Anjaana Anjaani - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra & Zayed Khan

Till a few years ago, if a director approached a producer with a script that had just two characters from Scene A to Z, the producer would scoff at him and show him the door. After all, devoting an entire film on merely two characters is nothing short of a risk. That's not all, for the two characters aren't friends, acquaintances or lovers. They are strangers who meet accidentally on a bridge, since both have decided to commit suicide. If that's how your film begins, it's akin to taking another [giant] risk by Bollywood standards.

It's not a copy or adaptation or remake of Patrice Leconte's 1999 French film LA FILLE SUR LE PONT/GIRL ON THE BRIDGE, which starred Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis. The Twitterverse is also crammed with tweets speculating that ANJAANA ANJAANI bears a striking resemblance to the Telugu film ITLU SRAVANI SUBRAMANYAM [2001]. The only similarity between these three films is that two strangers meet on a bridge to commit suicide, that's it! ANJAANA ANJAANI is as diverse from these films as mangoes, apples and peaches.

With ANJAANA ANJAANI, director Siddharth Anand accepts a big challenge. This one's a love story, but it doesn't follow the beaten path. It doesn't follow the rules laid out by the romantics in Bollywood. And that's where its strength lies. Generally, couples in love commit to die for each other, but in this film, romance blossoms much, much after the two meet at the bridge for the first time, when they are about to commit suicide. From strangers to lovers to strangers again is how the film explores the relationship between this couple.

ANJAANA ANJAANI works for two major reasons. The first being the powerhouse performances by its lead pair. Having watched their careers from the very onset, I would like to state that the two actors deliver career-best performances in ANJAANA ANJAANI. The second reason why ANJAANA ANJAANI works is due to the terrific moments in its second hour.

Final word? ANJAANA ANJAANI is worth a watch. If you are a romantic, or even if you are not, ANJAANA ANJAANI is a must-see for its interpretation of modern-day romance. Recommended!

ANJAANA ANJAANI is the story of Kiara [Priyanka Chopra], based in San Francisco, while Akash [Ranbir Kapoor] is a New York City boy. Akash has had a failed business, while Kiara has had a failed relationship. Fed up, they both decide to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. However, both land up on the same bridge at the same time.

One thing leads to another and Akash and Kiara decide to end their lives on 31st December. With 20 days to go, they decide to fulfill their unfinished wishes and thus begins their journey.

Director Siddharth Anand has a fine sense of story and how to present his characters well. ANJAANA ANJAANI is no different. Of course, you don't take to the film instantly, primarily because it's not the usual prem kahani. In fact, there's hardly any movement in the story in the first hour. It's a collage of some wonderful, some okay moments, frankly. The sequence at the bridge and the various attempts at committing suicide stay with you and so does the sequence in the sea, when they go sailing and decide to swim. Also, the first hour unwinds at a leisurely pace and that's bothersome.

However, story writer Mamta Anand and screenplay writers Advaita Kala and Siddharth Anand reserve the best for the post-interval portions, when the story moves from New York to Las Vegas to San Francisco. The road trip and the varied experiences and emotions they share make it a compelling watch. Of course, the story tends to get a bit predictable towards the end, but come on, don't we like our love stories to have happy endings?

Siddharth Anand has handled the subject with flourish. Besides, the film is not merely rich in substance, but is equally alluring when it comes to style and overall look. The DoP [Ravi K. Chandran] plays a major role here. The film bears a magnificent look all through and the panoramic and exotic locales of America only make every frame stand out. The costumes - Mamta Anand for Ranbir and Manish Malhotra for Priyanka - are trendy.

Vishal-Shekhar's music has a lot of heart. Again, it won't be wrong to state that their compositions take the movie forward. The background score [Salim-Sulaiman] is top notch. In fact, the rich score compliments the mood of the characters beautifully. Dialogues are wonderful.

When two of the film industry's finest actors meet, it puts more pressure on the film. Ranbir is an actor with an infinite range and his dedication to his work is evident in every film. I have often stated that he is the finest actor of his generation and the fact comes alive yet again as you watch him donning a new character in ANJAANA ANJAANI. Priyanka sinks into the role beautifully, so much so that she forgets herself and starts becoming Kiara. When an actor kills his or her eminence and surrenders completely to the role is when the film really takes off. Priyanka has this unique quality. Zayed Khan is likable in a cameo. Tanvi Azmi is wonderful.

On the whole, ANJAANA ANJAANI is an unpretentious romantic saga that revels in the exuberance of newly found love. The film has everything going for it: top notch performances by two super-stars, goodmusic , a sensitive director with a good track record, a simple yet absorbing story and of course, terrific moments [emotional as well as humorous]. Don't miss this one!

Download Anjaana Anjaani MP3 Songs
01 - Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Hairat@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Aas Pass Khuda@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Tumse Hi Tumse@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Tujhe Bhula Diya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - I Feel Good@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Anjaana Anjaani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Tujhe Bhula Diya (The Dance To Forget Mix) @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
09 - Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com

01 - Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Hairat@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Aas Pass Khuda@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Tumse Hi Tumse@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Tujhe Bhula Diya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - I Feel Good@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Anjaana Anjaani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Tujhe Bhula Diya (The Dance To Forget Mix) @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
09 - Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com


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Anjaana Anjaani - Music review

Read more! Cast :: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra & Zayed Khan

The very first on Anjaana Anjaani. After IHLS I was somehow expecting pretty high from the album, but Vishal-Shekhar go beyond my expectations. It’s certainly worth a listen.

