Jaane tu ya jaane na: Youthful affair

-By Swetha Amit
Love stories have always proved to a favorite amongst film makers. Some have adopted an amateurish and sweet stance. While a few have portrayed maturity of self sacrifice and there have been others which have shocked the viewers with its dark streak of murder and swinging moralities. The latter seems to have ruled Bollywood on the pretext on ‘intelligent’ cinema almost forgetting the animate appeal it once had to win the hearts of its audience.

Aamir Khan Productions’ Jaane tu ya jaane na manages to revive the uncorrupted aspect of a teen romance which blossoms over time into the brink of adulthood, retaining its unadulterated essence. Its key element lies in its vibrant and fresh appeal. And the latter is enhanced with new faces along with the debut launch of a leading actors’ nephew.

The story starts with a bunch of youngsters humming the lyrics, same as the title on their way to the airport. The delayed arrival of a particular flight leads to the high strung and passionate debates of love and its existence. The narration of a touching romance of the protagonists is then introduced to the audience.

Jai Singh Rathore aka rats (Imran Khan) is a simple lad whose non violence stance would make our father of the nation proud and quite unlike his ancestors. Aditi aka meow (Genelia D Souza) is rebellious and a girl not to be messed around with. Showing no hesitation to indulge in a brawl with even the opposite sex showcases the fact of being the complete opposite of her best friend Jai. The inseparability of the twosome leads to everyone believing a romantic inclination between them propelling a proposal from Aditi’s parents only to be scorned and laughed off by the two.

Vowing to find each other their respective better halves, the two indulge in a roller coaster ride. Amidst hilarious antics, awkward dances, interesting characters and wavering emotions, they manage to realize the existence of true love.

Imran Khan seems to be a promising new comer whose boyish charm would score points over teen boppy girls. Genelia D Souza plays her part of an aggressive brat quite well. The film is well supported by certain comic moments by Nasseruddin Shah and wry humour by Rathna Pathak Shah. Also the surprise elements exhibited by the cowboy acts of friendly appearances in the film do not fail to evoke a roar of laughter.

Couple of scenes manages to fix that smile on faces in spite of the second half of the film tapering down in certain parts. The particular one at the disco where Jai intervenes with intelligence to rescue a damsel in distress is priceless. Also the one at the airport where Jai indulges in ‘cat’ calling for his love much to the amazement of the officers.

Abbas Tyrewala retains his commendable job of weaving a good script and screenplay together. Music by A.R.Rahman seems to be catching up with the first track regaining its popularity amongst the chart busters. And not to mention the peppy number of ‘Pappu can’t dance’ groves into the minds of the viewers. The movie tends to portray shades of resemblance to Kuch Kuch hota hai especially in its college romance bits. Certain parallels can be drawn to Chalte Chalte in the narration at the beginning and also the likeness to Dil Chahta hai in its effervescent appeal.

While the film may not be novel in its story line, it certainly promises a well rounded entertainment for the audience. Such a case seems to be a rarity considering the plight of the releases this year at the box office. While the target audience remains with the high school and college goers, its refreshing look, vivacity and spirited feel is what makes Jaane tu ya jaane na a youthful affair even if it fails to tug at ones logic or intellect at times. Especially when one comes out pondering over the generated hype about the actual reason why ‘Pappu can’t dance’!!!
Written for www.msn.co.in

Comments

Anonymous said…
Swetha, get me a job in your company. You seem to have a lot of time at hand to watch almost every new release ;-)
Whirlwind said…
@Mukundh: One can make the time if willing for anything if laziness does not prevail of course.Especially if its a question of weekends where I think most companies dont require 24/7 services on a sat/sun that too. And if they do,its time to think of a job switch.Frankly I find many ppl complaining that they dont have time on their hands only to discover that they do which unfortunately isnt utilized properly.And very few companies emphasize on quality of life like that of my partners' with whom I watch these films and other mumbaikars who manage to do the same.

And I am a psychologist cum freelance writer and work my schedule in such a way that I find time for myself to do a lot other recreational activities instead of being engulfed in the corporate drone.
Anonymous said…
Hey, that was meant in a lighter vein. I felt you were a bit offended by that considering the tone in which you have written the comment.
I completely agree with you on the fact that the poor utilization of time is the reason behind the non-availability of it for other pursuits. However, laziness is not the problem with me.
I would wish my job provided the work-life balance that yours does.
My job doesn't require me to work on Saturdays and Sundays. But considering the amount of time i spend in office on weekdays, i make sure i don't travel much on weekends and prefer staying indoors. And early in my career, i cannot be very choosy with my work timings.
Whirlwind said…
@Mukundh:Not at all. I was generally stressing upon my views on how companies should emphasize on work-life balance today.

Offlate I have come across several people who have been complaining about the same. Though the actual working hours are between 10-6,people who leave at the same time are looked at like aliens who have descended from another planet and ridiculed as theough they are commintting a crime. Why is it that the hardworking tag has to come with stating up late at office fails to reach my understanding level.

Abroad,companies dont allow to employees to work beyond the mentioned working hours and strictly shut off themselves from the world. When we are aping the western culture a lot,this too can be included which is actually beneficial for a lot of people.
Ayesha Parveen said…
very good review. in particular, the opening paragraph is excellent.
Whirlwind said…
Thanks Ayesha.:-)

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