Movie Review: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

When I first saw the trailer of YJHD in wrecked-God-knows-how-its-still-standing Jade Cinema in Shaw Towers, and I heard the dialogue "Bunny tum samajhte kyun nahin ki agar tumne ek aur kadam bhi aage badhaya, toh mujhe tumse pyaar ho jaayega". And I could've BARFEDDDDDD && BARFEDDD && BARFEDDDDDDDDDDD more. And the wrecked-God-knows-how-its-still-standing Jade Cinema would've still absorbed all of that gooey-sick-liquid along with its stench and pardes mein rehne wale desi like us would still be going there to watch Hindi movies because we're that crazy and bewakoof, not to mention we take our Bollywood religion that seriously. We could skip a navratri being all vegetarian, but we must absolutely watch every new Hindi movie. Especially the ones which has big stars or toads like Ranbir Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Farhan Akhtar, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Shahrukh Khan(toad) and Aamir Khan.

So back to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. The trailer wasn't promising as such, it had cheesy/cliched dialogues against a what-seemed-like cliched backdrop theme of 4 friends, having the time of their lives, get drunk, have sex or not, have a reunion and blah blah blah it'salovestory blah blah blah. What was disappointing for me from the trailer was that it was Ayaan Mukherjee's 2nd directorial venture and I was expecting a little more than this, given his first movie, Wake Up Sid, was a fun,fruitful & youthful film. In all honesty, I was not even planning to catch this movie in the theatres.

But,magar,lekin,kintu,parantu, I went for the movie. First day, first evening show. All thanks to a Ranbir Kapoor-fanatic friend of mine. Not that I'm saying I'm not a fan of Jr RK. In fact I love Jr RK, all of it with his casanova style, pretty eyes, not that great a face but great personality, charming aura and great acting skills. So with low expectations, I went in for this movie.

I shall now come to the point and write the real review. *breathesin*breathesout*
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani takes you by surprise. Yes,the movie doesn't start off too great. Some of the dialogues are really really lame and unconvincing.  Yes, it has some really clicked/tacky/cheesy dialogues. Yes, Kalki's acting does not do justice to her otherwise great acting(I've a feeling it's cos she's used to doing messed up roles, so she just didn't know how to be normal anymore. Not that she was shown *normal* in this film exactly. I still love you Mrs Kashyap. Mom swear! *notinanylesbianwayofcourse*). Yes, some of the scenes do no make sense at all. But oh WHAT THE HELL! Movie's commercialised because the unconventional approach wouldn't have been a one-size-fits-all for its targeted audience i.e. the youth.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, is actually a beautiful movie that challenges you to consider about your life priorities and showcases how your surroundings, family backgrounds and friends influence in the development of your identity. Another recurring theme in the movie is *nodrumrollsneededbecausethiswasobviousfromthetraileritself* love & relationships. While many movies have explored this theme in several different ways(look at Aashiqui 2 & Jab Tak Hai Jaan for instance. They're the kind that gives you a delusional love life & probably make you go psycho or schizo or bi-polar. Have your pick), the way Ayaan has dealt with this theme in the movie is remarkable indeed. What I like about his direction is that he doesn't drag the movie. He keeps it simple and crisp. He understands the nuances of film-making so well, that he knows how to establish the setting, build up the storyline, reach a crisis and provide a resolution at a perfect pace. He's that perfectly-drawn bell curve. All this smartness at the mere age of 29, that too in an industry like Bollywood, is surely the signs of a wiseass! Moreover, he is so darn-goodlooking. He's one of the very few,limited edition good looking directors we have in Bollywood. Bhaiya matlab phaaaaad hai launda! Guess it just runs in the genes given he's the son of Deb Mukherjee(Bengali film actor), nephew of Joy Mukherjee(Indian film actor), first cousins of Kajol/Tanisha & 2nd cousin of Rani Mukherjee. Not that Tanisha has any good genes. I don't even know how she's a part of that family tree. Either she's the black sheep, or she was that child who was really picked up from a trash can. But it's okay. We shall forgive her for that. It's not about her right now anyways.anditwillneverbe.

