Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010)

When the director of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na comes up with his second directorial venture, you are bound to have high expectations but the only way you can survive through Jhootha Hi Sahi is to have no expectations at all. Otherwise you’ll end up being majorly disappointed. You have been warned already.
Jhootha Hi Sahi tells the story of Siddharth [John Abraham], a geek who runs a bookshop and stammers in front of good looking girls. By mistake, his number gets printed on the leaflets of a suicide helpline [How I wish there wasn't any mistake like this in the first place and we wouldn't have to tolerate such a movie] and that is when he starts receiving calls from different people who need help and motivation to live life and not commit suicide. Then Mishka [Pakhi] comes into the scene, who also wants to end her life after breaking up with her boyfriend [Madhavan].

Siddharth or Sid, as he is called throughout the movie, puts on the role of a patient listener and stops her from committing suicide. However, he doesn’t reveal his real identity to her and becomes her anonymous friend, “Fidatho”. Then onwards starts a telephonic friendship between these two. During these phone calls, Sid helps Mishka realize that life is beautiful and worth living. He makes her move on in life. Their phone calls continue and the two meet without Mishka knowing he is the one. Siddharth falls in love with her and how things get entangled with all the ‘double-role’ he has to play, forms the rest of the story.

If it looks interesting right now, trust me, it is just so on paper. In the movie it looks like an extremely lame effort of western screenplay meeting British humor to form a Bollywood movie.  The screenplay of Jhootha Hi Sahi is boring and lacks moments which engross you and bring a smile on your face if not make you laugh! The plot of the movie revolves around the two leading actors but the screenplay is so much about their friends as well that it ends up making the movie lengthy and verbose.

Also, there are parts of the movie which don’t convince at all. The female lead is shown as an extremely confused person who cannot decide what is it that she actually wants? She starts liking Sid for without any strong grounds but then goes back to her ex for no good reason only to realize that’s not what she wants. Aargh! But wait; there are more aargh moments in the movie. Such irritating characters don’t do any good to movies! The dialogues are clichéd. A few of them do bring a smile on your face but not for long. Soon they become dull and boring and don’t help stifle that yawn either.

The actors don’t really save the sinking ship either. John tries his best to come out naturally in the movie but his attempts are too hard and can be seen. Maybe it is just that he can’t get out of his “hot dude” status, which isn’t required by the script of this movie. Pakhi really needs to take acting lessons. Also, she doesn’t even look apt for the role in scenes because of her maturity. The director must know that casting his wife in the lead role is not a great idea especially when she isn’t even leading lady material. The chemistry between Pakhi and John in the movie is almost nonexistent. If you are making a love story, you should make sure the lead actors at least look good together. Clearly, Abbas needs to learn that. I wonder what happened to the director who brought out Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Coming to other actors of the movie, Raghu Ram [MTV Roadies fame] has done a good job in the little scope provided but Madhavan needs to understand that such short roles where he can’t stand out won’t take him anywhere. The sooner he realizes this, the better it will be for him.

The music [although done by A.R Rehman] is a weak point too. For a while I couldn’t believe it is done by the master of Bollywood music. Agreed, some of the tracks might be melodious and soulful but nothing that would make your foot tap or even sing along for that matter. When the plot of the movie doesn’t please the audience, they look at the music to make themselves feel better about spending their time. This one disappoints on both counts.

All in all, Jhootha Hi Sahi is one of those movies, which you should avoid at all costs. It is such a bummer that it won’t make you feel good for spending your time and little money on the pirated DVD [since it didn't make it to Pakistani cinemas, thankfully!]. If you are a John Abraham fan and really want to watch this one, I’d suggest you to watch Dostana again because watching this one will only make you feel bad for your favorite actor.

