OK Jaanu- Movie Review by Shoby
3.25 Hearts out of 5...
Girl & a boy from diverse backgrounds with different career objectives meet up by chance. It certainly looks familiar... Isn't it??? That's why I say, all these stories are somehow the same, what makes them look interesting is the execution. Veteran film maker Mani Ratnam gave a Tamil blockbuster in 2015 (titled OK Kanmani) and Shaad Ali remakes it in Hindi officially under the co-production of cinema giants Mani Ratnam & Karan Johar, starring the celebrated on-screen couple of Aashiqui 2, Aditya Roy Kapoor & Shraddha Kapoor, along with Naseer ud Din Shah and Leela Samson in pivotal roles. Further strengthening the project was the induction of musical maestro AR Rahman (who was also the composer of the original Tamil version) along with legendary poet/ lyricist Gulzar Sb. Remember, last time when the team joined hands to re-do a Mani Ratnam's film, the result was the critical & commercial success Saathiya. Lets see, have they been successful this time.
Aadi (Aditya Roy Kapoor) meets Tara (Shradhha Kapoor) by luck in a white wedding ceremony and both of them develop a nice warm liking for each other. Hence, they decide to have a sit-in relationship till time separates them apart citing their career objectives. Adi wants to be a successful game developer, whereas Tara wants to study architecture abroad. They both start living together in the house of an old-romantic couple (Naseer ud Deen Shah and Leela Samson). Whats happens next should be watched in the film.
OK I agree, the plot is like centuries old but one thing that has made the film attractive is the execution. It is a typical Shaad Ali's film with patches of Mani Ratnam's style embedded within. The moderate portion of first half of the movie is a bit slower but rest of the film moves quickly ahead and thus narrative never bores you down.
OK Jaanu resembles Saathiya in more than many ways. Couple first time meet in a wedding, train sequences and even that Humma Song positioning & choreography was almost identical to Saathiya.
As anticipated writing has been outstanding all through the timeline and dialogues are written brilliantly. I loved the scenes when Adi & Tara meets in trains, metros & bus. All the scenes featuring Naseer ud Deen & Leela are class. With usage of some brilliant Urdu dialect, they are there to entertain the classy audience.
As expected film stands tall in the department of music, dialogues & acting. Gulzar sb has not only penned some beautiful lyrics for the songs (my favourite Saajan Aayo Re) but he has also written fabulous dialogues for everyone. Interesting part is that he has penned the dialogues for the four characters (Adi, Tara, Gopi & Chaaru) while considering the aspect of their character sketches & generations.
Last ten odd minutes of the movie are a treat to watch. Fast, edge of the seat and although climax is very much predictable, it forces you to watch the whole proceedings till the very end.
Overall, OK Jaanu works exceptionally well in patches and it is no doubt a much better film keeping in view that Bollywood has not been able to give us something exceptional for an year or so.