However, there was one thing that I completely didn't get which was the fashion sense. You're in Jaipur for a destination wedding,I get that. But no-f*cking*way-in-hell would chicas,as modern as they may be,would wear bikini blouses and lehenga so revealing that it could make Sherlyn Chopra's eyes pop out. She would probably sue Mukherjee for stealing all the skinshow attention padukone & koechlin takes away in this movie. Meanwhile Jaipur girls will be like bhencho hum toh gali ki market mein bhi muh dhak ke nikalte hain! woh bhi black scarf se haan! Mummydaddychachachachiuncleaunty ne dekh liya toh jaan se maar daalenge! The fashion designer could have surely played down on the skinshow. This is a movie set in supposedly-real Mumbai & Jaipur & other locations. Not a Lakme Fashion Show runway.

The highlight of the movie is of course Madhuri Dixit. She's the only Indian film actor who can make an item number look so graceful & mesmerising! She's truly one classy lady who still has the same radiant glow on her flawless sweet face. Her expressive eyes and elegance brought the song Ghagra to a whole new level altogether. I was actually pretty happy with the audience in the theatre for whistling and clapping to her entrance. She deserves every standing ovation and every whistle for being such a starlight! But really, she is our very own Tendulkar of Bollywood! \m/

Another thing interesting to note was Deepika Padukone. This sassy chick has truly matured as an actor from Om Shaanti Om to Break ke Baad to now Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. I believe Cocktail was her breakthrough point. She came out of her shell & delivered a noteworthy performance in a negative role, even though the film itself was of sub-standards. Her role was convincing in this movie & also pretty much different from her other roles. So job well done Ms Padukone. I'm glad to see you out of *Kingfisher's crib*. I'm hoping that's what has made you wiser.

For Jr RK, I somehow felt he was reprising his role from Wake Up Sid, in a different setting. You could sense some of the similarities in terms of themes & flow of the story. So in terms of acting, this movie wouldn't be a fair point to judge him upon. But then again, this charming hot lass has already proved his ability to act. With this movie, he proves his ability & flexibility to dance as well! Badtameez Dil, if you haven't watched snippets of his performance in this song already, is AWESOMESHIZZLES! Goes perfectly in harmony with his real-life-casanova-style. God I love him. Yes, I'm outrightly biased towards him because he deserves that bias.

How can I forget Aditya Roy Kapoor. I loved loved loved his character in the movie. Strictly because he promotes alcohol in the movie. He's the "chal daaru pila"/"chal daaru peete hain" friend in the movie. Now come on, that makes him impossible to be missed. like IMPOSSIBLE. You HAVE to love him now. I wish I had a friend like that. I think I already do. Quite a few actually. Also, I think I might be one of them myself.

In short, the movie has great direction, smart editing, beautiful,catchy background score, decent storyline & amazing cinematography. The script could've been better but oh well,not all movies are supposed to be masterpieces. This movie certainly isn't perfect but you should catch it in the nearest theatre as soon as possible.

My rating: 3.5/5. I would give 0.5 extra for Madhuri Dixit. So okay fine, 4/5. :D

Watch this movie for:
1. Madhuri Dixit in the song Ghagra
2. Deepika Padukone's acting
3. Ranbir Kapoor's adorability + his dancing
4. Aditya Roy Kapoor's character. Because the man who appreciates alcohol, is the man who has a good taste. B-)


Comments

  1. You forgot KRK - kunal roy kapur! :p

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  2. Keep up the good word!
    "Meanwhile Jaipur girls will be like bhencho hum toh gali ki market mein bhi muh dhak ke nikalte hain!"---- Majje aa gaye

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  3. here's my review-

    http://www.numerounity.com/2013/06/yeh-jawani-hai-deewani-is-well-made.html

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment and sharing your perspective Ekta! Read your review, this movie surely has mixed responses indeed :)

      Cheers,
      Isha

      Delete

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