User reviews

How they came up with this movie:

Aditya: ...But you know it gotta be new.

Siddharth: Lets see what we can do? How about a new location?

A: Oh yes! In the past movies, We've been to London, new york, LA.. how about Melbourne this time?

S: Fantastic! and we can have a couple of beach songs there, you know thats the latest trend these days.

A: OK Lets talk about the story. I've an idea, lets do a different kind of romantic movie.

S: What different?

A: How about if we make a modern day love story, girl and boy both living outside India. That way we can also capture those NRI sentiments you know?

S: Whoa whoa. But that we have already seen in so many other movies lately. Need to add something more to it.

A: How about if the boy and the girl live together?

S: Live-in relationships? Indian audience will never accept that.

A: Ha! They are going' to jump on it, it will be a fresh story, wholly new idea, you know. Boy and girl stay together, fall in love, have sex, and then the girl becomes pregnant.

S: You are talking about "nine-months"?

A: whatever! how many in India have watched nine months? forget it. people are just going to love the idea.

S: OK so the story is finalized. What about the music?

A: Yeh, we need one or two dance item numbers, one wedding song?

S: why a wedding song?

A: You don't understand! its that superstition thing!

S: OK OK! But how are we going to have dance numbers when the heroine is pregnant?

A: Don't worry! Audience won't care. They come only to see the dance and songs. Nobody gives a damn even if she dances while giving birth to her baby.

A: I've got this gut feeling, in last movie remember, people loved the comedy. We have to have that in this movie too.

S: But its a serious movie. How can it have comedy?

A: Then arrange some part time TV actor. You know those anchors, they can speak so much on the spot you don't even need to worry about writing dialogs for them.

S: Thats fine. How about the cast?

A: Lets see, Preity is hot these day. See if we get dates from Preity, else go for Rani. Male actor, I don't think Shahrukh is that good after Swades. and Aamir, just don't approach him, he'll demand the god-damn script first.

S: Then how about Saif.

A: He'll do. Anything else?

S: We'll see that on the sets. Lets start working on it.

I have just returned from India, on holiday, and discovered that this is a film that just about everybody over there has seen. In fact many people talked about the film because I was from Australia. Because of this I went to see the film with some Indian friends and enjoyed it. It is not the greatest film I have ever seen, but it doesn't pretend to be . It is a fun light comedic Hindi film with a study of "modern" lifestyle. I am looking forward to the Australian release with English subtitles, so I can pick up some things I missed due to my lack of knowledge of Hindi.I am also anticipating finding Ben and Jerry's dark Belgian chocolate ice cream somewhere here. One thing I should advise Indian guys if they come to Australia. You may be surprised to find that most Australian girls are not so fast, and that prostitutes are not found at suburban bus stops.

This Hindi film is said to be a remake of 'Nine Months' and to be derivative of certain Hindi films, but not having seen any of them I am not entitled to comment on that. (I felt an undertone of 'Sleepless in Seattle', not a bad choice to emulate). In 'Salaam Namaste' practically everyone is young and successful and gorgeous, so it is admittedly an escapist fantasy. One could criticize that but on the other hand it's a hard film to dislike. The stars are wonderful together, and Melbourne, Australia, is a major character the way New York often is. Living in Melbourne, the main characters deal with certain issues that they might not face -or would deal with differently- had they stayed in India. Likewise, traditional Indian viewers might find some elements a bit shocking but I don't think the filmmakers set out to put off anyone. Yes, it's manipulative and predictable, but it's a 'feel-good' movie that works. If you can handle a little sugar, I recommend it.

This movie i found more enjoyable than Devdas new and old because Devdas i found had a very slow moving plot line and the songs didn't really capture me.

I thought this was one of the best movies i had seen in a long time. I really enjoyed the songs and the storyline.

The acting in the movie was great.

The songs were very well written and were excellent at getting you involved in the movie. A movie without songs is not the same

This is definitely worth watching.

