IBTIMES RATING: 2
The idiom "Quit while you're ahead" seems extremely apt right now. Quitting direction is exactly what Shaad Ali should have done while he was riding the Saathiya wave.
Bollywood actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor's movie OK Jaanu released on January 13 and while it has received mixed reactions from the critics and the audience, it isn't really impressive. The Shaad Ali-directorial is a Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam's Tamil movie, O Kadhal Kanmani (OK Kanmani) and is produced by Ratnam's Madras Talkies and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.
Also read: OK Jaanu celebs review/ audience response/ critics review
OK Kanmani starred Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen and was a blockbuster hit at the box office. And if you have watched the original version you would agree with me when I say it's high time Bollywood either delivers remakes that are as good as the original or doesn't remake films at all.
PLOT
The story of OK Jaanu deals with live-in relationships. Adi (played by Aditya) and Tara (played by Shraddha) are two independent, determined people who do not believe in commitment and the institution of marriage. However, like every love story, their No Strings Attached relationship turns into The Sure Thing. The love birds, who think they are having a fling before leaving India to achieve their respective dreams, move in together. The story then revolves around how they discover their feelings for each other and make future plans accordingly.
Apart from Adi and Tara's love story, the old couple Gopi Shrivastav (Naseeruddin Shah) and Charulata (Leela Samson) is someone to look out for -- they are sure to give you major relationship goals. Gopi's love for his wife, who is an Alzheimer patient, will melt your heart.
POSITIVES
While the movie might not be top-notch, the cinematography and music take the cake. A major credit of Tamil movie OK Kanmani's success goes to A.R. Rahman's music and same is the case with OK Jaanu, where music plays a key role in saving the movie from sinking. In terms of cinematography, Ravi Chandran is no less than OK Kanmani's PC Sreeram. Mumbai is just not a backdrop in the movie, but a character in itself and some of the shots are beautifully captured.
Other positive elements in the movie were the supporting actors and Naseeruddin and Leela held the movie together. Leela was also featured in the Tamil version and played the same character, while Naseeruddin replaced Prakash Raj and did justice to the role. The hard work put in by stylists while deciding attires for Shraddha and Aditya's looks is evident in the movie.
NEGATIVES
I cannot stress on this enough -- movies like OK Kanmani should NOT be remade, unless the director and the actors bring in a little bit of their own creativity and originality to it. Till the interval, OK Jaanu pretty much banks of every second brazenly copied from the Tamil version. After the interval, minor changes were made, which were probably supposed to salvage the movie. Shraddha and Aditya try really hard to replicate Dulquer and Nithya and their chemistry. The whole act was disappointing, as one would expect the model Aashiqui 2 couple to bring their own and much-talked-about chemistry and spark to the movie. Except the love making and kissing scenes, everything seemed exactly like the Tamil movie.
VERDICT
The actors have tried their best to hold the movie together. However, wish Shaad Ali could have added a bit of his creativity -- which he definitely doesn't lack -- to the film. So those who have watched OK Kanmani and loved it, go for OK Jaanu at your own risk. But you will surely enjoy Rahman's music and Chandran's cinematography.
Meanwhile, I will probably go watch Saathiya once again today just to remember how amazing a director Shaad Ali used to be.
