Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na

Its been a long time since we've had a good bollywood movie. Well, JTYJN did a good job breaking the bad spell. I could go on about how good the movie is and how well it handles the tricky subjects of love and friendship and their wild interactions. But its not just about these, the film touches various other subjects with amazing expertise. We rarely have films which have the masala for the masses as well as being well made without too many clichés. JTYJN is one of those rare wonders. Imraan does a fair job for a debutant. Jenelia settles in as Aditi with total comfort, its almost as if she were really Aditi. The supporting "friends and co." do a decent job as well. I'd say, go for it - twice. Take along your friends, lovers, neighbors, and whoever you meet on the way to the theaters. Two thumbs up to this one!

To me, 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' surprisingly felt refreshing. I mean, from the looks of it (in teasers and trailers) and from the synopsis it seems like the clichéd love story with supporting friends and families. And you know what? That's exactly what it is. So what's new? Hmm, well it's the charming supporting characters who are wonderfully brought to life by the actors. But more on this later...

Let's start with the cons: 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' starts off with a group of friends telling the love story of Jai and Aditi. That's pretty much how the rest of the film proceeds (in a sort of flashback format). It could have easily done without this entire sequence. Not only does it resemble Aziz Mirza's 'Chalte Chalte' but the actors are simply annoying. At several points, the movie moves at a lethargic pace and this friends-narrating-story-outside-the-airport sequence only further slows things down.

Tyrewala does a fairly decent job with directing but an even better job with writing. For example, I loved how Meghna's character was written especially how Tyrewala cleverly shows the truth behind Meghna's 'What's this?' game. Initially, to the viewer, it looks like a silly game of visualizing one thing as something else but one realizes that this is Meghna's way of seeing things in life. There are many other scenes that I really enjoyed watching such as Aditi's relationship with her brother, Jai's relationship with his mother and many more and the sequences with Jai's parents were laugh out loud funny. But at the same time, here too, there are some flaws for instance, Aditi's boyfriend is portrayed as the typical violent insecure NRI. The scene where he slaps Aditi looks forced.

The background score is quite interesting as it varies from jazz (I liked that), to rock (seems a little out of place at times), to other things. I would never have thought that A.R. Rahman composed the soundtrack because this is totally different from anything he's done. Unfortunately, it's also one of his least memorable albums.

Imran Khan makes a confident start. I'm glad that unlike many of the newcomers who pump up themselves with steroids (perhaps to cover up their lack of talent), Imran with his simplicity allows his acting to speak. Let's see what the future holds for him as he's already made a fine start. Genelia D'Souza is loud and hyper in the beginning and her diction is quite awkward but her acting gets better along the way. Perhaps Tyrewala wanted to show her character transform from the bratty child to a mature young woman. It's just that the 'child' was a little too loud. Manjari Fadnis delivers quite a natural performance. Though her screen time is limited, she has a strong presence. Pratiek Babbar is quite likable as the goofy brother. Ratna Pathak Shah is simply amazing. What a comeback to the big screen!

Apart from that, there are some very welcome cameos. Naseeruddin Shah is hilarious. 'Just loved the interactions with his wife and he's talking to her from a painting! Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan are actually more than tolerable here, yes they too provide some fantastic comic relief. Anooradha Patel, this woman does not seem to get old, has a great presence. And, Paresh Rawal is back as a villain but this time with a pleasant touch of comedy.

The central love story feels a bit like the Rahul-Tina-Anjali story (of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) meets Akash-Shalini-Rohit angle (of 'Dil Chahta Hai') but it is the little moments that show the relationship between the mother and son, the brother and sister among other such fine moments that make 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' a refreshing experience. Overall, among the recent crop of films, this is quite a pleasant welcoming surprise.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' has bits of many films, most notably 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' in the main idea of two friends who are in love with each other without being aware of their own feelings. But despite that, there was something extremely awakening and refreshing in this film. Today's generation's youth was brilliantly portrayed, and the film's biggest strength was its striking simplicity and everyday reality. The simple characters, the simple dialogue, along with the natural acting, the brilliant soundtrack by A.R Rahman, and the depiction of modern-day India made for a very fine and enjoyable movie.

The film does not only work because of its romantic nature, but also its striking portrayal of relationships, whether it's the one between Jai and Aditi, between Aditi and her brother, and particularly between Jai and his mother. Tyrewala skillfully captures the camaraderie of the group of friends, who are always there for each other. A.R.R brilliantly composes a soundtrack that effectively suits the film's youthful and rather melancholic mood. The songs are totally in sync with the situations and among the many good numbers, my favourite would be the title track, "Kabhi Kabhi Aditi". The background score is also quite good, with some nice tunes enhancing the narrative and the partly joyful, partly melancholic atmosphere of the film.

Imran Khan makes a very good debut. The guy is simple and acts quite naturally. Genelia just has the right amount of spunk and vivacity to suit the part, and although in some portions she is a bit unnatural, she grows on you as the film goes by. It might well be because the film itself catches your interest so much that at some point nothing else matters. Ratna Pathak is excellent as the caring and loving mother. Prateik Babbar does very well, and Manjari Fadnis does her part exceedingly well. Naseeruddin Shah does a fantastic cameo, as always never fearing the possibility of ridiculing himself. Paresh Rawal is as witty and funny as always.