P.S. Kids, Jhootha is NOT Sahi!  – Hafsah Sarfraz

Rating:- 2 out of 5

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2010, Genre – Drama/Romance, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Madhu Mantena, Abbas Tyrewala, Director – Abbas Tyrewala, Music Director – A. R. Rahmann, Cast - John Abraham ,Pakhi Tyrewala, R. Madhavan, Raghu Ram, Manasi Scott, Anaitha Nair, Nandana Sen

Little Zizou (2009)

Indian cinema has been making serious inroads and developments into unchartered territories without the stereotypical Bollywood masala in tow- so much so that now even the term ‘Bollywood’ has been swiftly erased and replaced with the more professional diction of ‘industry’. With offerings of films like Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, Chak De India, Life in a Metro amongst several others, the Indian film industry has been quite adventurous in recent times with opting for alternative menus from their regular dosages of song, dance, romance and have shown in full glory what their cinema is capable of. Their latest offering Little Zizou, a Mira Nair and Indian Films presentation and the directorial debt of the photographer and screenwriter, Sooni Taraporevala, is yet another delightful addition to the Indian screens.

Little Zizou is a sweet poignant film, peppered with Gujrati, that effectively and colourfully presents a slice of life of two warring Parsi families. Through these two families, the film presents a glimpse into the language, culture, religion and life of the Parsi community in India. With an impressive cast – all Parsis mind you – including the illustrious Boman Irani and the young Imaad Shah, son of the veteran theatre and film actor Naseeruddin Shah (who is a Muslim married to Ratna Pathak, a Parsi) the film takes you through life as a Parsi completely. While Boman Irani is already an established and much appreciated actor, the young Imaad makes quite an impression in this film as an actor with immense potential. John Abraham is around for some very welcome eye candy.

Indian cinema has increasingly begun to staunchly believe in the terribly trite-but in their case true-adage that good things come in small packages; the movie also introduces two incredibly talented younger artistes, Sonni’s children: Inayah and Jahan Bativala who play Boman’s spiteful yet charming little daughter and Xerxes, affectionately and self proclaimed ‘little Zizou’, respectively. These are not the only characters in the film though, the movie is inundated with fascinating little vignettes of people and locations. Yet despite this deluge of characters, the film never looses its focus but keeps on its track evolving through the comic strips, dreams of Russian invasions, temples and homes, meandering all over Mumbai to deliver a simple tale of faith, hope and love.

The dialogues are pithy, witty and meaningful, crafted and stylized like Bapsi Sidhwa’s The Crow Eaters, illuminating the complexities of people and human nature, never allowing audiences to dismiss any character or typecast anyone in one emotion or perspective. This is a capacity that only good writersare able to create for their characters-never allowing readers to excommunicate or relegate them, but always see them subjectively as a holistic whole.

From the title of the film one expects a frivolous, light hearted family comedy centering on football and its French star Zidane. Nothing could be farther from the reality of the film. Contrary to expectations, it is not a hilarious laugh out loud type of film but a quiet erudite comedy reflecting on the complexities of life, as Imaad Shah points out in the movie, “That’s life. One day you’re a cockpit, the other, scrap metal.”

Although the story revolves around little Zizou and his football craze-it centres more on his struggle for love, the pain of being a motherless child with an ambitious, religiously hypocritical father. In its most basic form, Little Zizou is an intimate story of a family and its relationships with its own members, and the members of the community it exists in. On a more deeper level, it is a critique on total social control that organized religions exercise. Through Little Zizou Sooni makes an important social commentary on the religious bigotry that is rampant around the world. In an interview she stated her outrage at what people are doing in the name of religion: “I’m a religious person but I don’t follow it blindly. The way I see it is that religious leaders do things for their own personal gains and in the process destroy the world and brainwash gullible people.” She made the film on what was closest to her own social reality, but terrifyingly for us all, this is not an isolated phenomenon and one that we experience everyday with our own beliefs. The film makes some very excellent observations on how to tackle the situations and suggests, amongst other things, to think, criticise and hope. It is very different from the way the Parsis were characterized in comic flicks from Bollywood like (the Amol Palekar and Tina Munim starrer) Baton Baton Mein and also quite different from Bollywood’s recent attempt to script a film on Parsis: Being Cyrus. Little Zizou is a very genuine straightforward film that presents a very nuanced understating of religion and life. A must watch to gain insight and hope for what we in Pakistan are suffering and how we may find solace and a panacea to our quandaries – Hani Taha Salim (Rating – 3 OUT OF 5)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2009, Genre – Comedy, Country – India, Language – English, Producers – Dinaz Stafford, Studio 18, Sooni Taraporevala, Director – Sooni Taraporevala, Cast – Kurush Deboo, Boman Irani, Cyrus Broacha, Immaduddin Shah, Imaad Shah, Saurabh Ardeshir, Shernaz Patel, Zenobia Shroff, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwa, Kunal Vijaykar, Tknow Francorsi, Kamal Sidhu, Dilshad Patel, Iyanah Bativala, Special Appearance – John Abraham

