Jab We Met - Balle Balle Love

Yeah, so the main theme here is the boy-meets-girl story. But Imtiaz Ali, the director has taken it to an extra level. Its not the typical boy-meets-girl and then emotional love, separation, songs etc.

I havent watched Socha Na Tha, which is also another Imtiaz Ali movie. From what I know, that is also a boy-meets-girl movie. I hate such themes. I always think - why cant bollywood directors and screenplay writers learn from malayalam movies or even tamil movies - offlate a few of them have been really good. Most Hindi movies are just extravagant and bombastic - nothing else.

Okay, when JWM started, I didnt know what was happening or rathe, what was going to happen. Well, we know that Shahid (Aditya) has to meet Kareena (Geet) somewhere and something has to happen. But that took some time. When Geet started her dialogue, which only stopped almost close to the intermission, I was totally annoyed and irritated. Aditya tries everything he can to shut her up and leave him alone - nothing works. She is almost stuck to him like a leech but later we see that she brings about a positive change in him.

At one point, Aditya explains to Geet about his past. That's one emotional drama. You are almost deciding that this movie is also taking the same dramatic turn, but thank god, that doesnt happen. Both characters have a very good sense of humor and that lives throughout the film.

In the second half, roles change. Geet gets dumped by her boyfriend and ends up lonely. Aditya takes her shoes and becomes the enthusiastic, can we say, boyfriend.

Other things that I almost liked - the friendship between Aditya and Geet. They almost understand each other so well and are affectionate. They accept each other's life even when there are failures. There is no sad music in the background when one leaves the other, no coming back and hugging each other. The next thing is the songs. You must hear to the one below. This is perhaps my favorite.



Few things do stand out in this movie - we still have the Punjabi family that is hopping, dancing and partying a lot. Then they worry a lot. We do have loud uncles, but thank god, we dont have a crying mom. But they are not painful to the eye. Also, elders in the movie are not troubling the flow of the movie by being extra emotional. Their roles are justified. But we know that most family settings in Punjab, atleast from the Hindi movies, are highly ornate. And to support that argument, we have colorful lehengas and huge bungalows. The best part is the usage of the washing machine to prepare lassi. Thank god, I dont remember seeing butter chicken.

On the other hand, there is a lot of insight that this movie provides - especially in the character of Kareena Kapoor (in the initial half). She comes across as someone who is not shying away from the difficulties that a person would face. She is cheerful, bold enough to be blunt and open about what she wants. She is a breeze of confidence and that encourages Shahid to change himself and his lifestyle. Problems do not mean that its the end of the world. The key is to remain determined and confidently happy to face these blocks and strive to be successful. If you keep brooding over your past, its not going to make anything about your future better.