Nick

Salaam Namaste started off really well. Although the concept of the movie was nothing new (Remember, Chalte Chalte and few others that deal with people in relationships..), I liked seeing Melbourne on the big screen. It makes me want to visit that place. There were certain scenes I thought were really rude and against our Indian culture. The scenes between Javed Jaffrey and his girlfriend. After a while it also got pretty irritating to hear words like "Exactly" and "Sorry" over and over again. The worst part of the movie was the ending. Abhishek Bacchan seemed totally unnecessary in the movie. I wonder what made him chose this role! The ending could have been a little more graceful and all the chaos in the hospital was totally unwanted and rather unpleasing to watch. Saif, Arshad and Tania go a good job. Preity is also good but at times she does get pretty loud in the movie. I would give this movie a 5 out of 10... for acting credentials (except Abhishek) and Melbourne.

Salaam Namaste is one of the lightest and boldest Hindi entertainers in recent years. It is on par with any well-made Hollywood rom-com. The film addresses two very controversial issues in India: live-in relationships and premarital pregnancy, yet does not try to emphasise them or take them too seriously. It is brilliantly shot, with great production values, great cinematography, light and beautiful songs, and well-cast actors. The film is entirely shot in Australia, and the various locations of Melbourne, the sets and the beautiful landscapes are breathtaking and extremely pleasing to the eye. While it is a modern comedy, it never forgets that it is actually a Hindi film, and in the second half becomes loyal to its Bollywood standards. By the same token, while it turns into a dramatic feature, it never forgets to remain modern. The emotions of the film are reserved and not overly cheap. They are natural and consistently flavoured with great comedy.

Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta are irreplaceable in their parts, and their chemistry is fantastic. They are sensitive, cool and modern actors who understand this foreign lifestyle and act accordingly. Khan's character is quite unsympathetic, as he is portrayed as someone who fears commitment and does not want to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, the transformation his character goes through over the course of the story is very well done. Zinta is quite the owner of the show though. Oozing charisma and sex-appeal, she is utterly charming and attractive as the strong-minded, moody and lively Ambar. Her vivacity in the first half and then pain and hilarious hysterics in the second are excellently done. But what's more, she actually captures the real person beneath the strong and sometimes comic surface - Ambar's struggle and optimism amidst loneliness throughout the pregnancy are convincing, touching and inspiring.

There are many memorable scenes in Salaam Namaste. First, the kissing and love scenes between the leading actors are surprising and must be noted. I really liked the "My Dil Goes Hmmm..." song. The scenes when Nick and Ambar fight intensively are funny and well-acted. The scene when they meet at their friends' house and the subsequent "Tu Jahaan" song are moving. The entire birth scene is exciting and funny. But my favourite scene is the "Ben and Jerry's Dark Belgian Chocolate ice cream" one. This is one of the greatest acts of the film, spontaneous and wholly entertaining. I recommend Salaam Namaste to everyone. It's not an extraordinary film, but it's a spectacular and visually stunning romantic comedy for the entire family.

Salaam Namaste Starring : Saif Ali Khan, Priety Zinta and Arshad Warsi. It has taken nearly nine years for an Indian Director to be "inspired" by Nine Months. What we get then is a Siddharth Anand meets Chris Columbus in a Yash Raj package. So you could meet Hugh Grant (Khan-competent),Julianne Moore (Zinta-dependable), Tom Arnold (Warsi-getting better) and Joan Cusak (Tania Zaetta- getting worse) and Robin Williams (Abhishek Bachchan in one of his most hammiest cameo) or go to Blockbuster and pick up the original instead. Too much hype little spike. I will be posting a more a detailed review on dus-ka-bees.blogspot.com

I'm someone who likes to go into a movie knowing very little about the plot, so when I heard that "Salaam Namaste" was a remake of the American film "nine months" i was not phased in the least bit, especially since i had not yet seen that movie. Yes the movie addresses an off beat issue, but bollywood's attempt to address such an issue should be applauded. It has its shortcomings, just like any bollywood movie does. Preity and Saif have good on screen chemistry. The beginning of the film was a bit slow and trite, in terms of the humor employed, but it was still bearable. The development of the plot and the climax was well handled. The soundtrack had one or two memorable songs, but otherwise it was mostly forgettable. All in all, I feel that "salaam namaste" is a movie worth watching.

Another film from the ever reliable Yash Raj camp, having earlier this year come out with the superb Bunty aur Babli which was met with lukewarm response from the masses due to its breaking the mould story line, Salaam Namaste tries to follow the same path but essentially is the age old story of two people who fall in love and the subsequent trials & tribulations of a relationship. We've seen this done to a plum in Chalte Chalte, DDLJ.

