Jaane Tu...' a vibrant celebration July 7, 2008 Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na Cast: Imran Khan, Genelia D'Souza. Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak, Manjari Phadnis Director: Abbas Tyrewala Rating: ***
Abbas Tyrewala's directorial debut, which stars newcomer Imran Khan,has a certain sparkling spirit, a zest for living life and a certainzing about the way the characters look at life and love. It'snot only about the way the characters' exuberant yearnings connect withthe audience, it's also about the casual, free-flowing events anddialogues in the narrative that give the characters an edge over otherurbane youngsters who have come and gone in the past. The bunch of collegians here take their cues from Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai, Rakeysh Mehra's Rang De Basanti and even Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, but the plot is endearing and fairly original despite the derivative echoes. Whilethe supporting cast of friends are both real and tangible, at the coreof this romantic musical are Jai (Imran) and Aditi (Genelia) who are'best friends' in the coolest sense of the term. Bantering bum-chums atthe surface but sharing a much deeper bond underneath - all theirfriends can see that the twosome are made for each other. But theycan't. It's an exceedingly old formula for a romantic comedygiven a fresh new spin by a storyteller who picks moments from ordinarylives and converts them into a celebration of life and love. Oldsongs (mainly R.D. Burman) and new original music by A.R. Rahmancoalesce while Jai and Aditi's love story goes through several twistsand turns. And they finally arrive at the traditional end-game forromantic films - the grand reunion at the airport seconds before thegirl is scheduled to take off for good. The flurry is charming,though a little too self-consciously designed at times. Peepunderneath. And you see the narration covering a lot of familiar ground. Everyactor pitches in at just the right volume of vivacity. Imran has afresh face, is original and possesses a natural screen presence thatimmediately connects him with the audience. There are stand-outsupporting performances by Naseeruddin Shah (playing Jai's dead fatherin a portrait), Ratna Pathak (Jai's mom), Paresh Rawal as a boorish copand Arbaaz and Sohail Khan as a couple of outlandish cowboys. Thenthere's Manjari Phadnis as the hero's could-be love interest. Living inperpetual denial, she thinks her embittered parents (Rajat Kapoor andKitu Gidwani) actually love each other under the acrimony. Thecharacters never claim to be extraordinary in their desires. It's theirordinary dreams and down-to-earth desires which give the narration aspirited spin. And all those playing Imran and Genelia's friends are also superb. WhileGenelia is a natural in most scenes, Imran's unassuming boy-next-doorpersonality lends itself with picture-perfect precision to the mood andtenor of the narration. Here's a young actor who has a longinnings ahead. He doesn't think before he acts. It's not about how deephe goes into his character, it's more about how much at home he isoccupying the space provided by the script. Jaane Tu...doesn't have any message for the audiences. What it has is an honeststory about a bunch of credible characters told in a fashion that'scasually trendy and warm. Manoj Lobo's cinematography and ShanMohamed's editing assist the director in making a film that you'dprobably like to watch again just to see if you missed out a vital bitof the characters' lives while they were looking for love http://www.itgo.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view§ionid=2&id\ =5487
