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Jab We Met
When it comes to Imtiaz Alis Jab We Met, the only thing that gives me more pleasure than watching it is writing about it. Its good to see a film that has so much to offer through such a simple plot, and even better to ground it in its two stars, both of whom continue to baffle the public about their break up. If this film is anything to go by, they shouldve grown old together even in real life. Its a bittersweet thought that a couple who radiate so much warmth for each other on screen could not sustain that in reality.
Jab We Met is a blessed film. The leads are perfectly cast, the story is straightforward and predictable in a nice way, and the director never loses focus on the fact that the plot should remain centered on its two wandering souls. Too much deviation would have affected the film adversely. The reason why films like Jab We Met and DDLJ and QSQT work so well is because the subplots are minimal. Aditya (Shahid Kapur) and Geet (Kareena Kapoor) are capable of holding our interest for the whole film, and as a result of this focus, Jab We Met is a movie that expresses unihibited affection for its two characters.
Aditya is a lonely man whose girlfriend has just married someone else, his mother has broken the family by leaving his father for another man, and his father is no more. While on the brink of committing suicide, hes stopped by Geet, a loud mouthed Sikhni from Bhatinda, who talks as if silence was outlawed years ago. They meet on a train, then they get off, both miss it, and find that they keep bumping into each other in helpful ways. While on the road, they rent a room in a seedy motel called, of all things, Decent, and she insists on paying for it by the hour, coz its cheaper. Thus begins an entire motel sequence which couldve been cheap and exploitative, but instead finds humour and wonderment in how Aditya and Geet actually read each other for the first time, and are surprised and amused by what they see. Shahid and Kareena work so well off each other in that whole sequence, that they elevate their film to a higher level altogether. Even with such light material, they create something real and electric.
Geet is on her way to a man she claims is ready to elope with her, and once Aditya makes sure that she has reached him, they part ways. This is after they have spent a considerable amount of time around Geets boisterous family, who are the type of movie charcaters who will overfeed you, smother you with love, and just as quickly pull out swords and guns to display their legendary anger. Anyway, Aditya and Geet meet one year later, when both have gone through major changes in their lives and their souls seem to have wandered into each others personalities by then. They spend the rest of the film finding out what we already know by then: that they are made for each other. Although the movie drags considerably for its final half hour, luckily, Jab We Met thrives on its journey, not its destination, and there is its triumph.
Pritams music cannot be defined, really. He takes songs of every type, blends every mood with every genre of music, and comes up with one winner after another that is like a collection of cherries on a cake. The standout, though, would have to be Geets pre-interval folk song, which is unlike anything Ive heard this year, and has great vocals and a great rhythm to it. Imtiaz Alis debut film Socha Na Tha launched Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia, and two years after it flopped, Im now interested in seeing it. Of the two gifted actors, Shahid Kapur has the tougher role, because its a quiet character, and he handles Geet with the kind of kid gloves and limited patience that are not just script induced, but realistic. His transformation to a confident, successful man who has come back from the brink of suicide is subtler than the story allows, and whenever you see him talk to Geet, well, you would like this man to win this woman.
And what a woman she is! As portrayed by Bebo, Geet is talkative and loud, but (this is crucial), never shrill. She even talks in her sleep, and theres little that she says in her first 15 minutes that makes sense, but she never gets on your nerves. And later, when her dreams are shattered and she has turned into a recluse, she has an incredible scene where she laughs at the naivete of her past. Her laughter has changed, and even as she chuckles, she brings an enormous sense of sadness to the scene. Its a tremendous performance, and Kareena is the films ace.
There are simply no reasons to not see Jab We Met. This is one of the years best films. Enjoy. And then enjoy it again.
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