By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Thursday,
October
11,
2007
The
title
should
always
summarize
the
content
of
a
film.
Besides,
the
promotion
should
always
send
out
the
right
signals
vis-a-vis
what
the
film
has
to
offer
in
terms
of
content.
With
a
title
like
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar,
you
expect
a
film
on
male
bonding,
a
la
Dil
Chahta
Hai.
Also,
with
songs
like
'Kasak'
and
'Talwar
Re'
being
beamed
on
channels
24
x
7,
you
expect
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar
to
be
an
entertainer
with
emphasis
on
music.
But
the
viewer
is
in
for
a
surprise
as
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar
belongs
to
the
horror
genre.
Yes,
the
story
is
about
a
bhatakti
aatma
and
how
she
continues
to
haunt
a
temple
and
the
surrounding
jungles.
To
give
the
credit
where's
its
due,
director
Dilip
Sood
does
succeed
in
scaring
the
daylights
out
of
you
in
a
couple
of
scenes,
especially
at
the
intermission
point
[when
the
spirit
appears
in
front
of
the
three
friends].
Also,
a
few
sequences
in
the
second
hour
do
send
a
shiver
down
your
spine.
But
the
problem
is,
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar
is
an
incomplete
film,
in
terms
of
writing.
It
leaves
a
vital
question
unanswered:
What's
the
mystery
behind
the
spirit?
Does
it
ever
get
solved?
There's
a
moment
when
you
feel
that
Jimmy,
Kim
and
the
pujari
of
the
temple
will
solve
the
mystery,
but
the
end
credits
begin
to
roll
abruptly.
Kya
hua,
Director
sahab?
In
a
nutshell,
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar
is
letdown
by
its
writing!
Ravi
[Jimmy
Shergill],
Shiv
[Kabir
Sadanand]
and
Sunny
[Farid
Amiri],
three
final
year
students
from
a
Delhi
Mass
Com
College,
decide
to
make
their
diploma
film
about
a
myth
prevalent
in
the
northern
hills
of
India.
Against
the
wishes
of
his
girlfriend
Rashmi
[Kim
Sharma]
and
college
professor,
who
think
that
the
subject
is
too
dangerous
for
a
college
project,
Ravi
plans
the
trip.
But
as
they
go
deeper
into
the
jungles,
a
startling
incident
changes
their
lives…
As
mentioned
above,
the
writing
is
the
culprit
here.
Besides
the
questions
that
continue
to
haunt
you
vis-a-vis
the
aatma,
the
character
sketch
of
the
three
friends
is
also
weird.
The
film
begins
with
the
three
posing
as
actors,
then
participating
in
an
item
song
for
a
film
and
then,
we're
told,
they're
students
who
aspire
to
be
film-makers.
Really
hard
to
digest!
The
second
problematic
area
is
the
inclusion
of
songs
even
when
not
required.
Songs
[Anand
Raaj
Anand],
though
tuneful,
have
been
added
to
supplement
the
romantic
track
['Kasak']
or
increase
the
glamour
quotient
['Talwar
Re'].
In
fact,
it
wouldn't
be
erroneous
to
state
that
the
popular
tracks
lose
their
sheen
because
of
wrong
placement
in
the
narrative.
The
technical
aspects
are
much
better.
Pushan
Kripalani's
camerawork
is
eye-pleasing.
The
dense
forests
are
well
captured
on
celluloid.
The
background
score
is
interesting
as
well.
Jimmy
Shergill
makes
a
sincere
attempt
and
strikes
a
chord.
Kabir
Sadanand's
dialect
is
jarring,
although
his
performance
is
sparkling.
Farid
Amiri
is
miscast.
Kim
Sharma
has
no
role.
Vinod
Nagpal
is
okay.
Mahek
sizzles
in
the
item
song.
Vallabh
Vyas
[Kabir's
father]
is
functional.
On
the
whole,
Chhodon
Naa
Yaar
stands
on
a
faulty
script
and
with
no
face-value
to
magnetize
cinegoers,
it
will
find
the
going
very
tough.