Review of Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na !

Release Date : 4 July 2008 * Review Release Date : 13 July 2008

STATUTORY WARNING

You are about to go through the review of a DIE-HARD Fan of Aamir Hussain Khan who loves Aamir’s movies and waits for the Audience Reaction much before their actual start of shooting. The Critic bears no responsibility for any ‘biased’ or insane opinion/view published in this article.

This story begins at the airport.With a story.

When Rotlu,Jiggy,Bombs and Shaleen offer to tell Mala the tale of Jai and Aditi,a match made in the pastry shop of heaven- Mala is convinced that she in for yet another clichéd love story with joys and sorrows,happiness and heart-breaks,laughter and songs,fights…and a climax at the airport.

And indeed Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na is all of that. And more !


Review of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF : The Film

21 years ago (1 March 1988 to be exact) Aamir’s uncle Nasir Hussain (production,screenplay,dialogue)launched him in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak which was directed by Aamir’s cousin Mansoor Khan.Now it is too obvious for anyone to have this superstition that this is Aamirs turn to launch nephew Imraan.However after watching the movie one realizes that contrary to popular belief this movie was never designed or produced as a Launchpad for Imraan. As usual Aamir focuses or believes only in one critical thing,i.e the script. As stated by Aamir , it turns out that Imraan just fits perfectly with the character of Jai. And hence incidentally Jaane Tu marks the directional debut of famous script writer Abbas Tyrewala’s as well as debut of Imraan Khan.

But the coincidence doesn’t stop there.

Qayamat se Qayamat Tak (or QSQT as it is known) came as a breath of fresh air when it was released in 1988.Not only did the film go on to become the biggest grosser of the year, but it also gave the Hindi film industry two sensational stars in Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla besides being one of the most memorable stories of young love ever seen on the Indian screen.
What takes the film that one notch above the commonplace is the treatment and the sure-handed direction by Nasir Hussain's son, Mansoor Khan making his directorial debut. Mansoor Khan takes much of the very same elements of Nasir but gives them his own take and modern sensibility and comes out with a glossy and technically slick (for its times) yet extremely believable young romance that caught the imagination of youngsters across the country. The storytelling had an innocence, cuteness, freshness and simplicity that was the film's biggest asset.








QSQT JTYJN

Now Jaane Tu.. seems to repeat almost all the elements of QSQT. Be it the, relatable freshness that characterises Abbas Tyrewala's delightful directorial debut or the deftly made story about friendship, fibs, and falling for the obvious or Imraan being Ranjhore ka Rathore (Remember Raj (Aamir) in QSQT was a Rajput), there is no denying to the fact that History repeats itself.
Abbas The One-Man Army : Direction and Lyrics
Three years ago,the prolific writer of Munnabhai MBBS, Maqbool and Main Hoon Na -- e appeared rather reluctant to direct a movie.Besides a story to tell, today, this 'one-man army’ has taken the resposibilty of directing the movie (apart from the script and screenplay) as well as penning the lyrics. Surely enough, he has done a great job of working within the constraints of the genre and budget to come out with the ultimate, clichéd college romance of our times which keeps the audience interested right through. As writer, director and lyricist, he’s understood his material brilliantly and not deviated from his own brief ever.
Storytelling Redefined : The Script and the Screenplay
The story as all of us know by now never claims to be a never-seen-before kind of love story.Instead we have saw it so much so that almost each scene in the movie reminds you of a similar sequence in some film or the other. Be it the climax at the airport ( similar to Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai), the Love Triangle between Jai,Aditi and Megha (reminds you of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) or the overall story which ressembles with “Socha Na Tha’ to an extent that you’ll feel it’s a copy.
What casts the magic here is certainly not the story but surprisingly the story-telling.
When Ratna Pathak Shah, playing Jai's mother, is shocked to see a sobbing Aditi being led into the house. Jai (Imran Khan) explains that she has just realised college is finally over. Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) nods, saying she doesn't know how the last five years vanished. Shah, fantastically supercilious and affectionate at once, delivers a line that will have mothers in the audience blowing wolf-whistles: ‘Phone pe beta. Phone pe.'
So welcome to the Gen Z style of story-telling. Informal, straight, humourous and to-the-point.Unlike Yash Raj movies (they were once the Moghuls of Romance),the hero here instead of claiming to be a great singer/musician, admits that “Gaana to aata nahin hai magar, phir bhi hum gaate hain”. Similarly during a serious discussion between Amit (Aditi’s brother) and Aditi where Aditi wants to know whether Amit likes Jai or not, Amit doesn’t hesitate to say “Ofcourse I hate him (Jai) as he is a very good boy “.Gone are the days of Karan Johar/Aditya Chopra,where we needed a bunch of Superstars, high-intensity dialogues followed by a whole lot of Songs and dance sequences in either Sarson-da-khet or snow peeked mountains ( locations preferably in Switzerland or New Zealand) This film marks the arrival of the era where even plain talk between friends just about anything can turn out to be an amazing love story given that the screenplay has been given justice.

Although technically,Chetan Bhagat was the one who introduced us to this new method through FIVE-POINT SOMEONE; his movie,a Bollywood version of his 2nd book One Night@ Call Centre (starring Salman and Katrina) has just come to floor and will be released much later. My sincere regrets for this talented writer.

