Bas Yun Hi

If you want to get away from those star-studded, formulaic movies for a couple of hours of fun, Bas Yun Hi is a good choice. The film is an admirable effort from a young cast and crew, showcasing the hip and trendy lifestyles of today's 20-something men and women in Bangalore. While the story and screenplay could have been crisper, the basic plot makes the movie a delightful offbeat comedy. What starts out as a harmless joke turns into something more serious during the course of a few days, leading some of the characters to question their own romantic feelings. The lead actors put on a decent performance given the limited scope that their characters provide. All in all, a promising debut by the production team.

Bas Yun Hi is about a bunch of 5 yuppies and is set totally in Bangalore. Rohan is engaged and he believes in astrology. According to his horoscope his ideal life partner would have a name that starts with V. His friend Aditya (Purab Kohli) decides to play a prank on him by getting his friend Veda (Nandita Das) to meet him and fall in love. Rohan actually falls for it and soon he is smitten by Veda. She too forgets its a prank and is totally attracted to him. Meanwhile, Rohan discovers that the horoscope he had was not his but that of his brother. Things further complicate when Rohan's fiancée returns from her travel.

The mood of this movie is totally offbeat and light. It actually feels like one of those cloudy afternoons in Bangalore. All the locales (Coffee Day outlets, parks, etc.) of the movie are in Bangalore and the city looks really good on screen! Nandita Das looks damn natural and has an easy role to play. What sucks in the movie is the pace. There really is not enough story in it to fill 2 hours, resulting in an extremely slow pace. The ending is quite predictable and disappointing. Had it been edited to ¾-1 hour, this would've been a decent made-for-TV movie.

Nicely shot, good acting, enjoyable dialog and fun little touches all through. Brought out Bangalore's character, and it is a pleasure to see a beautiful and realistic (as realistic as feasible for a fun movie) portrayal of the city. Story is a bit soft, but is engaging. Interesting, amusing and fairly realistic interactions between the young group of friends the story is about. Felt like the night shots needed more light. Particularly enjoyable: Various shots of Bangalore (including Gulmohar trees in bloom), Nandita Das' acting, Bangalore interiors, which were very nicely done up and showcased, clothing/costumes that were easy on the eye. Overall an extremely enjoyable experience. Looking forward to further work from this director.