CHENNAI India — The film’s plot of two best friends not realizing that they are in love may be cliched, yet “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” (“You May Or May Not Know”) endears itself to audiences because of a freshness in approaching the subject. The witty one-liners, quirkiness of the director and performances shorn of artifice make this one of the better works to emerge from Bollywood this year. It may not lay claim to arthouse value, but promises to tug at youthful hearts in urban multiplexes in India and the Indian diaspora.
Friends wait at the airport to receive a married couple. When the flight is delayed, they take turns in narrating the story of sweet natured Jai Rathod (Imran Khan) and feisty Aditi (Genelia D’Souza), who try their best to convince themselves that they are not in love. Each tries to pair off with a different partner, much to the amusement of their friends and annoyance of parents.
Breezy performances by Khan and D’Souza are wonderfully complemented by Ratna Pathak Shah as the boy’s somewhat strange mother, Savitri, and Naseeruddin Shah as her dead Rajput husband, Rathod, the man on the huge photo frame who talks to Savitri with delightful venom and wit. A.R. Rahman’s music no longer has the magic of his earlier days, but here one finds a bit of the old pep.
Opened: July 4
Production company: Aamir Khan Productions and PVR Pictures. Cast: Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza, Manjari Fadnis, Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal. Director/screenwriter: Abbas Tyrewala. Executive producer: B. Shrinivas Rao. Producers: Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan. Director of photography: Manoj Lobo. Music: A.R. Rahman. Costume: Ashley Rebello. Nuzhat Khan. Editor: Shan Mohammad. Sales Agent: PVR Pictures
No MPAA rating, 155 minutes.
