Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Reading through many of the reviews for "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom", I assumed that the film was 100% awful from start to finish. Well, I disagree--it's only partially awful. The first half is impossible to believe but is likable. The second half is truly horrible and all the good will I had early on vanished as the film continually assaulted my senses. Subtle and romantic are two words I'd never use to describe this film.

It all begins with a nice song and dance number by Amitabh Bachchan. He appears in the film periodically--though I have no idea why other than he's the father of the leading man in this film, Abhishek Bachchan. Oh well, I really enjoy seeing Amitabh and at least I got a few glimpses of him even though his character was ill-defined and vague.

Soon Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) bumps into a gorgeous woman, Alvira (Preity Zinta). They are waiting to greet someone arriving by train and it is late. So, they sit and begin talking. He talks at length about his fiancé and she does the same--though in reality both are unattached. This really made no sense nor did it make sense that Alvira would soon fall for Rakesh because he seemed so very obnoxious and full of himself. However, I have noticed that this is a BIG theme in a lot of Indian romances--the obnoxious pretty-boy--and it's a cliché I really hate. For me, you have to like people for the romance to work. Still, despite its flaws, I found the first half of the film watchable and interesting. It could have worked well.

Unfortunately, once the train arrives, the film is pretty dead. Both are in love with each other but don't know what to do since they'd been lying. Well, sadly, the same can be said for the writers as most of the final portion of the movie is set at a dance contest which totally assaults your senses. It's loud and looks like a 30 minute Indian music video and the costumer appears to have been Liberace!! It's tacky, loud and pointless.

By the time the end occurs and the inevitable occurs, you are exhausted and just want it to end. It's a shame, as the film was not horrible initially and had it been, I would have turned it off and saved myself from the second half! So, first half of the film I'd score a 5 and the last a 1. Overall, a score of 3 seems reasonable as I have seen quite a few movies (both Indian and non-Indian) that were worse....though not a lot worse.

By the way, I am shocked that the IMDb goof section didn't include this one. At one point, Alvira exposes the top of her left breast to show a tattoo. Later in the film it's moved to her right breast!!

I love Bollywood films. Ravishing, well-invested musicals, song and dance, dialogues which are larger than life, wonderful actors, strong characters. The song numbers have been an artistic tradition Hindi films, and what particularly amazes me about all these films is the complete irrelevance of the song numbers to the film's story itself (unless it's a film like Dil To Pagal Hai, where the music is part of the script).

I think Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is a brave attempt to make a film with the songs being part of the screenplay. But even then, it just doesn't work. Why? Because there is NO screenplay. The entire film is a big dance show. And it shouldn't be like this. When there are no songs, the film consists of silly jokes and plastic "acting". Some sequences are so ridiculous that you start hating anyone who's been ever involved with this film. It is intended to be funny and crazy, which is a good purpose, but this film manages to be neither this nor that and instead, it sadly ends up being a big silly show. I do admit that the songs are well danced and catchy, but they become tiresome at some point, mainly because most of them are actually the same song in different versions.

The acting (not that it can be called acting in this case) is bad. Abhishek is annoying and miscast. Pretentious performance. Preity, an actress I like immensely, is her usual bubbly and vivacious self, but here, somehow lifeless. The fact that a great actress like Preity could even think of appearing in this film makes me want to slap her. Bobby and Lara are terrible. They ham, overact, and even in the dance numbers get overshadowed by the leading stars (at least here they make some sense). Lara is particularly horrible as a prostitute with her fake French accent. All in all, I do recommend to watch it if you intend to go and dance through the entire film. Quite a special watch buhaaaa...

I am so depressed. What the heck was that all about? Jhoom Babarbar Jhoom is a topper. It has made it all the way to number 1 in my list of "Movies I hate the most" overtaking the place of Yashraj's previous release Dhoom 2. What is the fuss all about? Who wants to sing, shout and dance with actors performing their most idiotic characters ever. There is no way anyone in any way can relate to this movie. Great sets, great locales, great actors - yet JBJ is a loser in every sense. If this is how Indian cinema is going global then it must stop, immediately.

Director Shaad Ali leaves everybody disappointed. His earlier movie Bunty aur Babli rocked the nation. He approached Jhoom.. is almost similar retrospective manner. Unfortunately, it does not work out this time because there is nothing Jhoom.. can be considered as decent cinema. Rikky and Alvira meet, erect a heap of lies, an idiotic nomad (Monsieur Amitabh Bachchan, the Great!) appears out of nowhere and does almost nothing, now the two are making up stories to conceal their lies and bingo - guess what, they're in love.

