Jaane tu ya jaane na: Youthful affair 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
