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Topic: jaanemann:review (Read 707 times)
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bharath
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jaanemann:review
« on: October 27, 2006, 02:27:24 AM »
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jaanemann reviews goes here
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bharath
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2006, 02:28:50 AM »
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By Taran Adarsh, October 20, 2006 - 10:46 IST
Let's clear a myth before we get into the analyzing mode…
JAAN-E-MANN is about two guys loving the same girl. Her first relationship doesn't work for certain reasons. Opportunity comes knocking again. The second guy rides into her . Sounds familiar?
From SANGAM to KABHI KABHIE to CHANDNI to SAAJAN, the concept of two men falling head over heals in love with the same woman has been done to death in Bollywood. Is there anything else left to explore? What novelty does JAAN-E-MANN offer then? Is it old wine packaged in a new bottle?
Sure, JAAN-E-MANN is a love story. But it explores new grounds, in terms of story as well as execution. It's an unconventional film. Yet, innovative at the same time. It doesn't follow the path most love stories charter. It's a fresh concept and the twists and turns in the screenplay only ensure that it doesn't stagnate.
To be brutally honest, it takes time to absorb a new format of storytelling. As moviegoers, we are used to following one particular format, which rarely changes. In JAAN-E-MANN, the story begins where most end. At the very outset, you're told that the first relationship has already fallen apart. Knowing that it's over between the two, the first guy encourages [and actually assists/trains/spoon-feeds] the second guy to get close to the woman both love. The second guy faithfully follows the instructions, till a twist in the tale brings about an awakening. Just when you that it's going to be a conventional climax, there's a twist again…
Write your own movie review of Jaan-e-Mann
Nope, JAAN-E-MANN isn't purani bottle par naya label. Definitely not!
It's said that [most] editors make fantastic directors. After all, the biggest of dreams take final shape on the editing table. Editor Shirish Kunder wears many hats in his first attempt: Director, story-screenplay-dialogues' writer, background music composer, TV and theatrical promo maker and of course, editor. And yes, he makes a terrific impact in his maiden attempt as a storyteller.
The marriage of realism with escapism as also form and content is evident in JAAN-E-MANN. There are moments that offer tremendous entertainment. There are times when Shirish borrows incidents straight from life; you've seen it happening to someone or perhaps, it's happened to you.
All the same, the execution of the film and the shot compositions are masterly. If you understand cinema or if you're an avid moviegoer, you'd notice that JAAN-E-MANN is shades apart from Yash Chopra or Mani Ratnam or Priyadarshan or RGV or Rakesh Roshan's movies. It stands out for its individuality. The technique leaves you wondering, is this Hindi cinema or are you watching a fairytale?
Most importantly, JAAN-E-MANN has its in the right place. Like this reviewer pointed out at the outset, it takes time to get used to Shirish's style of narrating a story. The initial reels may give you the feeling that it's all gloss, no soul and perhaps, the director has lost his marbles and experimented at the expense of an uncompromising producer [Sajid Nadiadwala], but JAAN-E-MANN catches you slowly, but firmly and doesn't leave you till the end.
Wait, this doesn't imply that JAAN-E-MANN is a flawless product. There are blemishes that stand out in the narrative. If Shirish deserves distinction marks as a storyteller, you need to deduct his points as an editor. Perhaps, Shirish fell in love with his product and didn't realize that this 19 reeler tends to get lengthy and at times, slow paced.
Also, Shirish's style of storytelling -- very novel and refreshingly different -- caters more to the multiplex crowd/elite/big city junta/Overseas audience rather than the aam public/hoi polloi/masses/frontbenchers. The generous usage of English will also restrict its appeal to urban centres. Yes, there are mass appealing moments, but JAAN-E-MANN is a big gamble. The first section of moviegoers would love the film and if it catches on with the masses [thanks to the strong emotional quotient in the second hour], there's no stopping the film then.
Now to the story:
JAAN-E-MANN begins with Suhan [Salman Khan] receiving a notice to pay the alimony. He has to shell out Rs. 50 lacs to his estranged wife Piya [Preity Zinta], now settled in the U.S. Suhan's 'Chachu' Boney [Anupam Kher], a lawyer, s of ways to wriggle out of the situation.
