Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na - Movie Review
Published: February 10, 2010
Starring Imran Khan, Genelia D'Souza
There’s little physical resemblance between fledgling actor Imran Khan and his uncle, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, but the young man has obviously inherited the same acting gene. The senior Khan made the right decision in producing this, his nephew’s debut film, because it went on to become a box-office hit. Actress Genelia D’Souza also makes her debut here and shows promise as a spunky leading lady.
But other than solid performances by the two leads, the film has little else to recommend it. It’s a cute, lighthearted romantic comedy about an uncomplicated, congenial, and somewhat boring couple. The story is run-of-the-mill, and while the characters are college graduates, they emotionally seem more like adolescents.
Jai (Khan) and Aditi (D’Souza) are best friends who can’t admit to themselves or each other that they’re in love. Their story is told in flashback by their unremarkable friends—an unnecessary and annoying narration contrivance. For some reason, these adorable soul mates, who make each other completely happy, have never considered dating. They’re shocked when Aditi’s parents suggest they get married, and they balk at the idea. Her parents warn them that if they end up with different romantic partners, their close friendship might not survive.
Predictably, when Jai starts dating someone, Aditi feels neglected and jealous. So she agrees to an arranged marriage and gets engaged to a jerk. Jai’s new girlfriend turns out to be a head case. They’re both miserable and missing each other, but too hurt and angry to rectify the problem.
In the meantime, Jai keeps having a dream about a man with a sword on horseback, and he thinks it’s his deceased father. His mother is horrified about the dream because, she tells him, his father was committed to nonviolence and was killed breaking up a fight. Which is a lie—his father died participating in a fight. We know this because Jai’s mom talks to a picture of her late husband—and his picture talks back. The dead man is worried that his wife has turned their son into a wimp, but really, Jai is too smart to get hurt and too cool for anyone to hate and he easily talks his way out of fights, which drives Aditi crazy, because she likes manly guys who stand up for themselves (grow up, girl!). His father predicts that one day Jai’s fiery family pride will flare up and he’ll be a hero. Take a wild guess what happens.
Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na is rated Worth Watching.
Community - News - Reviews - Commentary - About