New York

New York, directed by Kabir Khan of Kabul Express fame, has all the makings of a successful film if one just disregards the miniscule fact that the plot is at least five years stale. An endearing story of three friends whose lives meet a tragic fate, New York has it all: romance, humor, drama, heart wrenching pain and of course a mellifluous sound track that one must possess for long romantic drives!

A poignant story of three friends – all gorgeous in their own capacities – Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh), the fresh off the boat desi boy, Samir (John Abraham), the macho man with the perfect life, and the love interest Maya (Katrina Kaif, as herself really) a charming bubbly pretty girl who completes the triangle. The plot revolves around the male protagonists and the film keeps going back and forth as Neil narrates his experiences at college and his relationship with his two best friends John and Katrina. Their life is all hunky dory albeit with its typical adolescent disappointments of your best bud stealing the girl you secretly love – and lots of lovey dovey songs in between. Neil’s encounter with the insolent FBI officer Roshan (Irrfan) generates some moments of sheer wit that add potency to the script.

Subtle things denote the attention to detail in direction like Neil’s cell phone ringing with the display showing ‘Museebat’- that elicited a lot of laughs in the audience- when Irrfan Khan is calling/pestering him, to the general interchanges between both Irrfan and Neil, even his opening dialogue ‘sir you don’t have to do this bonding exercise with me’ add humor at the most unexpected times in the film and certainly make it a very enjoyable watch.

The story however really takes a jump-start right before the intermission when John dramatically reveals his true identity to a naïve Neil. The next few scenes are powerful and awe inspiring as they reveal the potential that Kabir Khan has unearthed from John, and heart wrenching in the barbaric reality they expose. Moreover, this is where the 9/11 angle and its effect on Muslims living in America really comes into play.

An actor worth mentioning, although in a cameo role is Nawazuddin as the tortured soul Zilgai whose expressions are perfectly timed and executed and his portrayal of his character flawless, so much so, that he manages to shine through the glamour of the young heroes in the film with just a total of 30-40 minutes of screen time. If one thing Bollywood manages to do every time is to excavate these jewels to enhance and blaze the screens (remember Rustom from Munna Bhai or how Irrfan Khan himself started out).

So even though the plot is a bit stale, Kabir Khan manages to work with it and add his own fresh (as fresh as a eight year old plot could be) take from a NRI perspective on it. He also tackles the sensitive issue of the US government’s manipulative and hypocritical policies in the most diplomatic way and although the film’s end is too loose and simplistic Khan tries to project the goodness that Americans – South Asians included – have gained from living there such as (allegedly) values of freedom, liberty, honesty and integrity. Of a culture that Irrfan Khan proclaims allows for a terrorist’s son to be launched onto the shoulders of his football peers and hailed as a hero. Too cheesy and rose-tinted to gobble; had Irrfan not uttered these words in his characteristic sombre way one could have choked – and not from tears!

Despite the inaccuracies in the film – John managing to place bomb detonators onto the FBI building for one – New York is a fairly good attempt. And it’s always good to see Bollywood movies that are attempting to move away from the traditional boy meets girl masala. It’s not as powerful as Shoaib Mansoor’s own take on terrorism and a post-9/11 scenario in Khuda Kay Liye but then it’s Bollywood yaar! - Hani Taha Salim (Rating – 3 OUT OF 5)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2009, Genre – Action, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra, Director – Kabir Khan, Music Director – Pritam, Cast – John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan