Jab We Met - Paisa Vasool

In a nutshell:
Story: Interesting
Direction: Very good
Acting: Very good
Music: Good
Overall: Paisa vasool!

Director Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Jab We Met’ is a very engaging piece, unlike other Bollywood stories which need ‘n’ number of music scores, item numbers or irrelevant comedy to sustain or rather summon the lost interest. This one progresses quickly with no trivialities and keeps interest levels taut like an express train.

This movie is an example for every other that attempts to feature travel. As we watch scenic locations in India, the movie makes the viewer enjoy the traveling as if it is first hand. It is evidence that a great story can be made without expensive shoots abroad.

‘Jab We Met’ primarily is a love story, throughout which romance is suggested not flaunted, with an exception of the last scene which justifies an intense display of emotion. The director has been able to portray romance in its most natural and mature shade with a great sense of subtlety, despite very young characters. Extremely good direction in this regard.

Another good point about the direction and the script is that the transformation or opening up of Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor) from a morose, serious guy to an enthusiastic, lively businessman is shot at a very well-calculated pace. That coupled with Shahid Kapoor’s thorough understanding of the role and his good performance has brought the character to life. Kareena Kapoor by far has given one of her best performances (of which there aren’t many) in Jab We Met. Despite being attached to Shahid Kapoor when Jab We Met was shot, she has steered clear of the slightest hint of anything more than friendship in Geet’s (Kareena) behavior towards Aditya, in the first half of the movie, thus doing justice to her role and the story.

The connecting thread of a train journey is very effective and enjoyable, and so is the background music. In fact, Prittam and Sandesh Shandilya’s music score is laudable and creates a very pleasant experience even when played repeatedly.

There were some minor technical imperfections in the movie like the scene where it seems like Aditya is asking Geet to offload her luggage and the fact that there is something terribly wrong with Anshuman’s (Tarun Arora) Hindi.

However, overall, I would rate Jab We Met ‘paisa vasool’ (must watch!)