A warm welcome to one of the most talented director’s to hit the bollywood scene who in his maiden attempt has given us a movie that has its heart in the right place. Terrific and rich visuals, brilliant technical support, strong content, and enough masala to satisfy the appetite of the average movie goer is what Jaaneman is. Really, it is an experience in itself that mersmerises with its vibrant colors and beautiful music. Although one needs to get used to the out of the box narrative style of the director to completely enjoy the journey.
The movie starts off in style and encompasses many mind boggling sequences in the first hour itself. Grand, extravagant sets, musical interludes instead of dialogues to carry the story forward, musicians/clowns/dwarfs and what not popping out of nowhere and more...all this fits the definition of a musical to the hilt. And Jaaneman stays true to its genre. Its the chemistry between Salman and Anupam Kher that keeps one smiling in the first half, with Akshay Kumar impressing with a subdued act. One eagerly looks forward to the second half.
The Post-interval portions form the emotional content of the story and it is here that many dramtaic sequences come forward. Especially good is the little twist in the storyline that is an example of good writing and many scenes impress. Though a little trimming could help in this half for a better impact. The climax is appropriate.
The performance of the cast help the movie scale one level up. Salman delivers a very sensitive and heart-warming performance. His scenes with the kid are really praise-worthy. Akshay Kumar is very competent and entertains in his geeky avatar. Preity looks beautiful and is gracefulness personified, she is quite good. Anupam Kher is convincing as a dwarf, but surprisingly suffers from poor characterization in the second half.
Anu Malik deserves special mention for the soulful tunes. The music is an integral part of the film and carries the story forward to a major extent. And Anu delivers big time. Each song is a gem, especially "Humko Maloom hai", "sau dard" and "Ajnabee".
Jaaneman introduces a very emterprising director who dares to be different and Jaaneman is just the beginning. We’re eagerly looking forward to his next venture!