By: Somesh Vasishth

Before passing any verdict on Karan Johar's magnum opus, 'Kal Ho Na Ho', I have a message for Mr Feroze Khan.

Sorry Mr. Khan, there aint going to be a new lease of life for Fardeen's career because you really chose a wrong time for the release of 'Janasheen'. The junior still needs to do a lot of homework before he takes on rest of the Khans on his own.

Now getting back to the business. Grab some popcorn to munch in the first half and a box of tissues for the second, as you enter the theatre.

Set in the backdrop of New York neighbourhood, 'Kal Ho Na Ho' is a story of Naina Catherine Kapur (Priety Zinta), who shoulders the responsibility her mother Jennifer Kapur (Jaya Bachchan), her granny Sushma Seth and the chaos they create together.

There isn't anything cool about Naina, apart from her good looks and her Gujarati friend Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan), who considers himself as the next Don Juan.

Enter vivacious Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan), the man who loves life to the core. Naina hates him at first sight, but it's not easy to resist his charm either. He nags her till she learns to smile. Be it Rohit or Naina, everyone is smitten.

It's all fun and games till the interval and I hope you're done with your popcorn too because it's time to grab the tissue box. It's time, when you find out that everything is not hunky-dory with Aman.

The climax is a revelation. Full marks to the director Nikhil Advani, who manages to pull the show through, in spite of Karan's shadow looming large over it. For a rookie, it's a superb effort.

The critics will once again eat crow, who think Shah Rukh is no longer suited to be called a King. Saif is mint fresh as Rohit and so is Preity. I don't remember when she looked so gorgeous before.

Jaya Bachchan and Sushma Seth are first rate. Sulbha Arya deserves a special mention for her portryal of Kantaben. Sonali Bendre, Kajol, Rani Mukerji and Uday Chopra, in their special appearances, add glitter to the film.

Everything about the movie, from cinematography (Anil Mehta) to music (Shankar-Ehsan-Loy), ably supports Karan Johar's screenplay.

Now the verdict, weighing heavily on it's emotional quotient, Kal Ho Na Ho promises you a heart wrenching love tale. Go on, have a feast!