Jab We Met

Jab We Met

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor
Direction: Imtiaz Ali
Rating 3 star

Get this. Since his life’s in a slump, he is about to jump from a train going bump-bump. Just then this jabber blabber girl hells, “Hang on dude.” Suicide prevented. Notch one triumph already for the girl. She’s a pack of instant sunshine.

The movie is quite a delight, particularly because it’s the chirpy chirpy-cheep-cheep girl and the retentive, moan groan boy. Directed with a flair for garnishing even the most abject of circumstances with humor and irony, here’s a feel cool movie. Wonderful.

The spirit is young and restless. The two strangers on a train bicker as the plot becomes thicker. From Mumbai, she (Kareena Kapoor) must reach her sprawling family home in Bathinda. As for the guy (Shahid Kapoor) just jilted in ishq vishiq, he doesn’t care whether he reaches Timbuctoo or Timbutchree. So, bring on the screwball shenaigans please.

Indeed, right till the intermission point, you are a fellow travelller with Miss chirpy and Mr. Jilted. They are stranded at Ratlam, land up in a sleazoid hotel, and eventually at her Bathinda Bangla for a walk in the Coldish keep-the-elders guessing interlude. Next: the couple race off to Manali.. But it is not what you think… the screenplay has organized a lemony twist.. Cheers!

She has an agenda: another guy, a regularly dumb big Moose (Tarun Arora, horrendous). Duh. He tells her to take a hike. Now, she is messed up while Mr Jilted becomes a livewire and even sorts out his plummeting business empire. The reversal of rolesis achieverd splendidly. So far, so yahoo.

Alas, the last half an hour or so of the road romance is not only contrived and corny but strectched to the pointof disbelief. This si largely due to the absurd characterization of Big Mosse. Plus, there’s a return to the Bathinda uncles, aunties and grandpas who either behave insanely or look like poor cousins of the Dilwale Dulhaniyas.

Moreover, why can’t everybody just speak what’s on their mind instead of rolling their eyes like ferris wheels? Advise: flee the movie during its concluding reels. And please that mandatory end credit disco flash item is boring as Rakhi Sawant’s media quotes.

Clearly, Imtiaz Ali had a terrific script but didn’t quite know how to wrap it up. There are far too many loose strands. Big Moose says something about being scared about religious differences and keeps changing his mind as if he didn’t possess one. Dumb dumb diga diga really.

On the positive side, N Nataraja Subramanian’s cinematography, the choice of locations and Pritam’s music scores are extraordinary. Certain scenes are written and performed marvelously – like the girl’s encounter with the railway station master, her emotional outbursts and the boy’s restrained reunion with his estranged mother.

Of the cast, none of the supporting performances is worth a wow. Shahid Kapoor is boyish charm personified and tackles difficult scenes with maturity. Kareena Kapoor is outstanding. She handles mood swings – from the narcissistic to the self-effacing- with spontaneity. Yup, there is a chemistry. Jab we saw- we liked. Worth a trip.