It's at this juncture that Champu aka Agastya [Akshay Kumar] walks in, looking for Piya. He was in love with her during the college days, he tells Suhan and Chachu, but she was in love with someone else [Agastya is unaware that Suhan is the guy]. Piya had ignored Agastya then, a nerd, and even broke his by courting another guy. A heartbroken Agastya had left the college for this reason.
Back to the present: Agastya is now at NASA. His outwardly appearance may've undergone a change, but he still doesn't know how to communicate with a girl, forget dating her. Suhan and Chachu hatch the plan to get Agastya and Piya together, so that Suhan is out of the mess.
Agastya flies to New York, so does Suhan. They hire an apartment right opposite Piya's residence and monitor each and every move of her through binoculars and telescope. Suhan s Agastya to woo Piya. A reluctant Piya eventually gives in. But the story changes when Suhan gets to know of a certain reality and that changes his life completely. He feels responsible towards Piya.
Suhan realizes his folly and wants to make amends. But oblivious to Suhan's presence, Piya is now preparing for a life with Agastya. One wouldn't like to reveal the climax, since that would take the sheen away from the enterprise. We wouldn't be able to reveal the finale either, which is sure to bring a smile on your face.
JAAN-E-MANN balances humor and emotions beautifully. In fact, a film on relationships ought to rest on a solid emotional ground and JAAN-E-MANN has those scenes in abundance, especially in the second hour. Salman's journey from a mere spectator of Akshay-Preity's courtship to being a part of the love story is beautifully depicted. What prompts Salman to have a change of and feel more responsible [the reason is withheld by the reviewer] is again a brilliant stroke from the writing, execution and performance point of view.
All the same, the humor is just perfect. It's not the crass or mindless kind, but simple and at the same time, sure to bring a smile on your face or force you to break into laughter.
JAAN-E-MANN has more aces, starting with Farah Khan's choreography. Every song in immaculately choreographed and comes across as a remarkable piece of art. Anu Malik's music is soothing and soft, in sync with the mood of the film. 'Jaane Ke Jaane Na' is undoubtedly the best track of the enterprise. 'Ajnabee Shaher' and 'Humko Maloom Hai' are two compositions that also stand out for sheer melody. Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography is remarkable. Right from Sabu Cyril's delightfully colorful sets to the skyline of New York, the D.O.P. captures every moment with dexterity and flourish on celluloid. Surily Goel's costumes are classy and well-synchronized with the upmarket feel.
Now to the performances! The one question that you want to ask Salman is, why had you hidden the sensitive performer in you all these years? Agreed, the actor has delivered fine performances in the past, right from Sooraj Barjatya's films to TERE NAAM to NO ENTRY [aimed at the masses]. But this is an altogether different Salman you see in JAAN-E-MANN. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that if asked to choose one performance from the three pivotal ones in JAAN-E-MANN, it has to be Salman without doubt. He wins hands down completely. The role is a reflection of what Salman can handle in real life: Loads of attitude, the mischievous dude with a naughty streak and most importantly, a sensitive and soft-hearted man who can weep, if affected. Simply remarkable!
Akshay is first-rate. The actor plays a simpleton, a far cry from the roles he's now famous for [DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL, GARAM MASALA, PHIR HERA PHERI] and proves his versatility yet again. There's a marked growth in Akshay's performances and the one in JAAN-E-MANN only endorses the statement.
Preity is wonderful. Not only does she look like a woman who is the cynosure of two men, but also emotes her part with amazing grace. There's a surprise in store in the end and Preity's fans are sure to love her in that look as well.
Anupam Kher is fantastic as Chachu, but has an ill-defined role as the look-alike in New York. Jawed Sheikh and Soni Razdan [Preity's parents] are appropriate in brief roles. Nawaab [Preity's brother] and Aman Verma are decent.
On the whole, JAAN-E-MANN balances humor and emotions beautifully. In fact, it's a BIG film in all respects -- right from its cast to the extravagant sets to the lavish making, besides, of course, unadulterated entertainment it has to offer. At the box-office, the Diwali and Idd holidays will prove bountiful for the film and add to the big returns. Business-wise, JAAN-E-MANN should fare best at multiplexes and also at major centres, besides Overseas. But its business at comparatively smaller centres, where masala films dominate, is bound to be affected by DON's presence. However, if the strong word of mouth catches on, the business at smaller centres will add to its booty.
