Bachna Ae Haseeno – Movie Review

Bachna ae haseeno (Beware pretty girls!) from Yash Raj Films is a romance, but the kind of romance that I have not seen in Hindi cinema before. There are three leading ladies which our hero Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) meets at different points in his life – from the age of 18 to the age of 30, and that’s about all I am going to reveal about the story. That’s not the only reason I liked the movie though. I liked it because Raj has shades and shades of gray and there is actually a story to the film. But be prepared, Raj’s character is just about the only realism you can expect from the film. Not that it took away any of my enjoyment…the dramatic presentation of various events in the movie was the method that the director (Siddharth Anand) used to tell his very sweet, though unbelievable story. Luckily for me, I don’t see such films for my daily dose of reality.

The locale
The film was shot in Europe and Australia and the viewer is treated to some exotic locales. Frankly that’s getting boring. I mean, who wants to see the Swiss Alps in Hindi movies again and again and again! Sometimes I wonder if the actors and crew go abroad because they want a foreign holiday or because they want the film to appeal to the NRI market…it certainly isn’t necessary for the story. And I am sure NRI’s would love to see India more than anything else.

The story (no spoilers)
An apology is important. All of us have been hurt by someone or the other at some point in our lives and all of us have hurt others, knowingly or unknowingly. And it’s not just romantic relationships that I am talking about here. And we have all longed for a way to mend the relationship…but having the understanding to realise where one went wrong or summoning up the courage to apologise is not common. In fact the deeper the hurt caused, the greater the reluctance the apologise. What we often don’t realise is that unless a genuine apology is given (which can only come with true repentance) the relationship cannot mend. I thought the director tackled this issue sensitively, bringing out the dilemma of the characters – whether to apologize and/or whether to forgive and the consequences of it.

The characters and the actors
Mahi (Minissha Lamba) is a romantic and quite besotted with the film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and so it’s not really surprising that she meets our Raj (Ranbir Kapoor). Raj, who has stars in his eyes and love in his heart. Raj, who loves to love girls…but wait a minute, this story is not a bit like DDLJ, which is another Yash Chopra flick. And that’s because our Raj is not the perfect hero. What, a smart and good-looking guy who is willing to take off his shirt at any given moment and is the best beau any girl could have – considerate, chivalrous, charming and persistent – is not a nice guy? The script-writer has got it all wrong, surely there must be something good in him…but well, that is what the movie is about…us trying to discover the decent Raj. Not just us, it’s a process of discovery for Raj too. Thankfully the director didn’t try to pass off Raj’s flaws as virtues and nor does he try to whitewash them…

Out of the three women in the movie I liked Bipasha Basu (she plays the role of Radhika) the best. I am not sure whether she got the most screen time, but it seemed as if she did. She dominates the movie. She is right for her role too, the role of a glamorous model. She looks gorgeous and though her beauty does not eclipse that of Deepika’s beauty (who plays Gayatri), her performance does. I am not saying that Deepika didn’t act well. She has an expressive face and I think she has a lot of potential. However, I felt she wasn’t quite suited for the role. In this movie her character (Gayatri) is tough and independent, but she comes across as just the opposite. She had all the right scenes, but she still comes across as fragile. Minissha Lamba (Mahi) acted well too. Another good performance was that of Kunal Kapoor. He comes in only at the end but delivers a hard hitting performance. As for Ranbir…well he has those chocolate boy looks but I thought his acting was average.

In Conclusion
I think this is a nice movie, all about young people and about love but it isn’t another Jaane Tu. The story is far more complicated than that…actually Jaane Tu didn’t really have a strong story line (although it is a better quality movie). This does, even if it’s one that raises eyebrows. It’s a sweet heart-warming tale, a bit slow in parts, funny in parts, and with average music. I enjoyed it. Not great cinema and not for everyone but I hope you can figure out from the review whether you’ll like it.

(First photo is from Sify and others from the movie site)

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