Jhootha Hi Sahi - Movie review

JHOOTHA HI SAHI
U; ROMANCE, COMEDY
Dir: Abbas Tyrewala
Cast: John Abraham, Raghu Ram, Pakhi, Alishka Varde, Manasi Scott
Rating: '1/2



WHAT'S IT ABOUT: This film tells you that love is blind. And in this case, inattentive and deaf as well. All that separates a suicidal weepie gal's confidante from her rebound guy is a stutter. And if you can believe they made a movie about that and are curious enough to know more, here goes...
Sid (Abraham) is a bookstore guy in a relationship with Kruttika (Scott), an airhostess. It isn't working out and Sid refuses to accept that it's over because he hates being single. A spree of calls meant for a suicide helpline for Indians get routed to him, thanks to a printing error. One call in particular spooks him enough to not hang up.
The girl tells of her mother killing herself. Of her sacrificing a lot for her writer boyfriend, who eventually breaks up with her. Reason enough to go jump? Well, let's ponder over that later.
She starts confiding in Sid, who listens and advises her to find new friends and spouts philosophy by an ancient Indian. She gives him her name (it's Mishka, if you care), but he doesn't give his. Convenient, wouldn't you say? She decides to call him Fidato.
After some subtle manipulation of circumstances, Fidato convinces Mishka (Pakhi) to start seeing Sid even after a bad date and then continue to date him, even after he has a forced break-up with his girlfriend... But you can never have too much of a good thing, so the lie has to die.
Question is: will that end his relationship with Ms Weepy?

WHAT'S HOT: The flick is slickly shot and you can see the effort put in art and production design. Tourism to London might probably see an upsurge if people watch this film. Performance-wise, Raghu (he plays Sid's best buddy and next-door neighbour, Omar) makes a spirited debut. He's probably the only person enjoying himself and not trying too hard to play the part. The snarky attitude and effortless sarcasm lift the otherwise zombified film. Talking about trying, John gives it his all and tries his best to get beyond his standard two and a half expressions.

WHAT'S NOT: This one's a no-brainer. I have a long list. The film's a little shy of three hours. It's a romcom Mr Tyrewala, not a period flick. Surely you could've trimmed it? The second half just goes on and on. The Clark Kent/Superman, ergo Sid/Fidato touch was a bit forced. When Pakhi and John sing and dance, it's like puppets doing a jig. The music by A R Rahman is pleasant but forgettable. While the supporting characters do most of the acting work, their inclusion slows the pace of the already sluggishly moving film. The resultant subplots and efforts to inject humour in the film do not belong in a feature film but a TV series. When Sid and Mishka kiss (on the cheeks and forehead, believe it!), there's no passion. And when she finds out that Sid and Fid is the same person and how, you wonder if she even has a brain. While the film has a feel-good vibe, you really don't emote with the lead pair, their dilemmas, their pain, etc. There are some loose ends that never get tied up.

WHAT TO DO? A middling effort, this one does even the tried-and-tested badly. It doesn't take chances, even if jhootha hi sahi! Career suicide just got a new name.u00a0