Quite an India Jones
By Sachin Chatte
Film: Aashayein
Cast: John Abraham, Anaitha Nair
Directed by: Nagesh Kukunoor
Duration: 125 minutes
Rating: * * 1 / 2
The film was completed about two years but was lying in the cans all this while and finally, it has seen the light of day.
Nagesh Kukunoor’s career as a director has been a mixed bag so far. While Hyderabad Blues, Dor and the super duper Iqbal have been the highlight, his last two efforts, Bombay to Bangkok and 8 x 10 Tasveer were exasperating.
Aashayein offers you a mixed bag. There are parts which bring a cheer but then some of it leaves you bemused. Rahul (John Abraham) is a young man and though we are not sure what his legitimate profession is, he likes to bet on cricket matches. One day, lady luck shines big time on him and he makes a hefty profit - Big enough to serve as an inspiration to propose to his girlfriend (Sonal Sehgal). Man proposes, the lady approves but God disposes. Turns out that all the puffing of cigarettes has lead to lung cancer and our betsman doesn’t have much time left.
Without saying a proper goodbye to her, he packs his bags, takes a lot of moolah with him and heads off to a community home where all terminally ill people live. There he meets a variety of characters – Girish Karnad plays an elderly man suffering from throat cancer, Farida Jalal is suffering from AIDS but the best part of the movie is the chemistry between him and an almost adult girl (wonderfully played by Anaitha Nair). The repartee between them infuses some life in the otherwise morbid and not so effective proceedings. The two even sit and watch Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic Anand (1971) where Rajesh Khanna played a dying man wanting to spread some cheer.
The second half of the film is certainly more engrossing than the first – Initially you don’t feel any kind of sympathy for any of the characters but that comes with time. There is also a what-was-that kind of an episode involving John Abraham dressed up in the iconic Indiana Jones attire leading to the climax of the film.
While Sudeep Chatterjee’s camerawork is impressive, Salim Sulaiman’s music is so-so. Of the cast, Girish Karnad and Farida Jalal are spot on as always. Sonal Sehgal as the girlfriend, Prateeksha Lonkar as the nun and Ashwin Chitale (of Shwaas fame) are aptly cast. John Abraham does a fairly decent job. The best performance comes from Anaitha Nair who is first rate. Hopefully, we will see lots more of her in the days to come. So, considering that there wasn’t much aasha from film lying around for a couple of years, Aashayein just about makes the cut.
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Oh No Darling!
Film: Hello Darling
Cast: Jaaved Jaffery, Gul Panag, Celina Jaitley
Directed by: Manoj Tiwari
Duration: 105 Minutes
Rating: * 1 /2
With a title like that, by and large you know what to expect – A highly implausible plot, lots of slapstick comedy, lewd and gay jokes and Hello Darling turns out to be exactly that. Having said that, most of the ‘comedies’ that come from Bollywood are usually on similar lines so there isn’t anything significantly better or worse here.
Jaaved Jaffery (his name is twisted as Harddick, which actually means ‘heartfelt’ in Hindi) is a top corporate guy and is always chasing anything in a skirt. The three women in the office (Celina, Gul panag, Ishaa Koppikar) always bear the brunt of his playboy attitude. In a silly incident, they think they have killed him and then try to steal the body from the hospital resulting in more silliness.
That aspect continues till the end of the film which mercifully is not too long. There are a couple of gags that make you laugh but ultimately it’s the overall writing which doesn’t really make it up to the mark. As for the technicalities, the lesser said the better. Among the actors, even though he is very talented, Jaaved Jaffery can’t do much. As far as the ladies are concerned, Gul Panag is convincing, Celina Jaitley is not and Isha Koppikar looks awkward in a Harayanwi accent. All and all, there isn’t much happening with Hello darling.
