Review: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Mayank Shekhar, Film Critic
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is directed by top screenwriter Abbas Tyrewala, produced by Aamir Khan, it stars his nephew, truly a fresh face and a fine actor Imran Khan. The film itself is a simple, young, urban, collegiate romantic comedy. And commentary on such movies should really boil down to, if it entertains you or not. This one does. Whether it works or not. For the most part, this does. There remains very little point intellectualising any further. The premise is vintage stuff: basically whether the hero and heroine can merely be platonic friends. Or as they say in old Bollywood, Ladka aur ladki kabhi dost nahin ho sakte. You can see how the film is a wonderful attempt to subvert that age-old formula. While this is about friends from, say Dil Chahta Hai or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; everyone is not obnoxiously rich here. They don't drive the fastest cars, or vacation in Holland or Switzerland. This is still a mainstream youthful film. But everyone doesn't bedazzle you with their beauty. They're all attractive in their own ways, and they seem 'people like us'. Each friend represents a type. And yet, no one stoops down to stereotypes. They're all characters with believable shades of grey. There is the middle-class hero, Imraan, a non-violent son from what was once a violent royal family. He has a fun group of buddies from college. One of them is the best-friend, that's the spunky Genelia. They both share intense but casual chemistry. Everyone including the parents assume them to be a couple. But their actual love for each other is revealed when the boy finds himself a girlfriend. And the girl is ready to settle down with her fiance. You know how all this will all end. What keeps you glued then is the detailing in the writing: quirky sub-plots, witty lines and references, breezy situations and a general sense of joy. Somewhere in the latter half of the film, what you miss though are certain magical moments that can lift all this material into another cinematic level altogether. This is probably why when everything is brilliantly set up; you may come out of the interval with an ecstatic grin. You may not be that excited when the movie is over. But you're still in a good mood, and smiling alright. That's a huge achievement for a Hindi film these days. I'd say, do check this one out.