The film stars Saif & Preity Zinta if you already didn't know, but there is also a superb supporting cast namely in the great Arshad Warsi as the comedy relief, Saif's best mate, Ron. Saif plays a Chef, named Nick (Nikhil Arora really) and Preity is a local Radio DJ named Amber, they both have fled their homeland to settle down and live their lives independently of their families in Melbourne, Australia. This is one of my main gripes with the movie, as it tries so much to point out the positives of Australia and the multicultural aspect in infused with the desi populace highlighted throughout the city, but the beauty of Bollywood has always been that patriotic and proud notion of the actors being Indian and wearing their Indian hearts on their sleeves. Here the two main film leads seem to be running away from their heritage and this is made worse with the introduction of a overly stereotyped Indian who is trying to be an Indian crocodile dundee and states he "hates Indians".

But anyway you all didn't come to see Border, or LOC - Kargill, this isn't Indian Independence day or anything, but Kal Ho Na Ho managed to set an entire story outside of India (New York) yet still didn't slate the main leads Indian heritage.... So back to the story, both Nick & Amber over the time of the movie fall in love and decide to move in together rather then marry etc. They decide they'll take each day as it comes and just enjoy each other. This is the movies mains strengths it highlights the high's & low's of a relationship in an Indian context and covers topics usually to taboo in bollywood, such as sharing beds, contraceptives and abortions with a token hooker thrown in for the laughs !! The movie is a mixed comedy, serious drama and unlike Hum Tum steers more towards the seriousness of the couples problems, but like all true bollywood flicks, the ending will leave the audience satisfied and with a huge smile on their faces, I certainly did. Both actors do really well, Saif as usual playing the comedic role to a tee, and when called upon does the serious bit good too, I especially like his on screen friendship with Arshad Warsi great to watch. I never rated Preity Zinta as highly as the accolades she gets and again she hasn't done anything to prove me wrong, don't get me wrong, she plays her role well (young independent women) but again it could have been done better and she has a tendency to over-act especially in the emotional tear jerker scenes. Look out for a great Bollywood cameo at the end.

Overall like Hum Tum but with Zinta replacing the great Rani, and set in Australia, the trials and tribulations of a young couple who fall in love but find it hard to stay in love - worth a watch for sure

Salaam namaste was really a nice attempt but had a lot of loopholes and scenes without proper ending. I don't know if many of u have observed it or not but i think salaam namaste is not just an indianised version of Nine months but it also reminds me of FRIENDS(DRAMA) 8th season where Rachel gets pregnant. i think siddharth the director is very fond of friends that many scenes do have a resemblance to the scenes in the 8th season like in the climax there is only semi private rooms available and few scenes which lead to that , saif plays with the equipment for the pregnants, gets hit in the head and tells how painful it is to Priety who is in labor. of course he has changed a lot like saif character is not that of Ross but a mixture of Joey and Monica. but still it is a nice attempt.

Acting wise saif is just cool, priety goes overboard all the time but nonetheless a nice attempt. Arshad warsi does a gud job.. and Javed Jafri is unbelievable in his grt cameo, Abhishek's cameo is also gud but not even close to Javed.

the music was not that gud, camera-work was grt, screenplay and editing could have been crisper in the second half. direction was gud. on the whole the movie is worth watching for the lead pairs chemistry.

Though a well made movie...with well known & established actors (Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi...etc)...good direction... The story of unmarried couples living together is unusual in Hindi cinema, but unfortunately nothing is original about it.

This is another Bollywood re-make of a Hollywood movie, and this time it is "Nine Months", a movie which was released (10) years ago in 1995 with Hugh Grant & Julianne Moore.

The million dollar question is: why is Bollywood still remaking Hollywood movies which were released over 10 years ago with big budgets, big star-cast...etc? There seems to be a shortfall of creativity amongst directors & story writer in Bollywood. The next question is: why do big stars accept such movies? is it money? easier roles (being copycats)? This is unforgivable I must say to take people for a ride.

A good advice for Bollywood's filmmakers...try something original at least.

