Yahaan

Reviewed By: Goher Iqbal Punn

Producers: Sahara One Motion Pictures and Red Ice Films

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Minissha Lamba and Yashpal Sharma

Music: Shantanu Moitra

The eye-pleasing valleys of Kashmir have always been the main focus of Bollywood filmmakers since the outset. Love stories set in the gorgeous Kashmir have always enticed the viewers. From yesteryears work of art Kashmir Ki Kali to the tour de force Roja to Mission Kashmir, all had much potential to shove the interest level of the cinegoers to the heights of pleasures.

Sahara One Motion Pictures and Red Ice Films magnum opus Yahaan, which has been feeding the kitty generating whopping interest and curiosity from the day one due to its innovative subject, heart-hitting-beautiful Kashmir as the background scenery and above all the pivotal gal Minissha, the prettiest actress ever on the canvas of Hindi movies whom God must have created with all the special ingredients available with HIM such as the beauty of the moon, the shinning of the stars, the softness of the clouds, the syrupy magic of the dawn, the intoxication of the night, the saccharine fragrance of the flowers and the intelligence of the fox.

Debutante director Shoojit Sircar handles a very sophisticated theme in Yahaan that certainly falls in the bracket of the classics of this year. The movie is undoubtedly different from its genres and amongst the horde of flicks churned out on Bollywood terra firma till date. It pipes up the story of an Indian army officer and a local Kashmiri girl. The credit surely slots in the pockets of the bright spark director Shoojit Sircar, the leading high flier protagonists Jimmy Shergill and Minissha Lamba and the musician Shantanu Moitra.

Although the storyline, which gives the picture of the activities of the armed forces, the insurgency, the unpleasant-scary condition of the locals under the shadow of terror in the valley and the love saga amidst all these happenings, lead you to the routine stuff of Kashmir based movies. But candidly entwining, this love story has been executed with much care and intelligence and that makes the difference and above all the subject of the love between an Indian army captain and the Kashmiri girl is unique on Bollywood juncture.

An Indian army officer Aman (Jimmy Shergill) falls in love with a local Kashmiri girl Adaa (Minissha Lamba). The valley of Kashmir follows the unwritten law wherein the women cannot go to make any relation with an outsider but the brave Adaa does not care about it and puts her life on risk while losing her heart to the army officer and then faces the music. Aman and Adaa decide to fight with the burly opposition.

Having a chinwag on the script portion, there is no hesitation at all to declare it a creative piece of art. Since there is an English phrase that too many cooks spoil the food but with this dish of Yahaan, the cooks have went against the saying and prepared a delicious food to dine with. The team of writers (Piyush Mishra, Somnath De, Sameer Kohli and director Shoojit Sircar himself) has scribbled down the screenplay and deserves to be applauded colossally for its good efforts.

Director Shoojit Sircar makes a decent debut overall with the assigned job of direction and stands tall with some brilliant sequences handled with much gusto and conviction such as the ones when Jimmy Shergill and Yashpal Sharma meet and when Minissha runs from one corner to the other to safeguard the life of Jimmy, stick out the most. The frames, when Minissha arrives at TV channel to deliver a speech to prove the innocence of her lover, cease the breath flow since here she exhibits her true talents and the forte to make her mark in this mammoth industry of Hindi cinema. This newcomer is such a confident and fine actress that she does not have to take the cheap steps to get success.

The locales of Kashmir are eye-candy. The cinematography by Jakob Ihre is first rate. Piyush Mishra jots down the dialogues with a punch of originality. The mellifluously melodious music is the true highlight and the plus point of this love story. Shantanu Moitra has scored the classy composition. Pooche Jo Koi certainly deserves to be ranked amongst the top five numbers of this year.

The film rests on the shoulders of two leading artists Jimmy and Minissha and they have justified their jobs ardently and with much aplomb. Jimmy will get hold on his shaky career after the adroit performance in this movie. Now coming to the central girl of the enterprise, the beauty goddess Minissha Lamba (whose bigger sparkling eyes, which have a layer of water all the time adding more beauty to her eyes, verbalize the dexterity) is actually the one who has made the viewers come out to theaters to watch this sensitive love tale. She fits utterly well with the role of Adaa. This gifted actress doesnt show even for a single moment that she is the new tot on the Hindi movies scene. She performs her role knowing the fact that she has joined the filmdom to stay longer and soon this girl will find a place amongst the big wheels of the industry. At the awards function of this year, Minissha would been seen amongst the best actresses category. Ditto for Jimmy as well. Jimmy and Minissha make this vehicle a soothing journey to ride on. Yashpal Sharma enacts a meaty role. The rest of the cast fills the bill.

Yahaan is classic in every sense of the word with brilliant direction, mellow music and the excellent performances of the leading characters of Jimmy Shergill and Minissha Lamba. A must watch!

Rating: 4/5