Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)

An Indian version of E.T.(1982) would be particularly outstandingHrithik Roshan plays an abnormal youngster who meets the alien The alien revives his mind and enhances it making him not wear glasses, jump higher than Spiderman, extra-intelligent and a superb basketball playerThis film does impress and was India's first go at the science fiction genre There are also six kids who act as Roshan's friend Roshan's father plays a cameo in this film Only Rekha could have done Roshan's role with such sympathyHrithik Roshan, Rekha and Preity Zinta leave their mark with this film Rajat Bedi is impressing as an annoyed young man who is jealous of very attraction to Zinta Prem Chopra is convincing Mukesh Rishi has done a good job Johny Lever is funny

One of the overriding messages i took from Koi Mil Gaya was the blatant advertising of products (i.e. Honda - basketball scene with the tournament the players were taking part in being called the Hero Cup which might as well have been called the Honda Cup with the Pandavas being clothed in shirts bearing the Honda insignia. Also i lost count at the number of times i saw a Coke being consumed with the can being on display. This in a way infuriated me and spoiled part of the film where i felt market forces had directed what was in short advertising space within the film which i didn't already get in the commercial breaks (I watched it on Channel 4). So all in all i largely ignored those scenes as being part of the film which i did enjoy probably as i hadn't watched ET/Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind in a long while so had forgotten the story lines of both so wasn't incessantly comparing them to Koi Mil Gaya. The movie may rip off both movies but we must remember that the film in being made for a largely Indian audience who may not have watched any of the aforementioned movies. So it is a decent take on two of Hollywood's finest movies mixed with a healthy Indian dose of melodrama and musical numbers. Also found Preity Zinta's cheering during the basketball scene very irritating.

It isn't really fair to compare this movie to ET, since it a Bollywood-style film with singing and dancing, some romance and life lessons, but I personally enjoyed it more. The song "Ithur Chala" is still stuck in my head, and i cannot get over Hrithik Roshan's incredible performance as a mentally challenged young adult. his mannerisms and voice are so convincing, I found this movie more emotionally moving than Kal Ho Naa Ho. This movie deserves all of the awards it won and more! Also, it should not be viewed as "Bollywood's attempt at science fiction." It is not about discovering extra terrestrial life and the consequences, it is about the power of friendship. The alien is merely a representation of a friend who helps Rohit and receives help in return. Generally Bollywood's attempts to "modernize" are unsuccessful. For example, the new movie Kuhbie Alvida Na Kehena was melodramatic portrayal of relationships that served as an opportunity for each of the actors (especailly Sharuk) to cry, look tortured and feel sorry for themselves. This Hollywood-esquire film still captures the innocence traditional of Bollywood while adding in new elements that have not been seen before. Highly recommend for ALL ages!

Okay so Koi Mil Gaya came out during a time when Hrithik Roshan's career was in a nosedive. After its success, everyone talked about how Rakesh Roshan saved Hrithik's career.Then I watched this movie and all I have to say is that Roshan Sr. should be the one thanking Hrithik. I will, however, give Rakesh Roshan credit for bringing a novel idea to Indian audiences. Science fiction stories are not common in Bollywood, and the director has helped in moving the film industry in a new direction.Apart from this, the only other asset of Koi Mil Gaya is Hrithik Roshan. He brilliantly plays the part of a mentally disabled man who is a child on the inside. He is able to add layers to the character despite gross oversimplification by the writers. However, as Rohit is slowly cured by Jadoo, Hrithik's performance slides into mediocrity alongside the rest of the movie, mainly because the character ceases to be interesting.Apart from this the movie has nothing else to offer. The rest of the cast overacts and the story itself is boring and predictable. Its sad when a director can't make a movie about an alien, interesting.Rakesh Roshan has always been a below average director. Adding a science fiction angle with new special effects (for India) will not make him better. A talented son doesn't make the dad a better director either. We all know that Hrithik is a star but he also has a lot of potential to be an 'actor'. I hope he begins picking better projects both inside and outside his own production house.