Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya (2000)
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Kirti Reddy
Director: A. Muthu
MusicDirector: Ismail Darbar
Synopsis: lightweight Bollywood Mass entertainer is "time pass" harmless, brainless fun
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

 

Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa was cleverly positioned as Abhishek Bachchan's second release following Refugee. Where J.P. Dutta's film presented him in a serious, understated role, this offers exactly the opposite—a colourful, lightweight commercial entertainer aimed squarely at the mainstream audience.

Of course, "mass entertainer" has become one of Bollywood's favourite descriptions.

What it generally means is a film that throws together romance, comedy, songs and sentiment in generous quantities without asking the audience to think too much. By that definition, Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa fits the mould perfectly.

Pooja (Kirti Reddy) works in an advertising agency and dreams of becoming a film director. She also dreams of meeting Mr Right, although her definition of the perfect man seems strangely limited to Armani suits, Bally shoes and a Mercedes-Benz. Whatever happened to intelligence, kindness or personality?

Perhaps this is modern romance.

Or perhaps our heroine really is this shallow.

While attending a friend's wedding in Agra, Pooja meets Kabir (Abhishek Bachchan), an orphan who earns a modest living as a videographer. Kabir immediately falls in love, mistaking Pooja's friendliness for something deeper.

Back in Mumbai, Pooja loses her job after extending her holiday, only for matters to improve when Raj (Sanjay Suri), the impeccably dressed son of her employer, walks into her life complete with designer wardrobe and obligatory Mercedes.

Needless to say, Pooja instantly falls head over heels.

Complications arise when everyone mistakenly believes she is engaged to Kabir, who soon arrives in Mumbai determined to win her heart. Desperate to discourage him, Pooja asks Kabir to behave so badly that she will have a legitimate reason to reject him.

Kabir dutifully embarks upon a series of increasingly ridiculous attempts to ruin his own reputation, with predictably comic results.

The premise has possibilities, and there are occasional echoes of Pardes in its contrast between genuine affection and superficial attraction. Unfortunately, where Pardes handled its emotional relationships with sensitivity, Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa never develops the romance convincingly.

The central problem lies with Pooja.

She is written as such a hopelessly materialistic and one-dimensional character that it becomes difficult to invest emotionally in her eventual transformation. When she finally recognises Kabir's worth, the realisation feels forced rather than earned, simply because the screenplay demands it.

That said, the film remains reasonably watchable.

It moves along at a brisk pace, never becoming particularly dull, and although there are far too many songs, most are attractively picturised and keep the proceedings visually lively.

What is noticeably absent, however, is genuine chemistry between the two leads.

Kirti Reddy certainly possesses striking looks and photographs beautifully, but she struggles to inject any real personality into Pooja. Her performance remains stiff throughout, while her rather shrill dialogue delivery quickly becomes wearing. It is, admittedly, her first Hindi film, but little here suggests a commanding screen presence.

Abhishek Bachchan, on the other hand, slips effortlessly into the role of Kabir. More importantly, he demonstrates an encouraging versatility so early in his career by following the restrained Refugee with something completely different.

Watching him here is fascinating.

His mannerisms, hand gestures and speech patterns frequently recall Amitabh Bachchan so closely that the resemblance becomes uncanny. Yet close-ups reveal his mother's expressive eyes rather than his father's, giving his screen presence a character distinctly his own.

Sanjay Suri is given virtually nothing to do and is entirely wasted.

The supporting cast fares rather better. Paresh Rawal and Himani Shivpuri inject some welcome humour whenever they appear, providing many of the film's lighter moments.

The music is pleasant without being exceptional. "Ae Chaand Teri" is easily the standout number, beautifully composed and sung with typical elegance by Sonu Nigam. "Qayamat Ho" is also enjoyable, while the title song more than passes muster.

Director A. Muthu gives the film a contemporary, polished look and keeps proceedings moving with reasonable confidence. Unfortunately, style alone cannot compensate for a romance lacking genuine emotional magic.

Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa is a pleasant enough diversion—bright, breezy and entirely undemanding—but despite its title, there is surprisingly little real magic on display. Still, there are certainly worse ways of spending two and a half hours.