This was was VVC's next film after 1942 A Love Story. The film starred Bobby Deol and Neha. The film is supposedly based on Vidhu Vinod Chopra's own youth love story. The first half is more on the romance which does get stretched, however Bobby's scenes with Neha are cute,the pace is slow but yet the love story is well handled, the second half gets dramatic, there is a comic relief in the name of Johny Lever but the entire lottery part seems like a compromise, for Bobby who has vowed not to lie to actually support the lottery taken by bribe is hard to digest but yet the end is goodDirection is good but the writing could be better Music by Anu Malik is good, Chori Chori, Churalo Na Dil are all good songsBobby Deol is sincere, he shows vast improvement from GUPT and does his part of a lovesick lost puppy well, the second half gets him more scope to act and he does a good job. Neha(Shabana-actual name) is cute and does her part well The film also has Abhay Chopra son of VVC making his debut and he is okay Saurabh Shukla is superb as always, Moushumi chaterjee does a good job Shammi Kapoor, Sushma Seth are okay in small roles rest are okay

Yes, this movie is romantic, Yes the story starts by boy and girl falling in love, Yes it happens in all romantic stories. But where this movie stands apart is the treatment and picturisation of of story that is so touching and mesmerizing that you immediately connect to the small town guy, that is Birju. Songs are simply fabulous and remain in my play-list till this day. the innocent and heartfelt portrayal of characters brings the story alive and melodious music keeps enchanting you long after you finish watching it. If you like Hindi melodrama set in a gorgeous Himalayan town and love good melodious music, you will not be disappointed.

Some well known philosopher has said the most difficult thing in this world is to keep things simple and yet effective. And this is what Kareeb nearly achieves excepts for some blips towards the end. Still at heart Kareeb is carrying a very simple tale of love which is held under siege not by some ugly and frightening villain but by situation aroused out of lies. Kareeb is not DDLJ and neither it wants to be ... because its beauty lies in the simplicity of the story-telling and the pureness of its characters which one can see through Neha's eyes. Birju played by Bobby may be a liar but at heart he is a nice man who wants his love at any cost even if he has to tell lies or steal money. Kareeb's first half is marvelous to say the least in fact I can go forward and say it has some of the most beautiful romantic screen moments; rarely seen now days. But where Kareeb loses a point or few is towards end , the whole Shammi Kapoor episode leaves a bad taste in mouth specially when the story was at peak of its emotional moments. Neha fits into the character exceedingly well. Her no make-up look , her innocent voice only adds to the character. Bobby is good too but I wont say he was the best suited for this role. Johny Lever was a bit repetitive and Shauabh Shukla does add to the humor in the story with his acting skills. But what must be truly appreciated is the cinematography and music of the movie. If the romance comes out so beautifully in this movie all the credit must go to the above two departments. Specially the scene at lake with all those burning lamps is one of the finest shots ever taken in a Hindi cinema. All the songs in spite of being very situational are pleasant to ears. Vidhu Vinod Chopra has again churned out a gem ... a gem that would take its time to be recognized but I am sure it will go down into the annals of movie History as one of the cutest romantic film made. I will go for 10/10 for this gem.

Kareeb is directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He is a well known South Indian director. His another high budget movie is MISSION KASHMIR. Kareeb is a very well directed movie. Although it failed on box office yet those who have seen it must appreciate its cinematography, direction, music and choreography. The acting of Bobby and Neha was not too bad.It was Bobby's second try in love-stories and he failed. His first one was Barsaat. Anu Malik has done a superb job in giving some beautiful love songs like "Chori Chori Jab Nazrein", "Haan Judaai Se" and "Chura Lo Na Dil". The main flaws of the movie are its slow pace in the second half and unnatural theme. But overall, this was my type of movie.