***1/2
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bharath
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2006, 02:29:28 AM »
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Subhash K Jha's take on Jaan-e-Mann
By Subhash K. Jha, October 23, 2006 - 11:50 IST
Cast: Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Anupam Kher
Director: Shirish Kunder
After watching the vacuous synergy of Don, here comes a film that sweeps you off your feet with its expansive vision of a world where true love triumphs even if it takes six songs, seven aptly choreographed dances (Farah Khan, take a bow) and five utterly heartwarming moments of drama, all woven into a tongue-in-cheek pastiche that collects all the clichés and conventions of the traditional filmy triangle into a clasp that saloms Broadway's truest and most vigorous musical tradition.
Initially it's a little tough to get into the gorgeous groove and the flamboyant moves orchestrated by a director who has the derring-do to take on the clichés of cinema and turn them on their head.
The first twenty minutes are near-disastrous, what with the dialogues with a devilish dwarf of an uncle (Anupam Kher) about the hero Suhaan (Salman Khan)’s past brush with love marriage and divorce going nowhere.
But then the narrative gathers momentum. And we're soon looking at lives that are defined and dressed-up in the best musical tradition. Sadly the music score isn't as supportive as it should've been. Much of the musical impact comes from Gulzar's tongue-in-cheek lyrics paying a homage to that feeling of lovelorn wistfulness , and of course the central performances.
Akshay Kumar as the college nerd (look: courtesy the American serial Friends) who silently worships the student next-desk is full of perky beans bubbling over in sensitive motions that show how effortlessly he links with his character.
But it's Salman who propels this pungent tale of dramatic love forward. In a narrative saucily freed of serious intentions, buoyed by devices that take sporting potshots at that sting-thing called love, Salman creates an endearing graph as a callous arrogant wannabe film-star (check out his super-starry tantrums in New York when an American director offers him the second lead) who turns into a sobbing mass of fatherly concerns in the second-half when he realizes he has a baby from the wife whom he once deserted.
Jaan-e-Mann uses potboiler-conventions to tell a story that takes Hindi cinema to a new narrative level. Characters cheekily tamper with time and space to the extent that they appear to be no slave to either. Musical outfits pop out of nowhere. A Qawwalli group emerges from a cupboard and celebrates the nerd Agastya's devotion to the beauty with brains, when the cool dude Suhaan realizes he still loves the ex-wife whom he's been trying to thrust on the nerd (it's a complicated knick-knack of plotting devices ) window panes shatter in computer-generated synchronicity…
Shirish Kunder uses a fascinating and energetic new form of storytelling that fuses the traditional Hindi-film triangle into the all-encompassing vision of Broadway musicals where colours create a riot of over-the-top emotions. Sadly the format is inconsistent, veering vigorously from satire to homage.
And yet there's ample room in the lengthy narrative to bring out the emotional power of the plot. Indeed Salman cries (manfully) for almost the entire second-half without getting whiny or tedious…a mean feat! Akshay is full of chortling gaiety, enjoying every bit of his role as a wannabe Salman who realizes devotion cannot be reciprocated by love. A sporting role, performed with great empathy.
Preity Zinta remains controlled throughout. The single-mother role allows her no room to let go. And the narrative filled with singing lines that sublimate her woes, allows her no room for dramatics.
Though hard to get into, Jaan-e-Mann is great fun once you get into it. This is a world of eternally–designed dreams. No one dies. Yes, all the characters get emotionally disturbed. But Shirish never lets us forget this is a movie. Everything will come our right at the end.
Full marks to the debutant director for creating a delicately drawn world of wispy emotions. D.O.P Sudeep Chatterjee and art director Sabu Cyril do a great job of harnessing Kunder's Peter Pan vision into a spiral of whispering emotions that undulate softly , sometimes in counter-productive motions.
If only Shirsh didn't get carried away with his novel format. A little bit of control in the space allotted and that tendency for the satire on cinematic conventions to willy-nilly turn into a homage, and vice versa, would have gone a long way into holding Kunder's big Broadway-styled world of song, dance and redemption in place.
