Movie Review: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Title: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Starring: Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza
Language: Hindi
Direction: Abbas Tyrewala

Imran Khan – another chocolate hero, another Khan, enters Bollywood, this time introduced by none other than the chocolate hero of the late eighties (now quite transformed) Aamir Khan, who produced this film. Imran Khan, the hero also happens to be Aamir’s nephew. The film also marks the entry of south Indian actress Genelia D’Souza to Bollywood.

There is little that is new in the story of this film. Young couple, great friends in college, unsure if its love, try to set it each other up with others, and eventually come together. The positive of this film lies in the “treatment” and the Director, Abbas Tyrewala (this happens to be his debut film) deserves plenty of credit for this. He has turned a relatively common theme into an engaging sequence of events, interspersed with trendy numbers by A.R. Rahman, and plenty of comedy that delightfully blends with the story line. The entire film is shown in flashback as a bunch of good friends narrate the story to a newcomer to the group as they wait for the lead couple at the airport. Naseeruddin Shah and Rathna Pathak Shah as the heroes’ parents and Paresh Rawal in a brief cameo as a cop are truly hilarious.

The two lead stars are perfect choices and do justice to their roles. Imran Khan is as “chocolate” as it gets. “Fair and chikna”, the Iranian-looking young man is in all likelihood bound to become a teenage heart throb. Time will tell if he can grow beyond that and make a lasting career for himself in Bollywood much like his uncle, Aamir Khan. While his acting talents were never really put to test in this film in a big way, it was a refreshing change to see a new hero minus the muscles and the manic dancing skills. Genalia the heroine is the more seasoned performer of the two given her experience in south Indian films. The two appear to share good on-screen chemistry and this amply helps the film succeed. Barring the annoying frequent close-up of the friends in the film, the overall quality of the photography and film-making was impressive.

Overall, Jaane Tu Jaane Na is an entertaining film that is definitely worth watching.

Aamir Khan – The Businessman

Aamir Khan appears to have picked a perfect launch pad for his nephew. After Dil Chahta Hai and Rang de Basanti (two films built around friendship) he bet again on the theme of friendship. With another hit here very much on the cards, he sure seems to have a pulse on the Bollywood audience. With an all new cast, a director making his debut, and a smattering of veteran stars, perhaps his only “big ticket item” as producer of the film was A.R Rahman. A big flop would have hardly caused him a dent. From a purely business point of view this film is a business venture that is likely to pay off big time. Aamir Khan’s last film which featured himself and a bunch of no name actors followed a similar business formula. This time, he seems to have repeated the same approach again with plenty of success. Clearly, Aamir Khan is an impressive movie star with plenty of business acumen!