I've
often
said,
interesting
ideas
don't
necessarily
translate
into
enthralling
celluloid
experiences.
That's
what
I
realized,
for
the
umpteenth
time,
as
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
concluded.
Hollywood
has
attempted
several
films
wherein
the
living
has
been
shown
interacting
with
the
dead.
In
fact,
two
decades
ago,
there
was
a
mad
rush
to
Indianize
Ghost
[Patrick
Swayze,
Demi
Moore,
Whoopi
Goldberg].
The
fascination
with
the
dead
continues
to
haunt
Bollywood
to
this
date.
Arshad
Warsi
-
who
has
been
credited
with
the
story
of
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
-
has
denied
that
the
film
is
inspired
by
Ghost
Town.
Yet,
there're
some
similarities
and
that
could
be
coincidental.
So
far,
so
good!
Now
here's
the
hitch.
The
screenplay
-
the
lifeline
of
any
film
-
is
what
makes
a
film
stand
on
its
feet
and
in
this
case,
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
suffers
due
to
inept
writing.
Ideally,
the
writers
and
director
should've
come
to
the
point
right
away,
but
the
film
takes
its
own
sweet
time
to
come
to
the
point
and
what
comes
across
is
also
not
enticing,
barring
a
couple
of
attention-grabbing
moments.
By
then,
the
viewer
has
already
lost
interest
in
the
film.
The
sole
saving
grace
is
the
performances
by
the
principal
cast.
Sadly,
that's
not
enough!
For
Armaan
[Arshad
Warsi],
life
was
picture
perfect.
He
has
a
doting
girlfriend
Gehna
[Dia
Mirza]
and
also
a
great
job.
But
there's
a
problem:
Armaan
hears
voices.
Voices
that
torture
him.
Voices
that
disturb
him.
More
importantly,
voices
that
nobody
else
can
hear.
Gehna
is
irritated
with
his
weird
behaviour.
Add
to
that
her
father
[Javed
Sheikh]
constantly
berates
him
for
his
fondness
for
the
bottle.
No
one
seems
to
understand
his
predicament.
What
puzzles
everyone
is
the
fact
that
he
talks
to
himself…
or
rather,
he
talks
to
people,
who
no
one
can
see,
simply
because
they
don't
live.
Soon,
Armaan
becomes
aware
of
his
special
ability
to
connect
with
the
dead.
Equipped
with
a
will
to
fulfil
the
wishes
of
these
spirits
who
hound
him,
Armaan
sets
out
on
a
mission
to
help
out
three
souls
-
a
child,
an
old
man
and
a
young
woman.
Generally,
most
Hindi
movies
come
to
the
point
at
the
very
inception.
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
also
opens
its
cards
at
the
very
outset,
but
loses
focus
soon
after.
In
fact,
the
moment
you're
told
that
Arshad
can
see
the
dead,
you
expect
to
embark
on
a
journey
you've
never
embarked
upon
earlier.
But
there's
hardly
any
movement
in
the
story
after
a
captivating
start.
No
doubt,
the
concept
is
fascinating
and
had
the
writers
concentrated
on
tackling
the
three
stories
that
Arshad
chooses
to
solve,
and
without
wasting
time
on
romance-n-songs,
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
would've
been
one
journey
you
would've
never
forgotten.
The
build-up
to
the
first
story
-
a
dead
kid
asking
Arshad
to
help
his
father
-
is
simply
missing.
The
second
story
-
involving
Boman
Irani
-
could've
been
tackled
far
more
expertly.
The
entire
sequence
in
the
bank
is
bizarre
and
far
from
funny.
In
fact,
you
wonder,
did
the
writers
run
out
of
ideas
at
this
point?
Of
course,
the
sequence
thereafter
-
between
Boman
and
his
wife
[Asawari
Joshi]
-
is
touching.
The
third
story
-
of
a
woman
in
search
of
her
son
-
starts
off
very
well,
but
midway
through
this
story,
the
moment
Arshad
enters
his
father's
house,
the
mystery
never
remains
a
mystery.
You
can
predict
what's
in
store
next.
The
culmination
to
the
film,
although
well
shot,
doesn't
make
the
required
impact
either.
Director
Kabeer
Kaushik
was
entrusted
with
a
great
idea,
but
his
team
of
writers
blew
it
up
into
smithereens.
The
impact
generated
by
a
few
worthy
of
note
sequences
gets
evaporated
as
the
film
reaches
its
culmination,
primarily
because
the
writing
doesn't
hold.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's
music
is
strictly
okay.
Ashok
Mehta's
cinematography
is
of
top
quality.
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
has
skilled
performances,
starting
with
Arshad,
who's
likable
and
believable.
A
complete
natural,
this
is
among
his
finest
works.
It's
a
new
Dia
you
get
to
watch
in
this
film.
Not
only
does
she
look
ethereal,
but
is
exceptional
in
the
acting
department
as
well.
Boman
is
tremendous,
especially
in
the
sequence
when
he's
meeting
his
wife
again.
Sandhya
Mridul
doesn't
get
much
to
do.
Zehra
Naqvi
is
convincing.
Shernaz
Patel
is
wasted.
Ditto
for
Tinnu
Anand.
Javed
Sheikh
is
as
usual.
Asawari
Joshi
is
perfect
for
her
part.
On
the
whole,
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
is
a
terrible
waste
of
a
terrific
idea.
Disappointing
Movie:
Hum
Tum
Aur
Ghost
Directed
by:
Kabeer
Kaushik
Starring:
Arshad
Warsi,
Dia
Mirza,
Sandhya
Mridul,
Boman
Irani,
Zehra
Naqvi,
Shernaz
Patel,
Tinu
Anand
..