Gurinder Chaddha in Bride & Prejudice. Jaan-e-Mann gets it right.
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bharath
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2006, 02:30:21 AM »
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jaanemann rocked
1st half is full of comedy
2nd half is full of emotional scenes.
i salman is one of the strong contenders for the best award dis yr.
i literally started while watchin "sau dard hai".sallu bhai acted very well.
akki was as usual at his best.
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bharath
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2006, 02:31:47 AM »
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A seminal film that will set benchmarks for the way films will be shot in the near future
Rating 4/5
By MovieTalkies.com, 20 October 2006.
Release Date : 20 October 2006
While every Hindi film is a musical, be it comedy, drama or even a thriller, no Indian film can have the distinction of being a ‘musical’ in the true sense of the term, as seen in Hollywood. Jaan-E-Mann is possibly the first Indian real musical, extremely inventive with stunning visuals and an oft seamless integration of sequences that take the storytelling format to a new level. While watching it, one was reminded of films like Rob Marshall’s Chicago and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge (with the Milo making its presence felt more than once in some motion capture sequences that have not been deployed to-date in Indian cinema), with the innovative visual compositions taking the screenplay forward using songs to catapult both the viewers and the players into the action.
Moving back and forth between time and places, the film places the lead players down memory lane and in various situations, going beyond the dream sequence that our cinema has been doling out repeatedly. This visual structure makes Sajid Nadiadwala’s Jaan-E-Mann, directed by Shirish Kunder, a seminal film that will set benchmarks for the way films will be shot in the near future. Though a landmark film of this kind is a rarity, it’s unfortunate that the story (story and screenplay are also the director’s) is the regular triangle between Salman Khan’s Suhan, Preity Zinta’s Piya and Akshay Kumar’s Agastya, the three central characters around whom the romance revolves.
The film’s greatest flaw is that it takes liberties with logic on a couple of critical issues that make this otherwise dazzling fairytale difficult to digest. Overlong in construction and a bit self-indulgent on the part of the debutant director, Jaan-E-Mann is one of those rare films that borders between being a called a masterpiece and a dud at the same time, taking its own cleverness a bit too far. Also, the film is let down by a poor script, and if the writing would have been as good as the visual construction, then this film would have been possibly the finest musical to emerge from Hindi cinema this decade. Alas, that is not what this film will grow to be defined as by audiences and critics; its greatest strength can be its biggest liability, as audiences not accustomed to this kind of innovative storytelling will take time to come to terms with the format.
Interestingly, the film tries to set the mood of the narration through a black and white sequence of Salman Khan’s character, Suhan Kapoor, receiving a Best Actor Filmfare award over Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar. While reading this review you may find this a bit weird, but those who have experienced Robert Zemeckis’ Forest Gump and its funny take on mixing the past and the present will understand what this film attempts. As Hanks’ Gump observes in the film, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get”, this film throws surprise upon surprise on you as it unfolds, taking the surprise factor a bit too seriously at times, especially in the end wherein you realize who Akshay Kumar’s Agastya finally ends up with (will not say more here to spoil your fun).
The film begins with loser actor Suhan’s dream sequence outlined above followed by a one-time alimony demand of rupees fifty lakhs as the unsuccessful hero hasn’t managed to pay his dues to ex-wife Piya across the last one year of rupees twenty-five thousand per month. Suhan wonders how he would lay his hands on an amount like this and even Anupam Kher’s Uncle Boney (again a bit clever in construction by dwarfing Kher to add humour) doesn’t have an answer. Opportunity knocks literally when Agastya lands up at their door to meet Piya, the ex-wife. However, Agastya is too thick to realize that Suhan must have been the man to whom she was married to and starts narrating his own life’s answer to Suhan’s ‘aap ki tareef’. The narration takes Suhan down memory lane to his college dating days of Piya and it dawns upon him that Agastya, now transformed, is actually the nerd who he had fixed up Piya with during his own rock concert performance. However, identities are not revealed and a plan is hatched between chacha – bhatija to send off Agastya to New York, Piya’s new home, to romance and marry her in order to exempt the broke, struggling actor from the alimony. This far-fetched exercise turns into reality and Suhan lands up for company in order to ensure that Agastya succeeds in winning Piya.
