Jaan E Mann

On the face of it, 'Jaan-e-Mann' is a love triangle of sorts. It's about two men loving the same woman but there is no competition or one-upmanship between the guys. One gets the girl initially and even gets married to her but the marriage fails for some reason. He's the cool dude sort of guy.

Years pass. Enter the other guy (the nerd) and the cool dude actually comes forward to help him get his old love. He even tells him the actual lines to deliver and the things to do to woo her.

Surprised? Does she fall for the second guy?

There is nothing novel about this theme, it's been done to death in films before but what sets this one apart is the narrative. It's told in a completely different style. The twists and turns in the screenplay also ensure that it is truly different. The camera angles and shot taking is completely different at times, making you wonder if you are watching a fairy tale.

Now for the story. Suhan Kapoor (Salman Khan) receives a notice to pay alimony (Rs. 50 lakhs) to his estranged wife Piya (Preity Zinta), now settled in New York. Suhan's 'Chachu' Boney (Anupam Kher), a lawyer, thinks of ways to get out of the situation.

Agastya Rao (Akshay Kumar) walks into their house, looking for Piya. He tells Suhan and Chachu that he was in love with Piya during their college days but she was in love with someone else. Agastya is unaware that Suhan is the guy. Even Suhan does not recognize him until this.

Piya had ignored Agastya in college. He was a nerd then. She even broke his heart by dating Suhan. A heartbroken Agastya had left the college for this reason. Agastya is an astronaut now. His outwardly appearance has changed but he still doesn't know how to communicate his feelings to a girl.

Suhan and Chachu come up with a plan to get Agastya and Piya together, so that Suhan is out of the mess.

Agastya and Suhan fly to New York. They hire an apartment right opposite Piya's residence and monitor every move of hers through a telescope. Suhan helps Agastya to woo Piya. A reluctant Piya eventually gives in.

But there's a twist in the tale when Suhan gets to know of something that changes his life completely. He wants Piya back. But Piya has now agreed to marry Agastya. What happens now? Who will get her? Watch the film for this!

We've already spoken about the brilliant cinematography and shots. It makes the film a great visual experience. Farah Khan's choreography adds to the rich experience but at times the songs become too long and overdone. All this gives the film a very up-market feel. The music is very soothing.

Now for the performances. Salman is almost playing himself in the film showing a plethora of emotions; attitude, mischief, a certain sensitivity and soft-heartedness. He's good. Akshay is superb as the slightly nerdish character. It's a complete contrast to his street smart characters in his other films. It shows his growth as an actor. Preity is wonderful. She looks convincing as someone who men can fall in love with. She's also looking gorgeous and classy. Anupam Kher is fantastic as Chachu. The rest of the cast is decent.

Debutant director Shirish Kunder has truly done a good job but he could have easily pruned the film by half an hour. It drags a bit especially the songs. Besides direction, Shirish has even written the story, screenplay, dialogues, composed the background music, and edited the film.

Although there's a lot of inspiration from real life incidents, there's nothing preachy about the film. It's a good blend of entertainment and emotions but there's no mass appeal to the film. It's sure to cater to the multiplex and elite crowd besides the overseas audience but business in the interiors seems bleak.