Hats off to Pakhi (Abbas’s wife) : The Casting

As is the case with most films about friendship –what makes the film work is a rock-solid ensemble cast that is mouthwateringly perfect. Hats off to Pakhi, the Casting Director, this is a helluva nice set of good actors, with refreshingly unfamiliar faces.
Unlike the usual characters played by Debutants in their first movie Bollyood,here the hero is neither a good singer nor a Great Dancer and definitely not a fight-lover. Instead there's Imran, who comes out to be a disarmingly natural actor who grows on you sneakily. Before you know it, you're totally buying his act. And it's a simple, candid, relatable act -- no frills, no fuss, no muscles, no attitude. It's a solid, restrained acting job carried off with more dazzle than is evident.
Khan plays the peace-loving Jai Singh Rathore, and he's the straight man in his madcap gang: Alishka Varde does well as Bombs, the slow one; Karan Makhija adds character as the pessimistic Rotlu; Nirav Mehta is excellent as Jignesh, the one persistent yet affectionately etched caricature in the film; and then there's Sugandha Garg as the spirited, nickname-giving Shaleen.
Seriously though, the acting is top-notch all around. Ratna Pathak Shah is magnificent. Paresh Rawal as inspector Waghmare, Arbaaz and Sohail Khan as Ballu and Bagheera bhaiyya have their moments of glory with their one-liners.
Naseeruddin Shah as Jai's father, who speaks with his wife, Ratna Pathak Shah, from a painting in the wall, has played a perfect cameo.
But the best character that leaves his mark with his hatred and jealousy for Jai is Aditi's brother, Amit (Smita Patil and Raj Babbar's son making a brilliant cameo). The paintings -- when he takes Aditi for the first time into his room -- visually speaks for his loneliness and indifference shown by his sister after she meets Jai.

Rahman means Rejuvenation : The Music

The soundtrack is undoubtedly fresh and zippy which was an obvious expectation from the legend.The exuberant fragrance of teenage-hood serenades the air with the infectious beats of the opening track -- Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. Rashid Ali's funky rendition and Rahman's stylish and rhythmic pace makes this a case of love-at-first-sound.Up next, there's Pappu can't dance. Pappu mightn’t be a dancer,however Pappu and his left feet are a great entertainer on their own. It's remix by Krishna Chetan is a pleasant add-on!
The lines that caught my attention were
“Papa Kehten Hain…Bada Naam Kare Ga..
Mera Pappu To Aisa Kaam Karega…”
Which basically is a mimicry (executed perfectly) of Aamir's introductory song in the film, QSQT, where he is introduced at a college farewell party with guitar.The capricious melody of Nazrein milaana, nazrein churaana reflects the playful, dreamy and perplexed state of young 'uns with warm results. The mercurial tempo of the album continues with a nifty Rahman jazz-up the scene, quite literally and lovingly, if I may add in Tu bole... main boloon. It's a wonderful experiment and introduction in the Bollywood music scene and deserves much applause.Rashid Ali, accompanied by an exquisite Vasundhara Das, makes a surreal return in the soundtrack with the waltzing glory Kahin to. Rahman's frothy tonic of vibrant and breezily-tempered creations in Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na has already created waves among the audience.


God lies in details : The Production


Jaane tu..marks the HATRICK of Aamir Khan Productions. Aamir was once famous for his versatility in handling different kind of on-screen characters.But these days he is proving his versatility beyond acting. In his first production (Lagaan) he played Bhuvan as well as Aamir the Producer. In Taare Zameen Par , he played Shankar, Aamir-the director and Aamir-the producer.
No surprise that this time, in his third venture, he has played another different role Aamir-the Uncle along with Aamir-the Producer J .

It must be said that he has set a new benchmark in terms of Hindi film production.And as far as Aamir’s Characteristic ‘Perfection’ is concerned, needless to say that every technical aspect of the film is honed to perfection - be it Rajeev Soorti's vivid cinematography or AR Rahman's marvellously fountain-of-youth soundtrack. And Aamir understands that God lies in the details, which is why it's no coincidence that Imran's bedroom sign 'Deadlines amuse me' returns to bite the character in the posterior during that insane climax.


Box Office Collection :

Aamir Khan's Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na has worked wonders at the box-office by registering 100 per cent collections in the six days after its release on 4th July. This is not surprising, because even before the release, the excitement generated by Jaane Tu...- the debut film of Aamir's nephew Imran - was phenomenal and bookings began five days before the release.
It is a feat no movie so far released this year - not even the previous hit Race - could accomplish at the box-office.The exact up-to-date revenue from domestic and overseas markets is not available as yet. But judging from the box-office trend, it is roughly estimated that Jaane Tu... has crossed Rs 300 million mark by Wednesday, exactly the amount PVR cinemas invested in the puppy love story.Apart from the Movie’s own strength, this spectacular box-office performance of Jaane Tu... can also be attributed to Aamir's marketing plans. Instead of spending millions on production, he spent freely on promoting the movie.And he has been rewarded handsomely for taking the right decision.