Jab We Met

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Dara Singh Randhawa, Kiran Juneja, Saumya Tandon, Pawan Malhotra, Tarun Arora, Kamal Tiwari
Language: Hindi
Banner: Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Producer: Dhillin Mehta
Camera: S Natarajan Subramaniam
Story: Imtiaz Ali
Screenplay: Imtiaz Ali
Dialogue: Imtiaz Ali
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil, Faiz Anwar
Music: Pritam Chakraborty, Sandesh Shandilya
Year: 2007

Jab We Met is a sweet, romantic comedy that has a simple script with a sweet and engaging screenplay. The film has several scenes which leave an indelible mark on the viewer. Although the plot and storyline is clichéd like most Hindi film love stories, it is the performances by Kareena and Shahid that liven up the proceedings. Director Imtiaz Ali infuses the film with wit, bitter-sweet incidents and lively character sketches that makes it a thoroughly enjoyable feel good film. Jab We Met is a sweet and engaging love story that is an out an out family entertainment.

Jab We Met has been produced under Shri Ashtavinayak films and has been directed by Imtiaz Ali. It stars Kareena Kapoor as Geet and Shahid Kapur as Aditya. The music has been composed by Pritam.

Aditya (Shahid) is depressed with life as his ladylove has ditched him. A heartbroken Aditya wanders to the station and boards a train with no particular destination in mind. However on the train he meets the chirpy Bhatinda girl, Geet. She is the exact opposite of his personality, while Aditya is dejected, negative and depressed; Geet is positive, talkative, full of life and raring to go. However their paths are entwined when both of them miss their train and have no money or luggage with them. Now their journey up North begins and their travel depicts several travails, but as time passes by Aditya is infected by Geet’s enthusiasm.

Geet too however has plans of eloping with her boyfriend. After the two reach Bhatinda, Geet’s family mistakes them for lovers. However before this misconception can be cleared Geet elopes to meet her boyfriend and Aditya who is infused with a new lease on life returns to Mumbai and begins his new life. Now the lovers have parted ways, but of course sheer coincidence and fate brings them face to face once more. So will they both get a new lease on life this time round?

Jab We Met has all the right ingredients for a feel good love story, a sweet simple script, a captivating screenplay, good performances and the right amount of song and dance thrown in to make it a good film. Imtiaz Ali’s script and screenplay comes across as endearing and he even executes the film with finesse. The director has captured several sequences with a fresh appeal, such as the one where Kareena and Shahid take a dip, the one where they stay in a dingy room of a shady hotel, the one where Kareena abuses etc. The director also incorporates a liberal dose of humour which is not in your face but is sweet and brings a smile to the lips. He has also given strong definitive traits to his characters and made them extremely likeable.

However there are a few downfalls, the script and story are not novel, the love story has been done to death and here too one gets to see a number of clichés. Also Jab We Met seems to borrow its plot from earlier Hindi films. The second half of the film gets too serious and one misses the lighthearted chatter and banter of the earlier half. Also the pace of the second half tends to drag a bit.

Jab We Met has fairly nice breezy music that makes you hum along. There are different songs for different moods and one enjoys the vibrant ‘Pochho Na’, ‘Mauja Mauja’ etc. However they could have been spaced out a bit as they seem to come in succession. Cinematography which captures the North parts of India is good, dialogues too are fresh.

Performances by the two lead actors Kareena and Shahid are extremely competent. Even their on-screen chemistry together works this time round. Kareena performs Geet’s role with an absolute flair for the character, she goes all out and gives a brilliant performance. She is a bundle of talent and energy in this film. She carries of her role with total ease. Shahid too gives a credible performance; he is restrained when he needs to be and then gradually opens out. He is subtle but yet is never overshadowed by Kareena’s overbearing character. A first-rate performance by both the actors. The rest of the cast too pitches in to play their parts efficiently.

Jab We Met may not have an original story, but due to its endearing and lively performances and detail to finer nuances it definitely comes across as a film that will entertain and engage audiences of all ages. A good film that is enjoyable.

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