Drona and Kidnap are a big letdown!

Drona and Kidnap are big film in all respects - big stars, big canvas, big expenditure, big ad spend, big expectations. Sadly, they are a big, big, big letdown as well and people are already comparing these films to the recent supreme disasters like Saawariya, RGV Ki Aag and Love Story 2050 or the all time classic disasters like Razia Sultan or Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja.

In Drona there are a few sequences that are executed with style like when Kay Kay turns Jaya Bachchan into a statue, the train sequence, Kay Kay dragging Priyanka to his yacht and the petal storm. Apart from these awe-inspiring sequences Drona rests on a wafer thin plot and a sloppy, slipshod and messy screenplay!

Kidnap is nowhere near Dhoom and Dhoom-2 the two previous directorial ventures of Sanjay Gadhvi that bring a cauldron of expectations. I never expected such a ridiculous piece of work from the same director! Probably the difference here is that Aditya Chopra and the YRF banner is not around this time. Kidnap has nothing to offer more than disappointments and it's a great disaster. I had read somewhere that Gadhavi feels Imran Khan’s performance in this film reminds him of Marlon Brando! Brando must be turning upside down in his grave! As a viewer in the theatre, you too will probably agree when Imran Khan proclaims, ‘Hell is right here!’.

I think Directors like Behl and Gadhvi should realize that movie-goers have stopped appreciating inane ideas.

Bole tho, picture mast hain mamu, miss nahin karneka!

The era of simple story telling is finally back in Bollywood. Oh! How we missed all this while. Film making is essentially about telling a story and Jaane tu… hits bulls eye here...

Debutant director Abbas Tyrewala (who claim to fame was the dialogues of the Munna Bhai series, Maqbool, Main Hoon Na, etc.,) holds great potential and has penned some amazing dialogues and lyrics. Some of the dialouges in the movie has you rolling on the floor. For example: The scene where Aditi sees her brother playing with his pet mouse and asks him - "You really love her na;" to which he cattily replies, "No, we're just friends." Or in another scene where Aditi asks her brother “Can I sit here?” to which her brother casually replies “it’s your house, your bums, sit wherever you want to”. The nonchalant way in which the dialogues are delivered is absolutely amazing.

The dead parent in the photo-frame may be an old plot-device (as old as Hum Paanch on TV), but it’s a stroke of genius on Abbas’ part how he ties it up so smartly in the film. Also, the horsemen - at first such a harebrained and pointless idea, but so cleverly incorporated in the narrative. The director has also managed to aptly showcase a whole lot of relationships in the movie - be it that of siblings, friends or parents and kids.

At its heart, Jaane tu… is a refreshing film. Refreshing because of its humour quotient, Refreshing because of its emotive scenes, Refreshing because of its witty dialogues, Refreshing because of its fun moments, Refreshing because of A R Rahman’s outstanding soundtrack, Refreshing because the film’s cast and crew look like they actually enjoyed making this film.

Another Khan joins the long list of great Khans that the Hindi film industry boasts of. One look at debutant actor Imran Khan onscreen and you're taken back in time, reminded of the chocolate-boy hero of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak - Aamir Khan. Like Uncle, Like Nephew! Genelia exudes exuberance and adds life to her character. She handles emotions like jealousy, confusion or rage with élan, she’s spontaneous and sparkling.

Both Imran and Genelia share intense and electrifying chemistry which literally bounce off each other and keeps you spellbound when they’re on screen. Apart from these two lead performances, we have the spirited and feisty Ratna Pathak-Shah, the brooding and brilliant Prateik Babbar, the luminous Manjari Phadnis, and then those four amazing cameos Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Arbaaz Khan & Sohail Khan.

The film itself is a simple, young, urban, collegiate romantic comedy. And comments on such movies should really boil down to, if it entertains you or not. This one does. Whether it works or not. This one does. Period.