By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Saturday,
June
16,
2007
Really
big
expectations?
Oh
yes!
With
the
premier
production
house
[Yash
Raj]
at
the
helm
of
affairs
and
Shaad
Ali
in
the
director's
seat,
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom
is
expected
to
strike
like
a
hurricane.
Let's
come
to
the
point
straightaway.
Don't
look
for
a
story
in
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom.
For,
there's
none
here.
What
you
get
to
see
is
a
collage
of
interesting
moments.
It's
not
one
of
those
conventional
prem
kahanis
that
have
the
lovers
drifting
apart
or
a
misunderstanding
creating
havoc
in
their
lives.
What
goes
against
the
film
is
the
fact
that
you
feel
a
vacuum
at
the
end
of
the
screening.
Something
is
amiss.
Sure,
you
are
enamored
by
the
gloss.
You
are
awe-struck
by
the
stunning
locales
of
U.K.
and
France.
You
are
hooked
to
the
performances
of
Abhishek
and
Preity
mainly.
But,
deep
inside,
it
doesn't
satiate
you.
To
sum
up,
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom
is
all
gloss,
no
substance.
Body
beautiful,
minus
soul.
In
desi
lingo,
unchi
dukaan,
phika
pakwaan.
Busy
London
station.
Delayed
train
from
Birmingham.
Two
strangers
waiting
for
the
train...
Rikki
Thukral
[Abhishek
Bachchan],
born
in
Bhatinda,
living
in
London;
and
Alvira
Khan
[Preity
Zinta],
more
Brit
than
the
Queen
herself,
however
with
Lahori
blood
in
her
veins.
Crowded
caf©.
One
table
to
share.
Two
hours
to
kill.
Perfect
setting
for
the
start
of
a
love-story.
Hitch?
Both
Rikki
and
Alvira
are
engaged
and
have
come
to
pick
up
their
fianc©s,
who
are
coming
by
the
same
train.
To
kill
time,
they
end
up
telling
each
other
their
"how
I
met
my
fianc©" stories.
Rikki
met
his
fianc©
Anaida
[Lara
Dutta]
at
The
Ritz,
Paris.
Alvira
discovers
her
prince
at
Madame
Tussaud's.
When
a
gigantic
wax
model
of
Superman
falls
from
the
ceiling,
Alvira
is
a
sitting
target.
But
Steve
[Bobby
Deol],
a
lawyer
by
profession,
saves
her
life,
but
steals
her
heart.
Stories
unfold,
time
passes,
the
two
strangers
start
enjoying
each
other.
Actually,
they
have
gotten
alarmingly
attracted
to
each
other!
Director
Shaad
Ali
has
handled
a
number
of
sequences
well.
Actually,
come
to
think
of
it,
you
do
enjoy
a
few
moments
in
this
14
reeler.
But
can
you
stretch
a
rubberband
beyond
a
point?
That's
what
the
writer
does.
Writer
Habib
Faisal's
screenplay
is
as
taxing
as
driving
in
monsoons
on
a
road
full
of
potholes.
When
you
realize
the
film
offers
no
story,
you
sit
motionless,
flexing
your
facial
muscles
at
times,
but
remaining
indifferent
to
the
goings-on
generally.
The
director
and
writer
have
substituted
the
script
with
stunning
visuals.
But
that's
no
compensation.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's
music
is
quite
good.
'Ticket
To
Hollywood'
is
the
track
you
carry
home.
The
title
track
is
another
foot-tapping
composition.
Cinematography
is
exceptional.
The
film
is
a
visual
treat.
Choreography
[Vaibhavi
Merchant]
is
different,
but
Abhishek
carries
it
off
very
well.
Aki
Narula's
costumes
are
smashing.
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom
belongs
to
Abhishek
first
and
Preity
next.
Abhishek
is
in
terrific
form.
It
wouldn't
be
erroneous
to
state
that
his
performance
makes
the
goings-on
watchable
at
times.
A
lesser
actor
would've
fallen
flat
on
his
face
in
the
absence
of
a
cohesive
script.
Preity
is
lovely
and
takes
to
her
character
like
a
fish
to
water.
In
fact,
the
two
actors
make
an
attractive
pair.
Bobby
is
relegated
to
the
backseat.
Also,
would
someone
please
tell
Mr.
Deol
to
chop
off
those
locks?
Lara
Dutta
is
confident,
though
she's
not
in
the
forefront
either.
Amitabh
Bachchan
adds
to
star-value.
He
only
appears
in
one
song,
flashed
throughout
the
movie.
On
the
whole,
Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom
is
no
patch
on
Yash
Raj's
illustrious
films.
The
film
is
all
gloss,
no
substance.
Body
beautiful,
minus
soul.
At
the
box-office,
the
all-powerful
Yash
Raj
brand
coupled
with
the
lack
of
biggies
will
ensure
substantial
revenue
for
its
producers/distributors
in
the
initial
days,
proving
that
sometimes,
a
bad
film
also
makes
money.
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