Sare Jahaan Se Mehnga

wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list ^(?)

quick review:

Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga has a common man figuring his way out of his frustrations, all while trying to be a part of the system. The initially subtle satire gets tiring and then preachy. Yet can be watched when on TV.

Director: Anshul sharma

Cast: Zakir Hussain, Sanjai Mishra, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Ranjan Chabbra, Pragati Pande

Running time: 110 minutes

Genres: Family, Satire, Social

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Economics. Demand and supply. Beautiful things and their assumptions corrupted by the greedy and power-hungry. The brunt of course is borne by the common man. The man who has to skim on his outgoing calls and manipulate others to spend less himself. The woman who has to cut corners on grooming herself to make ends meet. Though our situation might not be as extreme as that of Puttanpal (Sanjay Mishra), we can extrapolate his concerns to ours without having to stretch our imagination too much. Unfortunately, despite having this to its advantage, you lose interest in Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga quite quickly.

Without a doubt the seed of Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga is a brilliant one. Also, there are some details, often exaggerated to accentuate the satire, that are very earthy. Interestingly, the exaggeration too is carried out in a very matter-of-fact manner and makes it humorous. But, none of this lasts and the situation stays flat.

Same thing goes for the characters. From the caustic dad to the supporting wife to the full-of-attitude brother to the frustrated common man himself, characters are interesting with a lovely shade of reality. But they don't engage beyond. I guess that's the price you pay for writing consistent characters. But even consistent characters need an arc to make a story.

The performances and dialogue put together try their best to keep Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga afloat. But can manage to just about barely do that. The supporting characters take away a lot of credibility.

Yet, Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga is not a complete write-off because of what it tries to do. It tries its best to bring out the frustration of the lower-middle class. The use of satire stays in the background yet makes its point - from the obvious one on soaring prices of basic necessities to the joke that 'being of age', being 18 is in an Indian family. If only, it had not given into having a preachy, lackluster turn around towards the climax. Oh well, maybe next time.

- meeta, a part of the audience

16 reviewers^(?) - 4 yays 9 so-so 3 nays

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

Thumbs up, by Suparna Sharma, Deccan Chronicle : ...A storm is brewing in the lanes of forgotten residential colonies in India and 'Saare Jahaan…' offers a gentle, genial whiff of it... full review

Thumbs up, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...That most of SJSM’s dialogue is conversational and still quite amusing is worth a mention.... full review

Thumbs up, Free Press Journal : ...There is no flab in the narrative. Even the token romantic moves are well woven into the narrative... full review

Thumbs up, by Aakash Barvalia, MoviezADDA : ...Written by Rupesh Thapliyal and Vijay Manral, the basic plot is very much interesting and was very well designed.... full review

So-So, by Aparajita Ghosh, Apun Ka Choice : ...a pertinent satire... full review

So-So, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...Vishwa Mohan Badola tends to go over the top at times, but is wonderful otherwise.... full review

So-So, by Smita, Desi Martini : ...An interesting story line that is not fully exploited. Not a bad watch though... full review

So-So, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Not a bad film at all; just not as good as it could've been... full review

So-So, by Nandini Ramnath, Live Mint : ... a mix of good-natured satire and superb casting keeps this low-budget, low-octane comedy on course.... full review

So-So, by Shakti Shetty, MiD DAY : ...The dialogues lack punch even though the intentions are educative... full review

So-So, Movie Talkies : ...A satirical take on inflation and the helplessness of the middle class, this movie is a pretty decent fare.... full review

So-So, by Mansha Rastogi, Now Running.com : ...Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga falters terribly in its basic premise. Watch it only for honest performances and commendable setting. ... full review

So-So, by Narendra Gupta, Star Blockbuster : ...The lack of saleable actors and the dragging pace make it a no show.... full review

Thumbs down, by Fatema H Kagalwala, India Entertainment : ...The film is a simple story, not really message-oriented, more inclined towards exploring the tragi-comical aspects of a middle class family’s struggles. But it is failed by simplistic writing and amateurish direction that neither endears its world to us nor engages our sympathies.... full review

Thumbs down, by Vinayak Chakravorty, india today : ...Worse, tech-specs including editing and camera leave a lot to be desired. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Ananya Bhattacharya, Zee News : ...Those are two hours of my life I’m never getting back.... full review

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