听 If you thought Jaan-E-man was just another lovefest steeped in the usual conventions of Bollywood romances, you'd be hugely mistaken. Fantasy, wit and biting humour combine, breathing life into the otherwise staid 'love triangle' formula. Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar play the hapless cohorts who resort to subterfuge in order to win over a lost love played by Priety Zinta. Innovative and fantastical, the film balances comedy, emotion and theatrics to great overall effect. A fun-filled entertainer for the whole family.
When his ex-wife Pia (Priety Zinta) demands an alimony payment of 50,000 crore rupees, Suhaan (Salman Khan) and his Uncle Bonny (Anupam Kher) devise a plan to enlist a new love who might marry her, enabling Suhaan to forgo the alimony costs. They chance upon Agustya Rao (Akshay Kumar) the one-time school geek turned gorgeous woman, whose love for Pia was always unrequited. However, in the course of playing Cyrano, Suhaan discovers the truth of all that he lost when he left Pia.
Marrying keen wit with heartfelt sentiment, lavish sets and larger than life song and dance sequences, director Shirish Kundar creates an affectionate pastiche of all that is synonymous with Bollywood. Perfect casting, imaginative characterisation and innovative execution add zeal to what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill story. Khan, Kumar and Zinta each bring much to the table, delivering necessarily eclectic performances tempered with just the right touch of sentiment. The film's occasional flaws in dialogue and drawn out gags can be readily overlooked in the face of the full-on cinematic gratification on offer.
"THE BEST BOLLYWOOD HAS TO OFFER"
Jaan-E-mann simultaneously parodies the worst elements of Hindi cinema, while exulting in the best that Bollywood has to offer, making for an unexpectedly original and entertaining film.
