Review - Jaane Tu ya jaane na: good fun

Jaane Tu ya jaane na

wogma rating: Watch but no rush ^(?)

quick review:

The only word that comes to mind is 'cute'. No less and unfortunately, no more.

Director: Abbas Tyrewala

Cast: Genelia D'Souza, Imran Khan

Running time: 160 minutes

Genres: Romance

More Movie Info

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.

- meeta, a part of the audience

29 reviewers^(?) - 17 yays 8 so-so 4 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Naresh Kumar Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ...All these actors are very appropriately cast in a story that has loads of youthful exuberance, hilarity, love, friendship, romance and heartbreak.... full review

Thumbs up, by Hetal Adesara, Business of Cinema : ...sincere attempt by a debutant director... full review

Thumbs up, by Deep, Deep's Home : ...Genelia!!!! She simply rocked, she looked so beautiful.... full review

Thumbs up, by Mayuri Sharma, Desicritics : ...Genelia is pretty, sparkling, very spontaneous and livens up each shot.... full review

Thumbs up, by Shrikant, Desicritics : ...grey treatment of characters, actions and emotions.... full review

Thumbs up, by Martin D'souza, Glamsham.com : ...It hooks you from the first scene, until the last.... full review

Thumbs up, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...For once, the 20-something bunch is quite believable, togged out in street fashion, avoiding gobs of make-up and connecting on equal terms, without ever making a mountain out of the molehill of their differing income groups.... full review

Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...A.R. Rahman's music is already a rage and the two songs at the start are superb compositions.... full review

Thumbs up, by Renuka Vyavahare, indiatimes : ...Imran gets a tailor made role for him, as his petite personality and casual attitude makes him fit the bill of Jai perfectly... full review

Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...Rahman's music is minimal, with the guitar theme used at the right times,... full review

Thumbs up, by Abhavya Sharan, MovieWalah : ...It comes at a time when we were all bored of Karan Johar's designer romance and 40 plus SRK playing a college boy.... full review

Thumbs up, by Mayank Shekhar, NDTV : ...veryone doesn't bedazzle you with their beauty. They're all attractive in their own ways, and they seem 'people like us'.... full review

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...Peep underneath. And you see the narration covering a lot of familiar ground.... full review

Thumbs up, by Joxily John, Planet Bollywood : ...Now let us call a ‘spade’ a ‘spade’ and agree that Jaane Tu has a very stale plot.... full review

Thumbs up, by Prasanna Zore, Rediff : ...the best character that leaves his mark with his hatred and jealousy for Jai is Aditi's brother, Amit... full review

Thumbs up, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ... It's anything but unconventional, an ImtiazAli-esque warm-blooded romance replete with confusion, off-key singing and a narrative cribbed from Forget Paris.... full review

Thumbs up, by Saakshi Juneja, To Each Its Own : ...The cast was fresh, each character well-etched out and played convincingly.... full review

So-So, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...he film seems to have been written in English and merely translated to Hindi... full review

So-So, by Aaina Sharma, Bollywood Mantra : ...It is an ordinary teenager love story told in a totally new, refreshing manner.... full review

So-So, by Aniruddha Guha, DNA : ...Tyrewala has spiced it up with a great script... full review

So-So, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...Abbas Tyrewala could have channelized his energies more towards the script than handling more of the creative aspects himself... full review

So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...It is therefore Tyrewala’s skill that we are still pulled into the film and cannot help but listen to the characters.... full review

So-So, by Kavita Ogale, Times Now : ...Where the actors are concerned, they definitely do know how to act, but are a little rough around the edges.... full review

So-So, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...But the kahani mein twist is so silly, it makes you want to cry over all the spilt milk... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Am I really being unreasonable if I can't understand why Abbas would give us such stereotypes as the gujju in the group... full review

Thumbs down, by Azad, Passion for Cinema : ...I seriously fail to understand why Abbas didn’t try to spoof the love story between its lead characters.... full review

Thumbs down, by Phoenixnu, Passion for Cinema : ...Am not at all interested in stories of all those rich, bored and dumb kids who have nothing to do in life except sing, dance and party.... full review

Thumbs down, SearchIndia.com : ...Besides the hackneyed story, there were quite a few weird scenes.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

132 readers - 3 yays 129 so-so 0 nays

Yay! Thumbs Up, by online fm radio station

Yay! Thumbs Up, by Suman

Yay! Thumbs Up, by TimELiebe : Great self-ware movie about modern Indian youth, friendship & love - what FRIENDS should have been!