It's so darn annoying to go into a theater and watch a movie that's got the worst comedy I've ever come across in recent times. Everything and everybody looks great. Everyone except for 'Debonair' of course. When are Hindi movie makers going to realise that every south Indian isn't a 'Madrasi', and to quit painting their white faces black to look authentic. His accent was that of a Tamilian( a very fake one at that! I do believe any south Indian could pronounce the name Ambar without adding the H to it!), even though he's a Malayali. I wonder why they don't cast a real south Indian for the role, instead of a ham.

Talking about hams. Abhishek Bacchan's role was a real big one. Robin Williams, in the original (Nine Months), was simply awesome. I'm just so tired of watching movies that are outright copies of funnier and better taken movies. Hugh Grant may not have been as buff or as hot as Saif when Nine Months was taken, but his character is so much more endearing, more believable. And good lord!! he's most definitely a better actor. The worst of all was Javed Jaffry's role. It was like the absolute worst. He didn't sound at all convincing and was increbibly annoying.

Preity Zinta needs to move on from this kind of crappy candy floss movie. She looks like she's stuck in a rut. It was really ( and I MEAN it) hard to watch the 'what's going on?' song. REALLY REALLY HARD.

There are scenes in this movie that are a direct lift out of 'Friends'. Being a literal 'fan'atic of Friends. it makes me so mad to see the plagiarism and no credit at all given to the original. In the words of 'Nick'....this movie is nothing but 'CRAP'. I want my money back!!! I'm not going to watch another Hindi movie until they come up with SOMETHING original. Dude! Gimme a 'Madrasi' film anyday. At least they're original!

I was so surprised by this movie! The only reason why I watched it was because my french teacher was making me watch it. I agreed after a while but I wasn't looking forward to it. I was so surprised at how good this movie was! I didn't want it to finish! It tells the story of a girl and a guy who, when they first talk don't like each other at all, but with time they fall in love and move in together. It is set in Australia and the characters are Indian. The movie, not only has a great story line, but it also shows us a lot about the Indian culture. It has a few songs in it, which are always fun. The movie has it all - i know that's cheesy - but it does! It is a great movie to have fun but it also has some really sad parts when you'll want to grab the tissues. It is amazing how many great movies there are out there but we don't realize it just because they aren't Hollywood. This kind of movie is great to have fun, and it also teaches us a lot about another country's culture. I recommend everyone to watch it, nobody will regret it... the acting is also pretty good, it is harder to tell when you don't understand the language, but it seemed decent. There are very funny lines, and of course the occasional sad part. A great movie that everyone should be able to enjoy!

A new kid on the block (siddharth raj anand) with yashraj films backing the venture would raise the bar of expectation, does it live up to the hype created by the publicity? the answer is 'YES' and how!!! the movie starts off on the typical yashraj films candy-floss entertainment path, but after the initial sequences it ventures into the unchartered territory of Indian film making - live-in relationships.

But the major rejoicing factor is the way the director has handled the movie with utmost care and has nurtured it with the ease of a professional who knows his trade oh-so well. The clever mix of emotion (not over the top) and humor is the piece da resistance. But the real hero is definitely Saif Ali Khan ably assisted by Preity Zinta who carries the film virtually on his shoulders,with relative ease that too. One also cannot forget Arshad Warsi who is first rate and a funny cameo by Abhishek Bachchan and please note, John Abraham is not there in the movie. Come,fall in love all over again!!!

Well, comparing this movie with romantic comedy like Hum Tum or some other will not be justified This is a very different movie with a very bold story...may be Indian audience is not ready for this. This movie is made with extraordinary outfits which are really imaginary...characters are imaginary too i mean the whole movie was full of CRAP (said 50 times by Saif) ...cmmon Indian film makers...just because Hum Tum was a HIT does not mean you can make us fool.

Yes there were positives and Negatives in the movie as they are in all movies...but it went really boring at times...

could have been better

It is Nine Months (English Movie) meets friends.

It is a nice time pass romantic comedy. Saif looks great with a good body and is back with a vengeance, after a new found confidence with Dil Chatha hai and Hum Tum.Pretty has lost weight and looks lavishing. Is her usual bubbly self on screen. Some of the dialogues are really hilarious. Good songs and locales. They have given a shot a looking at live in relationships. Typical story line of any romantic comedy don't get long first, then they do, they have a fight and get together at the end. Arshad is good ,has done a excellent job with his character ,again he too has come long way after his initial start and discovering his comic elements after Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.