Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was the other big release this Friday and though it has opened to mixed reviews, everyone has appreciate debutant Imran Khan and actress Genelia.

Rajeev Masand reviews the movie and here are some excerpts from it.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na plays out as a predictable Bollywood love story, sticking faithfully to old formulas, even culminating in that now obligatory airport climax. As far as the film’s plot is concerned, there’s very little that’s original. Jaane Tu is not your traditional plot-driven film.

It is, in fact, a film propelled by its characters and their motivations, much like Dil Chahta Hai in a sense, but without the emotional depth of that film.
The characters in Jaane Tu are all cool, light and easy. So cool in fact, that they sometimes come off looking silly. Am I really being unreasonable if I can’t understand why Abbas would give us such stereotypes as the gujju in the group — Jignes(h), or the fat sulky one who can’t stop whining? Is it really my fault if I’m surprised a writer of Abbas’ calibre wrote that ridiculous opening scene in which a group of 20-year-olds sit around in white and deliver sentimental soliloquies for their friend’s dead cat? Is it really my fault if I expected a fresh take on love, if I was hoping Jai and Aditi would realise their love for each other, but not because they realized their previous partners were such idiots? Did it have to be so simplistic; did it have to be so clichéd? Indeed it’s the silliness in the writing that is my biggest grouse against this film.



The only good thing that comes out of that is the electrifying chemistry we get between Imran and Genelia who literally bounce off each other and keep you spellbound when they’re on screen, even in the film’s dullest scenes.

 

Genelia is what I’d call a pathaka — she’s spontaneous and sparkling. And Imran is the best young actor we’ve seen on screen for months. He’s unconventional and vulnerable and he knows how to use both to make a lasting impression.