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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Jhootha Hi Sahi (Film)

by Mamta Bhatt | October 25, 2010 10:18 | Edited October 25, 2010 11:20

This simple tale avoids rom-com clichés thanks to its unique but heartfelt screenplay and the charismatic performances of the two leads.

Sid (John Abraham) is a gawky London bookstore owner who floats through life with a routine of fun friends, an infatuated girlfriend, and a stammer. His habitual bliss, however, is heavily shaken when his number is accidentally posted on signs for an Indian suicide helpline, DOST, and he befriends a suicidal stranger, Mishka (Pakhi).

 

Concerned for Mishka's mental well-being, Sid forges an anonymous friendship with the young woman by phone. He offers her late night consoling for her broken heart and gives her a reason to live, while creating a fake persona for himself as a much more interesting and confident person. When their paths cross in the real world though, complications arise as Sid becomes smitten with Mishka's charm, and attempts to pursue her while concealing his true identity. Lying, naturally, comes with a price. Soon enough Sid is deeply entrenched in his web of deceit, which threatens to destabilise his blossoming relationship.

           

This enchanting Bollywood offering could easily have fallen into predictable rom-com drivel, but an endearing screenplay about friendship, love and life affirmation rescues it from the genre's snare. Even though it plays to conventions, the film has a fresh approach to the humdrum staple love story, opting for interesting characters, unusual circumstances, snappy dialogue and lilting music. It's a simple tale - at once tragic and humorous - filled with ordinary people, plagued by realistic insecurities, finding love.

 

The romance is bolstered by charismatic performances and chemistry from the lead pair. Pakhi moves seamlessly from suicidal to content, and though Abraham struggles in some of the stammering scenes, he plays the subdued Sid with a sincerity and maturity not displayed by the actor in previous films.

 

Conversely, the story does have limitations. The motley crew of friends are one-dimensional, the subplots are used to fill time rather than story progression, some songs drag, the female protagonist's obsession with love is dated, and Sid's reasons for initially lying are not sufficiently explained. Nevertheless, the limitations pale in comparison to the charm and vivacity that exudes from almost every scene in the movie.