Review: Jab We Met

28 October, 2007

BY SHUBIR RISHI

I will start this review by declaring that I have a huge dislike for both Kareena and Shahid Kapoor. I went to see this movie for purely professional reasons, had no expectations, and without much prejudice (ok, maybe a little). I was fully expecting to up and leave the movie during the first half (and that is what I should have done), but there were certain things about this movie (and don’t ban me for saying this), which were almost charming.

Shahid Kapoor is a wealthy young heir of a failing business family who is bored and defeated with life and dumped by his girlfriend. So one day he just gets up from a board meeting, drives directionless, and lands up in a train bound to Delhi. Kareena Kapoor is a charming talk-a-ton girl, who is going back to her ancestral home in Bhatinda, has never missed a train, and is on the same train. She is fairly intrigued by Shahid’s taciturn behavior and tries to engage him in conversation. A little later, they both find themselves on the platform, and miss the train. Kareena is furious and demands that he now take the responsibility to accompany her to her house in Bhatinda.

On the way to Bhatinda, a lot of ‘cute’ moments happen, and Shahid finds himself falling for her. But then Kareena has her own agenda. She plans to
flee the flock with her brawny-dumb-as-a-goat boyfriend to Manali, and live happily thereafter. After some more ‘cute’ moments with the family in Bhatinda, they both flee, and Shahid leaves her in Manali, to pursue her romantic dream, and returns to shoulder the falling business empire. He is a new and improved man now who rebuilds the crumbling business in a matter of months, with the assistance of a background romantic song. In the meantime, he never forgets Kareena, as she is his inspiration, but never bothers to check what’s happening in her life.

This is the story till the interval, and the best part of the movie. I won’t say I was delighted by the performances, but I found them strangely charming. The jokes were old, and the situations too predictable, but it is the chemistry of the two lead actors (since the supporting cast is ho-hum), which made all the difference.

We all know Kareena Kapoor as the pout-fairy, and how she rolls her eyes, when stuck in a difficult situation. Well, she does the same thing here, but
restrains herself until her disco number towards the end credits. Hell, she even manages to be funny, and is not too obnoxious either. And yes, her non-stop-nonsense-role actually suits her, and she does justice to it. Surprise, surprise.

Shahid Kapoor too, surprisingly didn’t tire me out this time (except that when he is dancing with his full hair bobbing up and down). His scenes with
Kareena Kapoor are near perfect, and there is a certain flow in the manner they are executed. Though sometimes he tries to act too mature, which is
just annoying. This boy does have promise; all he needs to do is do something about his chocolate image (which is near impossible to fix since he still looks VERY young). Maybe someone needs to cast him in a movie like Kalyug to bring out his true potential.

Imtiaz Ali's direction (till the first half) is superb. The actors don’t wait for their cues, and most of the scenes go uninterrupted. The supporting cast could have had been a lot better, but there is one thing going for it: they actually took real Sikhs in the movie rather than handing out fake beards and turbans (which is a fresh change), though I feel that the spoken Punjabi in the movie should have been a lot more cruder and funnier. The supporting cast does exactly what they are supposed to do: they support the cast, nothing more.

After the first half, the movie went on and on, like the Lord Of the Rings II. This could have again, been handled better, but the director wanted to cram everything he could in a jiffy. So we have a Hum aapke hain kaun-isque set, decorated with tons and tons of flowers, happy faces, colorful dresses, a sprawling mansion, and so hence and so forth. Also dismaying was the relationship between Kareena and her Manali man, which simply refused to make any sense at all. The audience didn’t seem to mind it one wee bit though.

So, overall, Jab We Met just might be a hit, if not a super hit. It’s a feel-good romantic comedy, with the right amount of punjabiness, which appeals so much to the Indian palette. So do go watch it, if you are in the mood for a stress free, no-twists-or-turns kind of typical Hindi movie, or if Kareena Kapoor does it for you.

‘nuff said.

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