Jab We Met (2007)

Another very recent recommendation after my review on Kai Po Che! (my review HERE) during the past month is Bollywood romantic comedy, Jab We Met by a very awesome blogger Nafees at IMDBwords.  He was actually one of the first followers that I had and has stuck around and stops by quite a bit.  I was wondering when he’d start recommending me some movies.  He has pretty cool write-up on movie-related topics and also extends to other topics in his life as well. Definitely head on over to check out his blog!

Director: Imtiaz Ali

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Tarun Arora

Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) is a wealthy businessman who is depressed due to the recent passing of his father, the overwhelming problems that has taken over a good portion of the company his father left him, an unresolved feelings with his mother and the recent marriage of a woman that he loved.  He aimlessly decides to go away and ends up on a train where he meets the carefree, very talkative and beautiful girl, Geet who is returning home to see her family but also planning to elope to be with the love of her life, Anshuman (Tarun Arora).  However, in a little mishaps, she ends up missing the train and ends up having to chase down the train with her luggage and makes Aditya pay for her way and eventually get her home.

I’m just going to do the halfway point for this one.  Maybe some of you won’t see this ever but Jab We Met is a pretty charming and sweet movie. I always say this and everyone knows it.  Bollywood movies are extremely long, although in my opinion, Hollywood movies are generally getting pretty lengthy also.  This one had a good pace because it was separated into two parts.  The first part was more of a comedy and getting things in a good pace.  Its like opening up a new perspective for our main guy Aditya and letting us bond with both of them.  The second part I didn’t summarize on the top but its the romantic part.  It was more sweet and cute and really heartwarming to watch.

I love romantic comedies and I’m not one to be too picky with them.  Rom-coms are essentially supposed to be fun and enjoyable to watch and this one definitely fits in that category.  Aditya, played by Shahid Kapoor is pretty handsome and charming, especially when he does this look that I couldn’t find on the internet but its like a “I’m in love” look or kind of helpless.  The chemistry he has with Geet, played by Karena Kapoor (who I saw before in 3 Idiots) is pretty compelling.  Kareena herself is extremely elegant and awesome.  Seriously, the character of Geet kicked some serious butt because she was funny, carefree and just so down to earth.  Those two cooked up some pretty entertaining scenes, even if one of them had some very bad CGI background.

I can’t really rate this against the other two Bollywood movies I’ve seen because those were very much drama or comedy and less romance.  This one does have song and dance and rather frequently too.  Most of it actually is put in at pretty reasonable parts and adds to the energy of the movie itself, except for that final final ending part.  That felt a tad random.  I probably would’ve enjoyed the end credits just that, but thats okay, its not technically part of the movie.  The one things I do say is that for the first part, it felt a whole lot like Forces of Nature.  You got it, the one with Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck ages ago (or maybe it just feels like its been a while) just the second half steers it away.

I would recommend this if you like romantic comedies. I had a good time with it and it was pretty entertaining, funny, and just a fun carefree ride.  Its not really just about love but rather also how to face life in a different way (at least in the first half) and to take things into your own hands before you miss the chance.  The chemistry is great between our leads and the characters grow and learn throughout the 2 hours plus of the flick.  I had a good time and I think its worth giving this movie a chance 🙂

Thanks again to Nafees for recommending this rom-com to me! Remember to go check his blog out!

3 Idiots (2009)

A writer and fellow blogger, Ankit Raj Bachchan asked me to search up and review some Indian movies in the beginning of March.  I have never watched any up to date and I asked him to give me some time.  However, I got a promotion on my tablet to buy 1 movie and get 2 free. By the time the voucher got to me earlier this week, I managed to see that it had 3 Idiots available to download, I swept it up right away.  I knew nothing of what to expect from it, nothing about the story, the actors, etc.  This is completely new and fresh to me so reviewing this is going to be a challenge in itself.  However, I did know from what Ankit told me is that it is THE biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema!

Director:  Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi Vaidya

Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Sharman Joshi) get news of the whereabouts of a lost college best friend, Rancho (Aamir Khan).  Due to this, they both go to look for him. During the trip, they think back to how they met, their college years and all the hardships that they’ve been through that has gotten them to not only where they are but also how strong their friendship actually is.  With their memories, we see Rancho is not only a lost friend but also that he inspired them to be who they are today and to live life without fear and to follow their passion.  He taught them how to think differently even if everyone else thought they were being idiots.

I’m going to start by saying this is a comedy/drama with hints of romance.  When I first turned on the movie, I almost fainted and asked myself what I got into because no comedy that I’ve ever watched lasts 2 hours and 51 minutes *faints*.  However, I have to say, I’d gladly give those 2 hours and 51 minutes again to the movie.  It was a bit cheesy in parts but all in all, this movie was funny, enjoyable and inspiring.  Maybe its because I can somewhat relate to the university days of studying in fear of what people would think (maybe even a bit right now).

In the first half of the movie, we had spontaneous singing and dancing with catchy tunes.  I always like a bit of that.  At first, I was laughing at the first song All izz Well because it was so random from start to end. Then after that, it was stuck in my head for the day after until we hit another song, Zoobi Doobi.  Forget about this one, its still in my head and I only know those two lines and the following melody.  Its right here if you want to hear it, the scene is quite fun and cute, give it a shot. I couldn’t find a good video with english subtitles, this one skips a little, but still check it out! I guarantee smiles at the minimum 🙂

Thats just the start because you still have songs here and there.  However, this is a really awesome story.  It never really makes you feel like its too long because they constantly crack some witty jokes and adds some silliness.  There are twists and lessons, ups and downs, obstacles and it has these heartwarming and touching moments.  It did really well in showing a developing and strong friendship, of being able to do anything for your friends.  Also, it brings up school (and some apply to life) issues about studying, searching for their future, the inspiration, conquering one’s fears to move forward.

I don’t know anything about the director or the actors but I’d say that they did a superb job at bringing this movie to life.  The whole cast was fantastic, the story was set in a way to lure the viewers continuously with its change and balance between good and bad events that occur to our 3 main protagonists.

I’m definitely recommending this.  I was extremely pleasantly surprised! Its worth those close to 3 hours that you spend because chances are you won’t feel them pass you by because it just turns into a fun ride packed with some good laughs (and maybe pick up some thing extra)!