Why, why do they have to do it? They call it a rom-com, but let me tell you - it's neither romantic nor comic. It's not a movie that fits into comedy genre neither does it happen to be a love story (no, don't call it a love story. Idiots don't fall in love.) If there is anything in the movie, then it's the lush cinematography, great editing works, that breathtaking 360-degree rotated view of Taj Mahal, the dance sequence in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Superman falling sequence at Madame Taussad, Lara Dutta's French accent + the swearing and everything, and Preity Zinta (her Brit accent does not seem to work out for me.) Abhishek Bachchan needs to seriously think about his selection of roles and Bobby Doel, welcome back. A lot has changed while you were gone. They don't make those good movies anymore. But Bobby looks good, both as the hunk and the geek.

Kudos to Vaibhavi Merchant - she is the only person who does justice to her work. Shankar Ehsaan Loy fail to impress (Ticket to Hollywood.. is too Rahman style!) Gulzar is caught up with a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing. The casting director seems to have accomplished a hectic job. And finally Yashraj! (sigh) Least spoken is best. They're making money and that's good, perhaps they know Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is the substance that sells. And if films like Jhoom.. continue to sell, then Indian cinema wouldn't be very proud as the world's largest film industry.

I saw Jhoom Barabar Jhoom while travelling in Rajasthan, in the Raj Mundir in Jaipur, which is, with some justification, described as the best cinema in Asia (and it certainly beats watching a film in a 'Multiplex' on a screen the size of a large TV in London).

As the film ended and the huge audience of all ages rose, making its way into the grand, pretty foyer, I turned to an Indian man in his thirties next to me and asked him in Hindi if he liked it. He said he loved the songs, particularly the song of the title, which he thought would get even the most unlikely person in the cinema dancing in the aisles. Then he added,

'But the the rest of the film is nonsense'.

I certainly agree with him about the infectious song of the title, having badly hummed it often. However, I don't think the rest of the film is nonsense. What I believe many people mistake for nonsense is actually a playful, kitsch, knowingly referential film revolving around the desires and problems of self-mythology, and the power of Bollywood fantasy.

The film is set in Waterloo station where a young Indian man and woman of Pakistani origin bump into each other and form an acquaintance while waiting for infamously late English trains. But their talk about themselves, we come to see, may not quite be so credible and ingenuous. Not only this but there is something magical in the air at Waterloo Station, for a wondering busker, Amitabh Bachan, looking like a sixties drop out, is somehow mysteriously involved in the lively plot.

The two leads, Bachan's son Abishek, and Preity Zinta, make engaging leads and, alongside the wonderfully outrageous Laura Dutta and Bobby Deol handle the film's sense of fun and comedy vigorously (though perhaps the nods to the famous Bachan/Deol partnership in Sholay goes too far).

Another thing about Jhoon Barabar Jhoon is its sure sense of place, something few Indian films set in Britain can claim. Preity Zinta's Alvira is an NRI and the film makes a playful but genuine attempt to engage with the London Indian diaspora.

I read in an Abhishek interview that when he was initially presented with the JBJ story idea (while shooting Bunty babli) it was set in a Delhi train station platform......i can just about imagine the charming scene. Abhishek and his heroine chatting over a cup of chai next to the tea stall. How did that potentially charming romantic tale turn into this over the top Bollywood film based in London? Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was an utter disappointment to me considering the same banner and director came out with the thoroughly entertaining Bunty Aur Babli. The movie felt like a 2hr long music video/ fashion show. I felt the person who would get the most mileage out of the movie would be the fashion designer/stylist of the movie which had a lot of outlandish costumes none more so than the attire of the Big B in the title song.

The first half felt awkward although there were a few funny moments thanks to the Lara and Abhishek. The movie picks up in the 2nd half but it was more due to the performances of the actors rather than the progression of the story. The actors did a relatively good job considering the weak script. I felt Lara Dutta and Bobby Deol were the standout performers from the movie as they had the opportunity to portray characters that had different shades to it. Lara was especially cute with the French accent and the potty mouth of the 2nd half. Bobby had some excellent comic moments in the 2nd half. Abhishek took a bit of a risk by playing such a loud character...he does go a bit over the top at times but I still think he is a good actor and he has his moments. For me Preity Zinta has been repeating herself in all her movies recently (except maybe Lakshya)...ever since Kal Ho Na Ho, she seems to be playing the same character over and over again i.e. an Indian who is either born and brought up abroad or living abroad. She too improves only in the 2nd half when she is not trying to put on an accent. There was not enough chemistry between the lead pair although you could see that they are buddies.

The music was excellent although Shaad Ali managed to drag all life out of the catchy title song since it pops up all over the film. The slow romantic number was also good.

I feel that Yash Raj films are catering more to the NRI crowd with their movies and subsequently took the soul out of this movie by presenting on this enormous scale.. you cant really blame them as it is a business and they need to recoup their costs.

The film has its moments but it is in no way anything more than an average product.