem Cumbul, as Mrs. Zardari, acts with understanding. Chandan Roy Sanyal is wasted. Sudhanshu Pandey is alright. Johny Lever evokes laughter but just about. Madhoo and Gurbachan lend ordinary support. Richa Pallod is average. Salman Khan adds star value but only in a song in the end titles.

Tell Me O Kkhuda Review – Direction & Music

Hema Malini’s direction is fairly nice but she has not been able to make the drama a tear-jerker. Pritam Chakraborty’s music is alright but needed to be far better. Someone somebody is a good song and Mera mann is fair. Other songs are hardly popular. Camerawork (Hayk Kirakosyan, Soyukut Turan, Grant Appleton, Tribhovan Babu and Aseem Bajaj) is of a good standard. The Turkey locations are eye-catching. Sets (Rajat Poddar) are good. Rameshwar Shivaji Bhagat’s editing is okay. Production values are nice.

Tell Me O Kkhuda Review – Komal Nahta’s Verdict

On the whole, Tell Me O Kkhuda does not have the merits to make any mark at the box-office.