By: Goher Iqbal Punn
Monday, August 01, 2005

Producers: Sahara One Motion Pictures and Red Ice Films
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Minissha Lamba and Yashpal Sharma
Music: Shantanu Moitra

Love stories set in the beautiful valleys of Kashmir, from yesteryear's Shammi Kapoor-Sharmila Tagore starrer Kashmir Ki Kali to years' back Mani Ratnum's churned out magnum opus Roja to this current romantic saga Yahaan, have always been the focal interest of the Hindi film-makers. From time to time, they would love to dip into the heart-hittingly gorgeous locales of the paradise.

Debutante Shoojit Sircar's Yahaan tries to be different on the grounds of story, which converses about the love tale between an Indian army officer and a local Kashmiri girl. The concept undoubtedly delves into a new terra firma in the movies based on Kashmir and here Shoojit Sircar staunchly looks high flier.

But wait....! There always exists a rift in the lute..........

Yahaan falters much on the grounds of wobbly storyline that dredges up drudgery to hold the interest level of the viewers but in vain. The opening frames and the subsequent portions - which lead the cinegoers to watch the activities of the armed forces, the insurgency and the unpleasant-scary condition of the locals under the shadow of terror in the valley - do not offer any novelty since the audiences have mushroomed a lot with these ilks of subjects in the past. Thus the story becomes mundane.

An Indian army captain Aman (Jimmy Shergill) falls in love with a local Kashmiri girl Adaa (Minissha Lamba). The valley of Kashmir follows the unwritten law wherein the women cannot go to make any relation with an outsider but the brave Adaa does not care about it and puts her life on risk while losing her heart to the army officer and then faces the music. Aman and Adaa decide to fight with the burly opposition. The viewers keep on wondering as to why this subject has been chosen to make a film on? Since there appears no valid reason in the entire narrative. The biggest flaw is ofcourse the script. The team of writers (Piyush Mishra, Somnath De, Sameer Kohli and director Shoojit Sircar himself) notates the screenplay, which is undoubtedly a 'Grub Street'.

Director Shoojit Sircar has tried hard to make a decent debut but again he is disappointed with an ordinary narrative. He has handled some sequences with much conviction and aplomb. The sequences when, Jimmy Shergill and Yashpal Sharma meet and when Minissha runs from one corner to the other to safeguard Jimmy's life, stick out the most. But the ones, when Minissha arrives at the TV channel to deliver a speech to prove Jimmy's innocence, looks absurd.

The locales are breath-taking but the camera work (cinematography by Jakob Ihre) is average. Especially when you are to capture the beautiful valley of Kashmir, you have to be apt with the camera in hand. Piyush Mishra scribbles down the dialogues with brilliance. The mellifluously melodious music is the true highlight and the plus point of this love story. Shantanu Moitra has scored the classy composition. 'Pooche Jo Koi' certainly deserves to be ranked amongst the top five numbers of this year.

Yahaan rests on the shoulders of two leading protagonists - Jimmy and Minissha and they have justified their jobs ardently. Jimmy Shergill's shaky career will get a boost after this film since the luminous actor has enacted the role superbly. The debutante gorgeous lass swathed with gleaming bigger eyes Minissha Lamba (who has been churning out news from the outset due to her splashy beauty) is actually the one who has dragged the viewers to the theaters.

And ofcourse she has not ebbed away her fans' expectations. She appears to be as right as rain with the character she plays since she is perfectly laced with the looks required for the role. Minissha seems to be raring to go with the acting career as she knows it's just the beginning and she has a long way ahead. To put it briefly, Minissha is the true saving life of the movie along with the talented Jimmy. Yashpal Sharma delivers a fine job. The rest of the cast is appropriate.

Pithily speaking, Yahaan is an average fair but with melodious music and the deluxe performances by the lead pair of Jimmy and Minissha.

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