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Review - Jaane Tu ya jaane na: good fun
Quick Review
Jaane tu is sweet, but not saccharine sweet. It's more the fun, peppy sweet. Yet it does not reach the heights of a lasting entertainer, mainly because of the sudden limp in the story 3/4ths way down the line. It just came across as aimless and rather random after that.
However, the spoof-ish undercurrent running through the movie is completely adorable. The digs on all things "Hindi cinema" are thoroughly enjoyable. And I could almost sense how the writer is having a hearty laugh by having the audience lap up, the mother of all clichéd climaxes, without complaining.
The college campus feel of the movie is going to make the young identify with the characters and their situations. And the slightly less young will enjoy the nostalgia. I liked the way various relationships were built. Be it the mother-son, the father from the portrait-son, the brother-sister, and of course friends and lovers - all these equations came across well but yet had an anti-climatic feel about it.
Genelia and Imran Khan both bring a breath of freshness on the screen. It's as much their timing as it's the natural, much needed casualness they afford their characters that make them dear to the audience. I especially liked the insecure, confused, disappointed body language that Genelia presented in the second half. We know for sure that they are here for the long haul, at least for the chirpy, less serious kind of roles.
Anything "Aamir Khan" has to have music that adds to the ambience of the movie and its true with this one too. So, even with a forced in number like "pappu can't dance" you find yourself swaying to the music. While there isn't a shred of doubt that "kabhi kabhi aditi" is one of the most romantic numbers to have come out in recent times, "pappu can't dance" and "nazre milana" have also grown on me with repeated hearings.
To be honest, I just don't feel right judging a movie while sitting in the corner seat of the third row (from the screen). The camera angles, the colors, the sound - all seem off to me. So, I think it'd be unfair to make any comment on any of these aspects.
So, yeah, I had a smile on throughout the movie but the base story is a little disappointing in terms of originality. I felt a little cheated by the ultimate turn of events somehow didn’t go with the tone of the movie and thus made it land in the "much ado about nothing" category.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Very little. A punch here and a punch there.
- Sexual content: None.
- Concept: It is about relationships. So, though its fun, its still something only a teenage might begin to understand.
- General Look and Feel: It does have a rugged look and feel, which means no saturated colors. But, the songs and the overall feel of the movie is happy.
Jaane Tu ya jaane na - Cast and Crew
- Official Website: Link
- Producer: Mansoor Khan, Aamir Khan
- Director: Abbas Tyrewala
- Lead Cast: Genelia Dsouza, Imran Khan
- Supporting Cast: Karan Makhija, Sugandha Garg, Nirav Mehta, Alishka Varde, Renuka Kunjru, Pratiek Babbar, Anuradha Patel, Jayant Kriplani, Ratna Pathak Shah, Manjari, Ayaz Khan
- Story: Abbas Tyrewala
- Dir. of Photography: Manoj Lobo
- Editor: Shan Mohammed
- Choreography: Rajeev Surtiu, Longinus Fernandes
- Music Director: A. R. Rahman
- Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala
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jaane tu ya jaane na review...
The only word that comes to mind is ‘cute’. Yeah, my vocabulary is never spectacular anyways. But, cute it is. No less and unfortunately, no more....
posted 1 year, 8 months agochavanni:
chavanni's review...
http://chavannichap.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_779.html
posted 1 year, 8 months agovimal:
Nice review. I too felt the same thing. Dont know why all the other reviewers are raving about this movie. According to me, except for the treatment, everything else in the movie was just too normal (and dragging at times too!)
Btw, where is ur usual nitty gritty section?
posted 1 year, 8 months agopriyanka shukla:
yu guys are mad, how silly to think about a story
posted 1 year, 8 months agomust having sexual contact,rubbish,change the sites name keep it without thinking and going to a movie ha,ha.
Ps:
Thanks for sharing this!This was one movie I wanted to go and watch.
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
Hey Vimal, have been busy with one thing or the other, that's why couldn't do the nitty-gritty section. Its on my 'to do' list for today.
posted 1 year, 8 months agomorph:
if i had gone purely by your rating for movies released this year , i would have died of Cinema starvation waiting for "vidoes" to release!..do you work in some racket for Moser Baer..LOL !!
whats wrong with this movie now? wont one have a good time watching this on big screen ?!! why does it get clubbed with that monstrosity called De Taali ? are you saying this one is only as good as De Taali !..Seriously ?!
posted 1 year, 8 months agomorph:
@Ps
You should !.. go ahead and watch this one .
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
morph, hey!!! have been missing you. Where were you all these days?
Believe me, I did ask myself if this one was only as good as 'De Taali'. Well it is, but only a shade. And that shade shows in the detailed ratings.
The way I thought of it is - both are movies about friends falling in love with each other or otherwise. Both were trying to entertain. Both made me go "awwww" at a couple of places. 'De Taali' made me laugh really hard at a few places and 'Jaane tu...' made me smile throughout.
!!! mild spoiler ahead !!!
What was wrong with the movie? Well, besides the fact that i didn't like the way things ended up because it was no different from any other 'boy meets girl' movie, i didn't think the individual pieces or bits added up to make a very good 'whole' product. It was better than decent, but not great.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoMayur:
"Waiting for Godot" is a famous play where characters wait for Mr. Godot, interestingly he never arrives :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
Thanks Mayur! Should have wiki'ed it in the first place...
anyways, but it still makes no sense in the context of the movie...it was a random tribute, i guess.
posted 1 year, 8 months agomorph:
hmmm..not a random tribute ..its like the movie's lead pair who were waiting for "true love" to arrive from some other place but it never did .
it was much much better than decent and definitely leagues ahead of de taali ...
posted 1 year, 8 months agomorph:
btw between a movie that makes me "laugh at few places" and a movie that makes me "smile throughout" , i will take the latter any day .
