Na Tum Na Jaano Na Hum (2002)
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Esha Deol
Director: Arjun Sablok
Music Director: Rajesh Roshan
Synopsis: a reasonably engaging, typical and rather old-fashioned love triangle
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

 

 

The credits open with glimpses of Esha Deol's childhood accompanied by a song, children dancing about and a voice-over from our Dream Girl's daughter musing about love and how one never quite knows when it happens. It is a pleasant enough opening, but it is presented with such sugary innocence that the sets begin to resemble something out of Blue Peter or Jackanory.

One can't help wondering what the point of it all is.

Perhaps it is simply designed to appeal to the Britney Spears generation.

Anyway, Esha (Esha Deol) has "met" someone—although exactly how remains rather vague. It appears that our prospective lovers communicate through a radio station and have developed feelings for one another because they happen to enjoy the same songs...and, well, not a great deal else, really.

They arrange to meet at the radio station, but although Rahul (Hrithik Roshan) arrives, Esha does not. Dutiful daughter that she is, she decides she ought to know him better before actually meeting him. Instead, they agree to become pen pals.

Rahul accepts this curious arrangement without complaint, and the letters begin to flow. Gradually, a warm friendship develops.

Into the picture comes Akshay (Saif Ali Khan), Rahul's childhood friend and best mate, whom we have already seen enthusiastically collecting lipstick marks while draping himself over an assortment of scantily clad women. Akshay is, unsurprisingly, a confirmed Casanova.

So now we have three people, each searching for that one special person.

Fate intervenes when Esha crosses paths with Rahul, who happens to be working as a photographer on an advertising assignment in Dehradun. They become close friends, but Esha remains devoted to the mysterious stranger whose letters she treasures.

Then, entirely out of the blue, she becomes engaged—to Akshay.

The incurable womaniser has apparently fallen hopelessly in love after seeing nothing more than her photograph.

Confused and hurt, Esha turns to Rahul, only to discover that he had been spending time with her merely to determine whether she was suitable marriage material for his friend.

Small sparks fly—but never quite catch fire.

She writes a desperate letter to her unseen admirer, but it goes astray. He, too, writes asking to meet her, yet when Rahul finds himself at the appointed place, he quietly steps aside, believing his friend deserves happiness more than he does.

Will true love prevail?

Will Esha finally discover the identity of her mysterious correspondent?

The answers are hardly difficult to predict, but the film remains pleasant enough company along the way.

The premise itself has the makings of an engaging modern fairy tale. Before dismissing it, one should remember that Hollywood has built entire films around similarly whimsical ideas, from Sleepless in Seattle to Serendipity. Na Tum Jaano Na Hum certainly possesses the bones of an appealing romantic fantasy.

Where it falters is in the familiar Bollywood tendency to overindulge. The songs, although generally shorter than usual, frequently interrupt rather than enrich the narrative, and director Arjun Sablok occasionally misses the emotional beat.

A good example is "Tum", which follows what is actually a genuinely romantic scene. Instead of allowing those emotions to develop naturally within the party setting, Sablok whisks us away once again to snow-covered mountains where Rahul serenades the heavens and surrounding pine trees. Had the song remained rooted in the party itself, its emotional impact would have been considerably stronger.

The film also spends too little time establishing the relationship between Rahul and Esha at the outset. Their friendship develops almost too quickly. Admittedly, the film is already lengthy, and perhaps expanding this section would have slowed it further.

The first half does drag. Very little actually happens beyond Akshay's clowning, a succession of songs and the gradual friendship between the leads. There is surprisingly little romance.

Fortunately, the second half gathers momentum and eventually weaves together a sweet, engaging story. It may not be particularly original, but it remains easy to watch.

Saif Ali Khan contributes little that feels new. His performance is essentially an extension of the charming rogue he played in Yeh Dillagi, with a little extra buffoonery thrown in for good measure. Having said that, his climactic scene carries genuine emotional weight and is beautifully underplayed, almost redeeming everything that comes before it.

Hrithik Roshan once again demonstrates what a naturally sensitive performer he is. One only wishes directors would occasionally allow him to look less immaculate. Perhaps ruffle his hair, let him appear genuinely dishevelled for once. Both heroes look as though they have stepped directly out of the make-up van and onto the set, contributing to the slightly prefab appearance of the entire production.

His role may never win awards—then again, neither did Tom Hanks' in Sleepless in Seattle—but Hrithik possesses that indefinable charm that consistently elevates even weaker material. He managed it in the woefully disappointing Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, and he does it again here.

The weakest link is unfortunately Esha Deol. Comparisons with her mother are perhaps unfair, but inevitable. She simply lacks the effortless charm required for a role like this. There is often a hardness to her expressions, and her emotional scenes seldom convince. This should have been an ideal launch vehicle, as the film revolves almost entirely around her, yet she never quite lights up the screen. Even the affectionate tribute to her father when she performs "Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana" falls rather flat. One also wonders how many younger viewers would even recognise the reference.

Rajesh Roshan's music is pleasant enough without ever becoming particularly memorable.

For a first-time director, Arjun Sablok shows definite promise. Na Tum Jaano Na Hum is no Kuch Kuch Hota Hai—nor even Dil To Pagal Hai, to which it often feels like a distant cousin—but it represents a respectable beginning.

Next time, though, I hope he spends less time worrying about elaborate choreography and glossy trappings, and more time concentrating on the story itself.

Not great... but certainly not bad.