• Friday, October 26, 2007

• Country:

  India

• Language:

  Hindi

• Runtime:

  137 min

(2007)

Maxabout Review

Sweet feel-good romantic comedy!

Also, for any love story to work wonders, it ought to have the germs to make the viewer jump with joy and participate in the goings-on. And the principal characters here -- Shahid and Kareena -- are so real, so natural, so believable and so winsome that the viewer gets absorbed into their world as minutes pass by.

To sum up, JAB WE MET is as refreshing as an ice-cold watermelon juice in scorching heat. Imtiaz Ali's expert storytelling coupled with Shahid and Kareena's sparkling performances make this film a must-watch!

Aditya [Shahid Kapur], an industrialist, is heartbroken as the girl he loves is getting married to someone else. Unable to muster up the courage to return home, he drifts out of the gathering and aimlessly boards a train, bounding away into the night. 

As destiny would have it, he meets Geet [Kareena Kapoor] -- a beautiful but annoyingly talkative girl who is leaving Mumbai to go her hometown -- Bhatinda. Later, she has plans of eloping with her boyfriend [Tarun Arora].

Geet irritates Aditya to the point of getting him to leave the train. As she tries to get him back on the train, she ends up missing it and the two find themselves stranded on a desolate station with no luggage or money.

Begins the idyllic journey through the exuberant North Indian heartland in which this odd couple make their way through buses and taxis and camel-carts to reach her house in Punjab.

On arrival, Geet's family mistakes the two for lovers. Before this misconception can be cleared, Geet escapes to her boyfriend in Manali. Aditya leaves with her, confirming the suspicion that they are lovers. In Manali, Aditya feels empowered to return to Mumbai and resurrect his ailing business.

Life takes a positive turn and Aditya begins to do well. One day, Geet's family, who think that she is with him, confronts Aditya. He is shocked to learn that Geet has not returned home. He takes it upon himself to find her.

He finally tracks her down in a Himalayan town and begins another journey to reach Bhatinda and flow into the colors and conceptions of a loud and happy North Indian family. How their separate journeys become one, forms the remainder of the story. 

Opposites attract -- that's the essence of this love story. The journey of two individuals who cross each other's path one night and develop a deep bond is skilfully and convincingly depicted at the very outset.

The highpoint of JAB WE MET is its story. Although the story bears an uncanny resemblance to some films, it never gives you the feeling of déjà vu. The sequence of events in the first hour is akin to a roller coaster ride. The journey that the couple undertake to reach Bhatinda first and Manali later is mesmerizing.

But the pace slackens in the second hour. Partly because the goings-on get dramatic and serious. Also, things seem to be stretched in this hour. The love story takes its own sweet time to reach its destination, when the fact remains that it could've [and should've] reached the finale earlier. Thankfully, the end is expertly executed and takes the graph of the film higher.

Imtiaz Ali deserves brownie points for handling the subject with such maturity. The fun-laden scenes are truly funny and the emotional ones make you moist-eyed. Striking the right balance between light and heavy moments is akin to walking on a tight rope and Imtiaz handles the two extremes with remarkable ease. An accomplished storyteller undoubtedly!

Pritam proves his versatility yet again. 'Poochho Na Poochho' and 'Tumse Hi' are seeped in melody, while 'Mauja Mauja' and 'Nagada' are racy, foot-tapping and easy on the lips. N. Nataraja Subramanian's cinematography does justice to Imtiaz's vision. The indoor look as well as the exteriors are dexterously captured by the lensman. The writing [Imtiaz Ali] is almost foolproof. Also, the ambience and setting in the Punjabi household are excellent. 

Both Shahid and Kareena vie for top honours. Shahid delivers his career-best performance in JAB WE MET. He goes for a complete transformation vis-à-vis his looks and attire to look the character he has chosen to portray and the understanding with which he enacts his part is worthy of lavish praises.

Kareena is in top form as well. JAB WE MET is a turning point in her career [personally as well as professionally]. Fantabulous -- that's the right word to describe her work this time. The confidence with which she handles the contrasting characterization speaks volumes. This film should do for her what KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI did for Kajol.

Pawan Malhotra is excellent as Kareena's uncle. His diction as also the body language is perfect. Dara Singh is good. Tarun Arora is awkward, but that gels with his role.

On the whole, JAB WE MET is one of the finest [romantic] films to come out of Bollywood in 2007. At the box-office, it has the merits to work big time. Strongly recommended… Go with your family!

Goofs

• Shahid leaves Mumbai in Punjab Mail from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). Punjab Mail takes the central route and reaches Delhi via Itarsi, Bhopal. But in the movie, the train takes the Western route via Ratlam, Kota.
• At the station when Geet buys a water bottle, she takes a very small sip in the beginning. However, after a chat with the shop-owner, a considerably larger amount of water is missing from the bottle.
• Continuity: Right before the scene when Geet and Aditya hitch a ride on the truck, Aditya is carrying the backpack when he signals to the truck. In the next shot, however, Geet is holding the backpack.

Taglines

No taglines found.

Trivia

• The producers Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision came up with a fun contest to decide the title of this film. The audiences were given three options to choose from. The first title was Punjab Mail - it signified a relationship between two strangers (Shahid and Kareena) who meet on a train to Punjab. The second title was Ishq via Bhatinda - since both the characters end up going there because of certain incidents and the third one; Jab We Met coined in Hinglish since the youth today is drawn to such titles.
• Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor had shot a crucial sequence in Punjab under a beehive for Jab We Met. There were occasions when reflectors and lights managed to annoy the bees and wasps. Cinematographer S Natarajan Subramaniam was stung by a bee.
• Anjum Rizvi was supposed to produce the film Jab We Met. At that time, Anjum and Imtiaz were planning to make the film with Bobby Deol and Ayesha Taki in lead roles.
• Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur who play lovers in the film were also dating in real life - until they broke up whilst making the movie.

Quotes

No quotes found.

Awards

1. Filmfare Award
   Event: Filmfare Awards
   Result: Nominated
   Category: Best Music
   Recipient(s): Pritam
2. Filmfare Award
   Event: Filmfare Awards
   Result: Nominated
   Category: Best Film
   Recipient(s): Imtiaz Ali
3. Filmfare Award
   Event: Filmfare Awards
   Result: Nominated
   Category: Best Director
   Recipient(s): Imtiaz Ali
4. Filmfare Award
   Event: Filmfare Awards
   Result: Nominated
   Category: Best Actor
   Recipient(s): Shahid Kapur
5. Filmfare Award
   Event: Filmfare Awards
   Result: Won
   Category: Best Actress
   Recipient(s): Kareena Kapoor