So-So, by catyaopwbex

So-So, by catyaopxsex

So-So, by catyboparex

So-So, by catybopejex

So-So, by catybopetex

So-So, by catyboplpex

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This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

Aditi (Genelia D'souza) and Jai (Imran Khan) are greatest of friends. And it looks like they are in love with each other? So, what's the problem? Watch the movie to find out.

I am curious about a couple of things -

Horses were being used as repetitive motifs. Why?
What was the significance of "Mr. Gogot" in the last scene?

What Worked

While overall the movie doesn't have a lasting impact, there are these individual scenes, lines, single word dialogues that are hilarious/ hit the right chord.
The way the awkwardness, the discomfort between friends who were once good friends is played out.
Little things on Hindi cinema like naming Rajat Kapoor Mahesh like he was called in Dil Chahta Hai. Or paying "papa kehte hai" a tribute. Nephew's first film paying a tribute to unclue's first commercial success.
The bigger more obvious digs on Hindi cinema, like the airport scene or the dad writing the hero a cheque in lieu of the hero going away from the heroine's life or the long parted brothers meeting up in the most unlikely place.
The way Naseeruddin Shah's character comically depicted the way the audience felt, in the most serious of scenes.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

Somehow, an entire college singing and dancing to please one person is getting a bit too much for me. Maybe its unfair to complain now, when we have accepted it so many times over years. But, just want to register my protest.
Didn't get the whole bit about Aditi saying she can't dance and then getting up and dancing in the next few minutes. Why try to say she can't dance, when she's going to do so, soon?
How come Jai suddenly starts noticing Aditi?

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, crew, links

Official Sites:

Website Facebook [Facebook page of Jaane Tu ya jaane na]

Wikipedia

IMDB

Banner:

Producer:

Director:

Lead Cast:

, Imran Khan

Supporting Cast:

Manjari, Ayaz Khan, Karan Makhija, Sugandha Garg, Nirav Mehta, Alishka Varde, Renuka Kunjru, Prateik Babbar

, Anuradha Patel, Jayant Kriplani

Story:

Screenplay:

Dialogues:

Cinematography:

Editor:

Background Score:

Choreography:

Rajeev Surtiu, Longinus Fernandes, Rajeev Soorti

Music Director:

A R Rahman

Lyrics:

Abbas Tyrewala

Costume Designer:

Nuzat Khan, Ashley Rebello

Art Direction:

Aparna Raina

Running time:

160 minutes

Reviewer:

meeta

Language:

Hindi

Country:

India

Genres:

Romance

Comments (22)

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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....

chavanni

chavanni's review...

http://chavannichap.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_779.html

chavanni has posted 23 comments and has rated 0 movies. See chavanni's page for more details.

vimal

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?

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priyanka shukla

yu guys are mad, how silly to think about a story
must having sexual contact,rubbish,change the sites name keep it without thinking and going to a movie ha,ha.

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Thanks for sharing this!This was one movie I wanted to go and watch.

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meetu

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.

meetu

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.

meetu

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.

meetu

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.

meetu

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.

meetu

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.

Ridhima

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.

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iwebie

I think its a cool movie and a muct watch for Youngsters

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Arijit

No doubt this is a pleasing movie.This movie has brought a fresh air in bollywood after few month.

Arijit has posted 7 comments and has rated 0 movies. See Arijit's page for more details.

meetu

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!!

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.

diana

ok i like jenni very much and the heros acting is too good i like kabhi kabhi aditi song very much

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dilan younis

hi..its great and i like it alot...

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meetu

@TimELiebe oh well, to each his own. I had issues with it mocking at/commenting on something by doing the exact same thing.

meetu

@TimELiebe ya-ya-ya! Anything goes under the guise of irony and satire, doesn't it?

TimELiebe

::@TimELiebe ya-ya-ya! Anything goes under the guise of irony and satire, doesn't it?::

::pushes up my ten-gallon hat, chews on a matchstick, studying Meetu intently from under half-lidded eyes::

...Yup....

Oh, I'll bet if SRK did it, you'd all be swooning right about now! :D

TimELiebe has given this movie a Yay! Thumbs Up(Great self-ware movie about modern Indian youth, friendship & love - what FRIENDS should have been!). TimELiebe has posted 438 comments and has rated 181 movies. See TimELiebe's page for more details.

Suman

Direction: 3
Story: 3
Lead Actors: 3
Character Artists: 3

Dialogues: 2.5
Screenplay: 3.5
Music Director: 4
Lyrics: 4

Suman has given this movie a Yay! Thumbs Up. Suman has posted 135 comments and has rated 125 movies. See Suman's page for more details.

Jaane Tu ya jaane na

Plot Summary

What Worked

What did not

Parental Guidance:

Jaane Tu ya jaane na - Cast, crew, links

Comments (22)

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