|
By Taran Adarsh, May 16, 2008 - 09:03 IST
 The
Bhatts never run out of stories. In their new outing
JANNAT, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have yet another new
story to tell. This time, it's all about match fixing
and bookies. But wait! It would be erroneous to
classify JANNAT as a cricket-centric film. Cricket is
just the wallpaper here. The focus is on the love
story, like GANGSTER which was, at heart, a love
story.
What catches you by complete surprise is the fact that
JANNAT has been helmed by a debutante director [Kunal
Deshmukh] and penned by, again, a debutante wordsmith
[story: Vishesh Bhatt; screenplay Kunal Deshmukh and
Vishesh Bhatt]. You're surprised at the level of
maturity, the command over the craft, the display of
confidence in their very first outing.
Honestly, you don't take to JANNAT instantly. The
initial portions - the love story - are strictly
chalta hai stuff. But the best part is, JANNAT takes a
step forward every 10 minutes. The film actually takes
off when the characters reach Cape Town, South Africa.
The portions thereafter are akin to a roller coater
ride.
Right from the interval point to a hair-raising,
pulse-pounding climax, JANNAT is another journey
altogether. The end, especially, hits you like a ton
of bricks [it wouldn't be right to reveal what happens
to the characters].
You can't imagine JANNAT without Emraan Hashmi. Right
from his debut film FOOTHPATH to JANNAT, the actor has
only grown with the passage of time. The actor
displays the gamut of emotions with aplomb, he changes
expressions like a chameleon changes colors. JANNAT is
yet another turning point in his career.
In a nutshell, JANNAT is one of the finest films to
come out of Vishesh Films. Not to be missed!
Arjun [Emraan Hashmi] is a reckless young man with an
obsession for making money at card games. A chance
meeting with a girl in a mall, Zoya [Sonal Chauhan],
gives him the reasons he was looking for to move out
of his ordinary life. He steps up from playing
small-time card games to becoming a bookie.
 Stuck
in a triangle of sorts between the woman he loves and
his addiction to make a quick buck, Arjun steps into
the world of match fixing. But his dizzy rise attracts
the attention of the police [Samir Kochar].
Arjun has to now choose between Zoya and this
new-found success and power. As Arjun struggles to
choose between the two, the Don [Jawed Sheikh] offers
the forbidden apple of limitless wealth in exchange of
his soul and draws him into his core entourage of
money spinners.
You may not be a cricket fan, but it's not difficult
to decipher JANNAT. In fact, the makers have refrained
from using any technical jargon in the movie. Portions
depicting match fixing and Emraan's interaction with
the cricketers are, in fact, amongst the high points
of the film. The speed at which JANNAT unfolds and
most importantly, the turn of events is the hallmark
of this enterprise.
Vishesh Films has an eye for talent and this time the
prolific production house pulls up two more aces -
director Kunal Deshmukh and writer Vishesh Bhatt.
Kunal is a storyteller to watch out for. In the past
decade, the Bhatts have nurtured several talents,
prominent among them being Anurag Basu and Mohit Suri.
Now add Kunal Deshmukh to the list. If you understand
cinema, you'd realize that every sequence in JANNAT is
not only well-shot, but there's meat in those scenes
too.
Vishesh Bhatt's writing is dew-fresh and doesn't take
the tried and tested route. Note the intermission
point or the twists in the second hour as also the
climax, the writer's contribution looms large in those
portions. Pritam's music is lilting. The film has a
hit score, but you'd like to single out two numbers -
'Zara Sa' and 'Jannat Jahan' - for the sheer melody.
Manoj Soni's cinematography is first-rate. The
stunning locales of Cape Town are filmed exquisitely.
Sanjay Masoom's dialogues are excellent. A few
dialogues, in fact, are refreshing to the ears.
Background score [Raju Singh] is top notch.
 You
can't visualize JANNAT without Emraan Hashmi. If you
loved him in MURDER, GANGSTER and AWARAPAN, you'd
place his performance in JANNAT in the same league.
Note the naughty streak as also the helplessness [at
the interval point and towards the end]. An incredible
performance indeed!
Sonal Chauhan looks pretty and though she's passable
in the initial portions, she gets into the groove
eventually. This girl has the potential. Jawed Sheikh
is brilliant. This is his finest work so far. Samir
Kochar is excellent. Vishal Malhotra is good. Shakeel
Khan does very well. Abhimanyu Singh is competent.
Vipin Sharma leaves a mark in a brief role.
On the whole, JANNAT is a well-made film with lilting
music, gripping script and excellent performances as
its mainstay. Coupled with an absorbing second hour
and a brilliant climax, the film has all it takes to
prove a success story in times to come. Its solo
release coupled with good hype should overcome the
strong opposition [IPL].
Rating * * * 1/2
|
