Jab We Met

Jab We Met

MAIN CAST:
Kareena Kapoor -- Geet
Shahid Kapoor -- Aditya
Tarun Arora -- Anshuman
Saumya Tandon -- Roop

BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW:
Jab We Met is a boy-meets-girl comedy of errors surrounding Geet, a hyperactive Punjabi girl, and Aditya, a serious and wealthy Mumbai businessman. The two meet during a train ride to Delhi and are forced to travel together when they miss said train.

FILM -- 4/5
Like most films of the genre, JWM relies more on charm and fun than any sort of great writing, and it generally succeeds. It has a decent script, some giggle-worthy moments, adorable lead characters, and--most importantly--manipulative, sugar-coated masala scenes that are enjoyable despite their flaws and predictability. The first half of the film is almost perfect, while the second half doesn't quite match up due to some ridiculous, unconvincing twists in the last half hour. Also, despite fitting the Bollywood masala romance formula to a T, Jab We Met is jarringly western, which kind of bothered me. The choreography is nothing special in terms of technical mastery, but the energy behind the dances really makes them pop! Kudos to the costume department, who did a great job designing signature looks that really suit the characters and their emotions.

CHARACTERS -- 4/5
At one point in the film, an enraged Aditya yells at Geet, "You are like a cartoon!" I think that's an apt description of Kareena Kapoor's performance. Like a cartoon character, she is often very over-the-top and ridiculous, yet she manages to entertain the viewer without being too obnoxious. She also looks rather plain throughout the film, though I suppose it works for the character. A lot of people rave about Kareena's performance in JWM, and while I agree that it she did a good job, I don't think it's her best. I ended up really loving Shahid Kapoor! He reminds me of Shahrukh Khan when he was first starting out: not the most handsome or the best actor, but he's so charming and sweet that you can't help but love him, and he's a surprisingly fluid dancer! Hopefully, like SRK, Shahid will upgrade from "lover boy" to "great leading actor." Despite being a couple at the time of JWM's creation, I don't think Shahid and Kareena have incredible chemistry. They were sweet and believable at the best of times and mis-matched at others. The supporting cast is very choppy; namely, Tarun Arora prompted my mother to shout, "Now THAT'S bad acting!" Saumya Tandon was very cute, though.

SOUNDTRACK -- 4.5/5
If you like western-style Hindi music, Jab We Met's soundtrack is sure to please. I absolutely loved "Nagada Nagada" and "Ye Ishq Hai," and I listen to them almost obsessively. "Tum Se Hi" is so beautiful, and while "Aaoge Jab Tum" suffers from some slightly-warbly, grating singing, the album is noteable for the overall quality of its vocals. "Mauja Hi Mauja" is really ridiculously picturized; it's also the only song from the film that my mother saw, and I was really embarrassed to have her watching it. Outside of the film, however, it's great fun. I only have two complaints with the soundtrack. The first is that, like the rest of the film, it's isn't very Indian; most of the soundtrack sounds like western synthpop. Secondly, 90% of the lyrics are just fluffy candyfloss, although that's no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

OVERALL -- 4/5
There is nothing more embarrassing than explaining the basics of Bollywood to someone, only to have everything you've just said spit back at you. That's what JWM did to me: after explaining things to my mother, who plopped down on the couch 2 hours in to the flick, there was kissing on the mouth, the ridiculous picturization of "Mauja Hi Mauja," and a lot of westernization with little Indian flavor...and that's what makes it a great introduction to Bollywood, at least for young people. With the upbeat songs, simple plot (well, in Bollywood terms), and predictable love story, Jab We Met is sure to please most genre newbies. I'm not head-over-heels for the film the way most Bolly fans are, but I definitely enjoyed it. This is a film you can watch over and over and never get tired of.

TOTAL SCORE -- 16.5/20 (great)