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
hmmm, morph...i enjoy metaphors, even if i don't get them the first time around, but this one seems a little forced, if your interpretation is correct.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoSubur:
Sob! sob! sob!... I was expecting u to atleast say...'Watch for sure - preferably in theatre' but got disappointed... Sadly its a sad review for a HEP! film...:)
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
Hey, come on Subur, if I were sitting in a premiere with the director, Aamir Khan, the cast (especially Genelia, right?) around me, I'd tend to like the movie a little more than usual. No?
I assume the excitement in the air is different when you are watching a premiere. I know for sure the excitement is different for a first day first show in comparison to a few days later.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoNisha:
I think its an awesome movie. I have been following your reviews for quite some time and I have noticed that the seriousness about the cinema which seeped in after you had gone for the course in Film appreciation.
However, I would like to say I know camera angles etc are important. But every movie has its own flavor. I see most movies in the theatre and what I like watching is the energy a movie generates amongst the crowd and how engaging it is.
Although Aamir might have been a great movie with everything technically correct, it was a little too long for people to stick around and watch intently. Jaane tu.. might not have been technically correct but the crowds went crazy watching it, loving it. Is that totally irrelevant when you review a movie?
When readers like me come looking for a movie review, what exactly are they looking for? an entertaining and engaging movie or a technically correct movies with a balanced number of longshot, medium shots and closeups?
Kindly reconsider your rating which tripe like De taali, mindless Thoda pyar thoda magic, dhamaal, dus kahaaniyan.. have also got.
Thanks
Nisha
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
Hey Nisha! Welcome back!!
I really don't think I let the technical aspects overwhelm my opinion of the movie. For me the movie is more about what the director's/writer's most likely intention was - then it may be to pass on a social message or tell a story or entertain. Then, I see if it worked for me and try to dissect why I liked/disliked it. Believe me, this has been natural, not a laboured effort, so much so as to spoil my experience of the movie.
Case in example, Summer 2007, it must have been one of the worst movies, technically. But, none of that can over-ride the awareness it was trying to create. It worked in sensitizing me to the issues of our farmers.
Seriously Nisha, I try to keep the reviews about my opinion, because there is no way I can claim that I know the pulse of the "crowd". I am no mind-reader. I am 'a part' of that crowd, so I will know only what that 'part' feels about the movie.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoRidhima:
I loved the movie and genelia was a like a fresh air in the middle of all des plastic faces dat r der in bollywood today...and i simply adored Imraan and his voice. I throughly enjoyed the movie and its music.Sign up on Planet Radio City to get all the latest info about ur fav music and singer/composer. Also get lyrics and meet others who like your kinda music. Spread the word about your favourite music.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoiwebie:
I think its a cool movie and a muct watch for Youngsters
posted 1 year, 8 months agoArijit:
No doubt this is a pleasing movie.This movie has brought a fresh air in bollywood after few month.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoNisha:
Hey Meetu, good to see that my comments got published.. I was a little apprehensive :)
Anyways, I am not in habit of giving comments until and unless they become indispensible. I was shocked to see the review for Jab we met and same thing happened for Jaane tu.. Do you see a similarity? Its not as if I am a big fan of feel good movies. Maybe you have to give them some brownie points. Maybe somewhere everything in these movie adds up so that the viewer leaves with a big grin pasted on his face and remembers it for next few weeks.
Anyways thats just my opinion.
Would you be covering Osian's btw if you are delhi based? They show some great movies there.I saw quite a few last year, and great collection I must admit.
Hope to see you there.
Nisha
posted 1 year, 8 months agomeetu:
Hey Nisha,
Why would I not publish your comment? Because you did not agree with me? Never...differences of opinion are one of the most enjoyable things!
I do realize that I am a little harsh on the "romantic" feel good movies. The thing is my rating is based on the feeling I come out with while walking out of the theater (as you agree it should be). Both these movies, left me feeling something was missing. Jaane tu gave me that feeling a lot more than Jab we met.
I'm not Delhi based and can't attend Osian. I don't mind to have you as a guest on wogma if you want to cover the festival. Do let me know what you think.
Thanks!!
posted 1 year, 8 months agoNisha:
wow.. I am flattered. :)
posted 1 year, 8 months agoLast year I attended most of the movies. (Best being Jaagte Raho on big screen!)
But then I was on a vacation, I would be really lucky even if I can attend couple of movies this year. That wont be fair to the festival at all..
Thanks anyways :)
Nisha
meetu:
Ok, i understand, Nisha. But, any time if you'd like to write your opinion of any movie (except latest Hindi, maybe because I cover them anyway), or a movie related topic, do let me know. Of course, we'll have to do a trial run, etc, but that will come once you are on board.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoNisha:
Sure!.
posted 1 year, 8 months agoVR:
I think the movie is cute, as you said, but at times, it tries just too hard to be cute, and the characters come out as unreal. I might have enjoyed this movie when I was in my teens, but today, I think too many scenes appeared just too sugary for my taste.
posted 1 year, 8 months agodiana:
ok i like jenni very much and the heros acting is too good i like kabhi kabhi aditi song very much
posted 1 year, 8 months agoDeekchhya:
Oh great!kabhi kabhi afiti is such an awesome song!this film is a must see & its great
posted 1 year, 7 months agodilan younis:
hi..its great and i like it alot...
posted 1 year, 7 months agovinay:
it's really a superb movie
posted 1 year, 2 months agoLeave a new comment