Every
film
should
be
judged
purely
on
the
basis
of
its
merits/demerits.
Comparisons
or
drawing
parallels
with
another
film,
even
if
it's
helmed
by
the
same
director,
is
not
right,
in
my
opinion.
But
if
the
posters/billboards/newspaper
ads/promotional
material
of
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
has
an
eye-catching
line
that
screams
'From
the
director
of
Jaane
Tu
Ya
Jaane
Na',
if
not
comparisons,
the
expectations
from
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
do
multiply
five-fold,
since
Jaane
Tu
Ya
Jaane
Na
was,
in
terms
of
economics,
the
biggest
hit
of
2008.
Sadly,
Abbas
Tyrewala's
new
offering
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
falls
flat
for
this
reason
[it
doesn't
meet
the
expectations]
as
well
as
several
other
reasons.
What
comes
across
is
unexciting,
boring
and
lethargic.
Moments
make
a
love
story
work
and
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
never
reaches
there.
It
lacks
the
fizz
and
heart,
to
put
it
bluntly.
Also,
the
chemistry
between
the
lead
pair
-
John
Abraham
and
Pakhi
Tyrewala-
is
plastic.
Another
department
where
the
film
fumbles,
besides
writing,
is
its
music.
It's
an
unspoken
rule
that
love
stories
should
be
embellished
with
terrific
music,
but
maestro
A.R.
Rahman's
compositions
in
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
are
lifeless.
Final
word?
Thumbs
down!
When
Siddharth
[John
Abraham]
wakes
up
one
night
to
a
call
from
a
desperate
man
threatening
to
jump
out
of
the
window,
he
isn't
prepared
for
what
lies
ahead.
A
mixed-up
phone
number.
A
desi
suicide
helpline
in
London.
And
various
callers
demanding
that
Sid
give
them
a
reason
to
live.
Or
else...
Until
one
fateful
night,
Mishka
[Pakhi]
calls.
And
they
both
discover
an
unlikely
bond.
Sid
becomes
her
nameless
friend.
Her
faceless
philosopher.
And
she
becomes
his
reason
to
rethink
about
life.
Along
the
way,
he
also
lies
to
her.
Lies
about
his
exciting
adventures
and
daring
escapades.
The
mountains
he
has
climbed
and
the
sharks
he
has
tamed.
Until
the
day
they
accidentally
meet.
And
Sid
falls
in
love.
How
can
he
tell
her
the
truth?
That
he's
just
a
simple
bookseller?
With
four
friends,
a
small
apartment
and
a
girlfriend
whom
no
one
likes
and
he
doesn't
love.
The
first
and
foremost
thing
that
you
expect
from
a
film
is
an
engrossing
story
and
of
course,
a
cohesive
screenplay
that
keeps
your
attention
alive
for
the
next
two
hours.
But
the
screenplay
[Pakhi]
is
devoid
of
moments
that
bring
a
smile
on
your
face
at
the
end
of
the
screening.
Ideally,
one
would
expect
the
focus
to
be
on
the
principal
pair,
but
the
sub-plots
[the
friends
and
their
sequences]
dominate
a
good
chunk
of
the
film.
And
that,
consequently,
makes
the
film
verbose,
talk-heavy,
tedious
and
verrry
lengthy.
On
retrospection,
the
female
protagonist
[Pakhi]
comes
across
as
a
confused
character,
who
finds
stability
in
her
life
when
John
stages
an
entry,
but
goes
back
to
her
ex
[Madhavan]
for
no
particular
reason.
And
the
moment
she
does
that,
she
drops
John
like
a
hot
potato.
That's
not
all,
she,
all
of
a
sudden,
dumps
her
ex
too
and
goes
back
to
John.
Thanks
to
this
reason,
the
character
comes
across
as
someone
who's
stone-hearted,
cold
and
confused
and
that's
also
the
reason
why
you
don't
jump
with
joy
when
the
lovers
unite
towards
the
end.
Also,
like
I
pointed
out
earlier,
the
multiple
tracks
in
the
film
are
a
deterrent.
The
track
of
the
gay
couple
is
silly
and
unimaginative,
while
the
relationship
between
the
aggressive
and
dominating
pregnant
sister
and
her
Japanese
fiance
is
weird.
Also,
if
the
sensibilities
of
the
film
are
Western
and
the
humour
British,
the
ending
becomes
Bollywoodish
conveniently.
The
entire
sequence
at
the
bridge
looks
so
filmy.
Director
Abbas
Tyrewala
has
filmed
a
number
of
sequences
impeccably,
but
the
writing
is
flaccid
and
the
prime
reason
why
the
film
fails
to
register
an
impact.
Rahman's
music
is
of
the
fast-forward
variety
and
that's
all
the
more
surprising
since
the
duo
[Rahman
and
Tyrewala]
had
come
up
with
a
winning
score
in
Jaane
Tu
Ya
Jaane
Na.
John
makes
a
sincere
attempt
to
look
the
part,
but
he's
awkward,
especially
in
sequences
when
he
stammers.
Pakhi
is
a
complete
miscast.
She
looks
too
matured
and
has
her
limitations
as
an
actor.
Amongst
the
sundry
characters,
Raghu
Ram
is
noticeable.
R.
Madhavan
should
avoid
such
flimsy
characters.
On
the
whole,
Jhootha
Hi
Sahi
is
an
absolute
letdown
in
terms
of
content.
Given
its
high
costs
on
one
hand
and
weak
merits
on
the
other,
the
film
will
make
a
big
hole
in
the
pockets
of
its
investors.
-
Cast:
John
Abraham,Pakhi
Tyrewala
-
Music:
A.
R.
Rahman,
Abbas
Tyrewala
(lyrics)