The album starts with Anjaana Anjaani ki Kahani which is already there on televisions for quite sometime. While the short promo of the song rocks, the song, sung by Monali and Nikhil D’Souza offers a bit more and you get something that is sure shot party material.

The second, Hairat, is a hairat for me. I mean, surprise. Not that I was expecting anything less with Lucky Ali there but the way he sings so lively at the age of 51 simply amazes me. And then, before I start on Lucky’s singing, another thing that amazed me in the album was Vishal Dadlani’s lyrics. He’s always been good with lyrics of kinda fun and rocking songs, but here he impresses with his poetry. As for Lucky’s singing and V-S composition, will it suffice to say that I find it difficult to move to the next song?

Anyway, I move to the next and I’m welcomed by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Aas Paas Khuda is typical and good. Something that I’m repeating about Rahat songs a lot, but then I guess Rahat is being kinda stereotyped compared to his immense talent for whatsoever reasons. Still, like most of the times, Vishal-Shekhar add some bits here and there trying to make things more interesting, and I’d say it works. In short, a typical Rahat song of the times we live in.

I have always been a fan of Vishal and Shekhar’s voices, and so the next song Tumse hi Tumse is a treat for me. As the song starts with guitar, I think for a moment if something like Bin Tere unplugged was coming, but the moment passes quickly and the song turns into what I’d say a Lucky’ish mode as soon as Shekhar starts singing. Caralisa’s quite fast English (rap?) sounds interesting to say the least, but the hero of this one is Shekhar Ravjiani. He’s going to get more people saying, ‘This is for you Shekhar!’ Oh, btw, the end of the song has some nice effects on Caralisa’s voice. This simple but beautiful one is a must listen.

As far as I remember, while the world was (and is) standing in queue outside Mohit Chauhan’s home, Vishal-Shekhar were doing it pretty fine without the guy and now that they make him sing a composition of theirs, he gets more than what you can say a typical Mohit Chauhan song. This time Mohit comes with a sad song, Tujhe Bhula Diya. The best part of the song though, for me, was Shruti Pathak’s wonderful start where she sings with near-zero background music. From here on Mohit picks up and where he comes to a still, Shekhar comes with an entry somewhat like Jogi Mahi, with the difference that here things don’t get high like that. Anyway, the point is that the song sounds good from the very first time and the more you hear it, the more you like it.

The next song, I Feel Good, goes on the well-known rock abilities of Vishal and equally unknown rock abilities of Shilpa Rao. Vishal starts singing the song in his soft voice in a way that for once can sound like Shankar Mahadevan’s voice. And then Vishal and Shilpa both completely rock me with the song. The interesting thing is that while the song is something normal for Vishal, it’s strange how Shilpa Rao never (with an exception of Woh Ajnabee, to some extent I guess) sang such a song and was kept to soft numbers with (her) heavy voice. I hope to see her to get more rocking numbers now.

Even more interestingly, the next song, which is the title, Anjaana Anjaani, again has Vishal and Shilpa, this time in a bit different mood. It’s not exactly rock but falls somewhere nearby, something like Sadka Kiya. I never had doubts about Vishal’s abilities as singer but the way he goes singing such wonderful songs, I’m bound to say he’s more a complete musician rather than a composer.

The next track happens to be the remix of Tujhe bhula diya. The track doesn’t impress me, but strangely, it strengthens my belief in the original track. Never mind.

And after a noisy sounding remix, the end comes as a beautiful unplugged version of Aas Paas hai Khuda by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shruti Pathak. Strange to see an extra name in an unplugged version, but then, nobody questions a miracle. Though, for some reason unknown to me too, I didn’t find this one as great and superb and marvelous as Shekhar’s version of bin tere in IHLS. Maybe I’m too fascinated by his voice.

Overall, Anjaana Anjaani is a superb soundtrack. V-S align a bit towards rock, and on the negative side, there are a few things that sound repetitive from them (like one inside Tujhe Bhula Diya) but the overall end result is something that you can rock yourself on, dance to, or simply cherish in a relaxing mood, in short, a perfect soundtrack. As I said, more than I expected.

My favorites (as of now): Hairat, I feel good, Anjaana Anjaani (Vishal-Shilpa), Aas Paas Khuda unplugged, Tumse hi Tumse. And the best part, it’s not easy to decide.

Download Anjaana Anjaani MP3 Songs
01 - Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Hairat@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Aas Pass Khuda@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Tumse Hi Tumse@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Tujhe Bhula Diya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - I Feel Good@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Anjaana Anjaani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Tujhe Bhula Diya (The Dance To Forget Mix) @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
09 - Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com

01 - Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Hairat@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Aas Pass Khuda@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Tumse Hi Tumse@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Tujhe Bhula Diya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - I Feel Good@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Anjaana Anjaani@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Tujhe Bhula Diya (The Dance To Forget Mix) @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
09 - Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com

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