Abbas Tyrewala's direction is fantastic and there is an impressive sensibility in the way he chooses to carry the narrative forward. The film is fast paced. Jaane Tu is not devoid of clichés. Towards the end it's far more evident because it gets dramatised, but then, Tyrewala gives it a nice touch of humour, effectively summing up this feature. JTYJN is a refreshing youthful film and it's really fun to watch. The story is nothing new, but it's injected with energy, realism and humour to create an entertaining picture that is worth revisiting.

You just need two words to describe the flick. Truly Amazing! It's a movie which has already carved its own niche on the first day of its release as a very low budget movie getting an opening the superstars can also dream of. This is the advent of the new age bollywood where superstars don't matter. What matters is performance.

The performance is surely above the par in all sections of this project. The highlights of the movie are script and music. The fundamental story is not new to the bollywood cinema-goer but the treatment is truly unique. The urban, youthful and honest adaptation reinstate your faith in Hindi cinema. It is the perfect combination of friendship, love, and comedy bollywood has long forgotten. Abbas Tyrewala must be applauded.

A R Rehman continues to prove himself. The music has a simplistic honesty to every tune and suits perfectly. "Kabhi kabhi Aditi..." and "Pappu can't dance.." will be remembered.

Every actor/actress is appropriately cast in their role and is fantastic. Imran Khan in the role of Jai Singh Rathore is believable and does complete justice to the role. Genelia D'Souza is fresh, beautiful and natural in every frame. Both the lead actors have surely secured a place in the industry. Naseeruddin Shah in a cameo is excellent and takes the movie to a different level. Ratna Pathak Shah should surely replace the bollywood mother. Everybody else has given an up to the mark performance.

Amir Khan is setting a new benchmark in bollywood. This is maybe the best movie to come out after Dil Chahta Hai in last seven years in that genre.

How about feeling good even if it's something obvious? How about walking not to reach somewhere but just to hold hands and feel good? Well, I felt the same while watching 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'. The debut director, Abbas Tyrewala, is well-known for his script and dialogue writing. But here, there was no actual story! Jaane Tu… is about a group of normal friends with common issues, simple feelings and obvious set-up. Still, you'll love the movie! Is it some magic? I think yes. It's the magic of crisp narration backed by superb acting from the young lot of Bollywood.

As I said, the set-up is simple. Story revolves around 2 close friends- Jai and Aditi. They are so close that everyone else thinks they are in love but they don't feel that way for each other. They even go ahead and decided to choose right person for each other and that's where the problem begins. Seeing each other with some one else sparks jealousy and missing factor in both of them. So what are they going to do now? What will happen? Will they be together again as lovers? Yes, you are damn right! This is so typical, too filmy but here's the catch. Beauty of this movie lies in a simple way of narrating it.

Now let's talk about the star cast which can be bucketed in to three parts: 1- The leading pair Imran Khan as Jai Singh Rathore and Genelia DSouza as Aditi, 2- The group of friends of Aditi and Jai and 3- All other characters with small but strong presence. Imran and Genelia are so vibrant and full of colors that you clearly see actual CHEMISTRY between them. While Genelia is bubbly and true to her character Imran has shown the substance of becoming the next superstar. First impression is the last impression and both of them have filled in so much in to the character that it's tough to figure out Imran and Genelia in them! To match their caliber, all 4 friends have done a good job. The Fantastic Fours are true to the characters and have given right shades required for their roles. The interesting part of this movie is the group small characters that will keep coming through out the movie and make it very interesting. Abbas did a good job in fitting such characters in the movie. Aditi's mom & dad, her boyfriend, Imran's girlfriend, Pappu at the party all are short and sweet characters. Paresh Rawal as corrupt cop was the good refreshment as seeing him doing doing same standard comic characters in all movies was getting too much. Though he was funny as a corrupt cop but here, he didn't make funny faces or done some stupid stunts. Its his crisp dialogue delivery and expressions stealing the show. Ratna Pathak Shah as Jai's mom and Naseeruddin Shah as his father was the highlight. Ratna played the role with required simplicity and charm both at the same time. Impressive! Naseer as a dead photo who talks to Ratna on his bravery and glorious rajputana family was unexpected but interesting. Though I felt his role could have been better or at least lengthier. Point to note that its not just Naseer's acting but the concept of 'talking photo' clicking the funny button and making all of us to laugh and enjoy. Sohail and Arbaaz Khan as stupid playboys riding horses was too stupid till we get to know the reason behind all this at the climax. Very filmy but funny and you'll enjoy watching it. Again, kudos to Abbas.

The other best part of the movie is its music. AR Rehman- Mozart of Asia has done it again. Songs are very peppy, romantic and full of energy. Kabhi kabhi Aditi is a clear winner but I also like Pappu can't dance and jaane tu. There is one more romantic ballad Koi to as well. I can go on and on but to sum it up, its about beautiful numbers best for this kind of movie. hail Rehman! There will be lot of people cribbiing about this movie in terms of no story etc which i think its coz of the perception of such audience. Though its about young college guys but its not about their college life. Its about their life as friends and beyond college drama. I understand that no movie will work only because of star power (Rajnikant is an exception!) of halo publicity. Its about the story which is the substance of any movie. But here, the outline of the story is very simple and focused more on developing characters who will take it forward. So better enjoy it that way.

If a movie is about characters then go watch it that way and appreciate it. Movies like 'Yuva' , Dil Se, 'Dillagi', 'Swades', 'Saawariya' will never be in my list of excellent movies if I start looking all of them just on the basis of story or script. Kudos to Abbas to give us a simple movie with strong characters. He has a talent to pull out best from its cast.

Well, that's what I think about this movie. I strongly suggest this movie to every one. It'll be worth watching at least once!