Jeans

Here in the States, we don't get a ton of Indian films though, fortunately, Netflix has a decent selection. One problem I have when watching the film, however, is that although most Indian films we get have musical numbers, OFTEN the songs themselves are without captions--meaning we aren't exactly sure WHAT they are singing!! This is really annoying and I hope that they catch on and start captioning them fully--and unfortunately "Jeans" is yet another film without captioned songs.

"Jeans" is one of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's first films and her co-star is Prashanth--who plays BOTH identical twin brothers, Vishvanath and Ram Mohan (this is how they are listed in the credits on IMDb, but in the translation I saw it was Vishu and Ramu). Considering how complicated it was to film it this way (particularly in dance scenes where BOTH danced together), you wonder why they didn't get real identical twins to play the roles! Regardless, the plot is quite enjoyable but also incredibly stupid--the sort of thing that is familiar to old American sit-coms but which is hard to sustain for a three hour film.

The film begins in the United States. An Indian family has brought their whiny grandmother to the States for brain surgery. Things get royally screwed up and the family doesn't know what to do--thank goodness a nice young Indian doctor is there to help them out of their predicament. Later, when they are about to return to their country, the granddaughter (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) realizes she's fallen in love with the doctor. Here is the complication--although her family heartily approves of the marriage, his father doesn't. His reason is bizarre and you'll just have to see about this yourself. Suffice to say that he'll only approve if his son marries a woman who has a twin sister who can marry the doctor's twin brother! But she has no sister--and the grandmother comes up with an idea straight from a bad comedy--have Rai Bachchan pretend to be TWO GIRLS--both twins! It naturally leads to all sorts of confusions and silly situations and by the end, the truth comes out and the marriage looks like a no-go. What are the young lovers to do?! If you are looking for a believable film or one that is cerebral, then you should keep looking. As for me, I could suspend disbelief and just enjoy the film. My feeling, though, is that the film was at its best when it focused on romance and slipped a bit when Rai Bachchan became two people. There are a few weird and enjoyable songs (such as the one with a T-Rex and skeletons) and the film is never dull. Worth seeing but not among the cast's best films.

By the way, despite what they showed in the film, there is no University of Los Angeles. The closes they have us UCLA--not ULA. Also, throughout the film, they show scenes of Los Angeles interspersed with Las Vegas-- cities 265 miles apart!! Perhaps folks back in India won't notice this but most Americans would! Later, in another song, they bounce from Los Angeles to New York to the Grand Canyon!! I've seen this sort of strange geography in a few other Indian films--such as another of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Tamil films, "I Have Found It".

I saw the Tamil version and it was really good. I don't know the about the Hiindi version, but I heard it SUCKED. I love the Tamil version. What I really liked was the realistic idea of it. I know a few fathers do want their sons or daughters to marry to the same family. So, the movie had something that really happens. Unlike other movies where the ideas they have nothing to do with real life but has no science fiction in it.The fantastic part was the first part where the twins and the family meet. It was really funny and it made the movie worth seeing. Even if it was only a few parts that were somewhat funny that it was somewhat like "laughing while rolling on the floor". This was one of the things that I liked about this movie. I also fall for romantic movies which has a happily ever after. I know they aren't real or anything, but this movie does have real facts.Well, this movie was made in 1998, and even if it is old, it is worth seeing. But I should tell you, some of the scenes might be silly.

I remember how crazy I used to be about this movie when I was a kid. It was the most expensive Tamil movie made then and the hype and hoopla when it released were phenomenal. I even performed one of the songs, 'columbus' on stage in school when I was a kid.

Speaking only of the Tamil version, this film is the only one directed by Shankar which is not related to social issues and is predominantly a love story (a rarity these days). Sure watching it then and now, it is a totally different experience. Then, the story, scenes, sets, leads, acting were an eye-opener. Now though, everything seems rather cheesy but the movie sure sustains its nostalgia, beauty (of young Aishwarya and the locations) and the special effects.

No matter what, this movie always holds a special place in my heart as it reminds me of my childhood.

Funny this movie, the story is so incredible and that is what makes the charm of this movie. For the sound track, its splendid...go and buy it ...:)

This is one of the few Indian movies that is unique in many ways. First of all, a large part of it is set within the USA as well as other parts of the world. Second, it is dubbed in Hindi(originally, I believe in Tamil). Excellent cinematography. Great music from A R Rehman. Worth watching on DVD. Aishwrya Rai is very beautiful. Cool and pleasing. Not much of a story. Ignore typical South Indian style melodramatic parts. Hi-tech. Virtual reality computer generated dances are great.