Dull Agastya turns to the sharp ladies man Suhan for counsel and thus begins the romance between Agastya and Piya under the ace guidance of Suhan. This Cyrano De Bergerac borrowing is interestingly structured and executed with struggling actor Suhan getting a real-life opportunity to showcase looks and characters in the guise of a masked Zorro, Elvis Presley, and of course, a blonde big-busted woman :-). Through radio transmitters neatly concealed behind the ear, Agastya woos Piya through all the lines that Suhan comes up with, always hanging around at close distance to monitor reactions and come up with his next gem that will bring Agastya and Piya closer. However, at times Suhan gets carried away and walking down memory lane, starts using the same lines he had used for wooing her in the past. The unsuspecting Piya gets a bit and the emotion of déjà vu is just touched upon the surface and passed over too quickly by the director, while the same device with immense dramatic possibilities could have been explored further for adding depth to the story.
The next dramatic turn that the story takes, one will not get into, as it is one of the surprises that work for the film. Again, the visual impact of the surprise is far greater than the surprise itself, as the film takes a liberty or two in the story device that leaves the viewer incredulous. The very reason why Suhan and Piya get divorced is again far-fetched for a film set in a day and time when email, landlines and mobile phones are common place and communication through regular post is not really the ideal form of reaching news of utmost importance to your better half. This basic flaw cannot be overlooked and the foundation of the entire dramatic premise is also weak, plus the raison d’etre of the characters simply doesn’t work.
But the actors deliver great performances, though handicapped at times with mannerisms and situations that work against them. Agastya’s guffaws are quite funny in the beginning but the director’s self indulgence again takes over and the mannerism is repeatedly dwelt upon too often; Suhan’s disguises are interesting and funny but again a bit too over-the-top for its own good; Piya is spared any funny excesses but again lacks dramatic dimension as her being divorced and mistakenly let down by her husband Suhan is not really addressed emotionally or strategically. But the credibility truly comes from the performances more than the characterization in every sense of the term. Adding support is the able Anupam Kher and the young Aman Verma, doing well and performing ably with the lead three.
Again, all major shortcomings look minor when one sees the visual bravura of this cinematic work of art, and hats off to the cinematographer, Sudeep Chatterjee, and the debutant director, Shirish Kunder (who was an editor before his directorial debut and his editing on this directorial work is also exemplary). But the maker’s over-indulgence is apparent even in the edit construction; the film could have safely been tightened by almost thirty minutes without losing its dramatic form. The other interesting aspect of this film beyond the visual strength is its ability to poke fun at itself without batting an eyelid; from the flop premiere sequence of a film called Jaanemann within the film itself, starring Suhan, to Boney’s reference of a song being fast forwarded with Suhan questioning “why are we skipping this beautiful song and dance” to Uncle Boney’s pat answer “if the song exceeds a certain time limit, you will lose the audience” are both tongue-in-cheek and at the same point in time almost a satirical take on Bollywood. This is just one of the observations that one can make and there are many more which this review will not get into for the sake of the review length, which is already a bit overlong :-).
An extremely ambitious maker, Shirish Kunder is surely headed to become one of the country’s top league directors and his visual flair sets him apart from any school of film making that Indian cinema has witnessed to-date. If this is his very first experiment behind the camera then one wonders what will be the visual panache that this creator will pull off in years to come. If this review is being read by anyone close to him or by Kunder himself, then only one piece of advice, leave the screenwriting to someone else.
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vikash
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2006, 02:53:37 AM »
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truly speaking i used to think that salman is the most overrated actor.
but after seeing this film i would say that he's the most underated actor in bollywood.
i would give jaanemann 4/5.
salman's performance 5/5
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sunnny
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2006, 03:25:08 AM »
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well its a very gud film not an excellent film.
abt the performances.
salman played his role exceptionlly well in second half[he showed that he can also play a sensitive guy]
akshay kumar's comic timing was best.
preity looked gracious in the film.
so 3.5/5 will be correct
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bharath
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Re:jaanemann:review
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2006, 08:32:09 AM »
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jaanemann 5/5
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