Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na

Jaane Tu.. is not a college romance despite taking off with a scene from the last day at college. Aamir Khan’s first film as a lead, if you remember, also took off with the song Papa Kehte Hain at the college farewell party. Similarities end there as the story then veers in a different direction than Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT), maintaining the refreshing touch that QSQT had. Jaane Tu, unlike QSQT, is a non-violent love story with happy characters. The ‘Cuteness’ quotient is too high and that is majorly because of the act put up by the lead pair.

Jaane Tu is indeed a well made film that would do Aamir Khan proud but there is a warning for all you guys going to watch it (if you haven’t!) – The film is best appreciated by people in the age group 16-23. Why? I will give you the reasons:

1.) Being in love with your best friend and not realizing it is something that you can at best associate with the teens.

2.) People start to work by the time they are 23 in India. The gang in Jaane Tu.. doesn’t really seem to go to work and enjoys partying and singing songs together. Something that people can’t spare the time for once out of college.

3.) It was all a happy setting saved from the debaucheries of the wicked world. You need to be in that age group to really relate to it directly. For the others it will remain a fantasy film with good things in abundance.

There is a particular reason why I decided to categorize the target audience. When I came out of the theatre, I had liked the film but still felt that the premise of the film was based on college students. I didn’t feel the same when I watched QSQT a few days ago. This is where I feel that Jaane Tu.. loses against QSQT. It will go down as a good film but will fail to become as successful as QSQT due to its partially limited reach.

Now, coming to the usual business of strengths and weaknesses.

Direction: Abbas Tyrewala brings that refreshing touch to the film that I was talking about earlier. He is in control as a director and manages to get the best out of a totally new star cast. The only point where he falters a bit is in the climax. Until the climax scene at the airport where Jai barges into the airport the film looks very intelligently made. But watching 20 gun toting commandoes at the airport making a mockery of themselves while chasing Jai makes it look typical Bollywoodish stuff that you might have seen in umpteen number of films. But I think all that was done to give the climax a ‘mad’ ending and not for want of a better idea from the director.

Story/Script: Nothing unique. Abbas Tyrewala’s approach to story telling in the opening scenes is similar to Chetan Bhagat’s style. There is a group of friends telling the story of two of their best friends on an airport while waiting for a flight to land. It is the usual love story where two best friends can’t live without each other but fail to realize that it is love. A boy friend and a girl friend later, they understand the love that they have for each other and then it all ends in a happily ever after fashion. The good thing is the way the story is told. You know what would happen but you still enjoy it.

Acting: Imran Khan is a notch above what Aamir was when he did QSQT. That doesn’t mean that Imran will certainly better his uncle in times to come. He is good and he is in good hands – that makes him better than what he actually is. Good to see a non-muscular hero after a long time. Six-pack has become so common that you almost get irritated by the numerous bicep flaunting plastic faces that come and go off the screen in no time every other Friday.

Genelia is cute but she doesn’t really know how to act. She struggles speaking in Hindi it seems.

There is one surprise package in Prateek Babbar. He is Smita Patil and Raj Babbar’s son. Prateek makes an interesting debut as Genelia’s brother in the movie. A pretty interesting character. The chemistry that the onscreen brother-sister duo shares on screen is again ‘very cute’. I especially liked the scene where Prateek talks about Genelia’s friends to tell her how she and not he had created the void in their relationship. Another good scene is when he takes her to his room for the first time and talks about her decision to marry her supposed boy friend.

Naseeruddin Shah play a hilarious part as the dead sword wielding Rathore from Ranjhor. He speaks to his wife from a life size portrait and keeps manipulating his son’s dreams to turn him into a true blue Rathore Rajput. A really funny character indeed!

The other characters are also interesting. Ratna Pathak Shah as Imran’s Mom, Paresh Rawal as the ‘villainous’ police inspector, the friend circle of Imran and Genelia, Jayant Kriplani and Anuradha Patel, Rajat Kapoor and Kittu Gidwani in that one off scene and guest performers Arbaz and Sohail Khan. All in all efficient casting.

Music: A. R. Rehman is not at his best but there is something about maestros that makes them a cut above the rest even if they don’t perform at their optimum levels. The music score is youthful. Easy songs to go with it. Pappu Can’t Dance is already hugely popular. The other songs are soothing and pleasant to hear. Not a bad album to buy from the music store if you haven’t yet (I don’t know why I think that others are as lazy as me!)

All in all an entertainer that will find its niche in the multiplex and college masses. Jaane Tu.. will prove to be a good launch pad for a few careers in the industry. I rate it with a 3.5 out of 5. Watchable, Enjoyable!