Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota

Article Updated 21 July, 2006 11:18:34 PM IST

Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota

The three stars are primarily for the brilliant performances by some of the actors in this ensemble cast. The film narrates the stories of four people. They have no connection at all but meet with a common end. In a nutshell the film is about the 9/11 tragedy.

There are lots of emotions packed into the film and the best part about it is that it's about real people. No one is larger than life. So in a way, it's a slice of life. The film doesn't make a great impact in the beginning when the stories of the four different characters begin unfolding on screen. But the climax is a real jolt and makes you look back at the film in a different manner. The film sort of grows on you. That's the best part about the film. The film also becomes interesting from the point Paresh Rawal enters the scene.

Now for the stories.

Story 1: Rajubhai (Paresh Rawal) is a small-time organizer of foreign shows. It costs an aspiring dancer or singer a minimum of 12 lakhs to be a part of his show. Old flame Tara (Ratna Pathak Shah) mortgages her house so that Rajubhai could include her only daughter in his show. Rajubhai finds himself fathering a wide eyed, innocent girl on her first trip abroad.

Story 2: Tilottima (Konkona Sen Sharma) is married to Hemant (Jimmy Shergill). The two met through the Net. Their honeymoon is cut short because he has to return to his job in the U.S. Tilottima is desperate to reach the U.S., but has to live with an irritating mother-in-law (Carla Singh), and sister-in-law. But she finally manages a visa and heads for L.A.

Story 3: Salim (Irrfan Khan) is the stockbroker son of a Godmother (Saroj Khan). He's besotted by the much older but sensuous Namrata (Suhasini Mulay). One day he discovers that she has been cheating on him. Before the shattered man can gather his wits about him, his mother forces him to pack his bags and flee the country before he's charged with murder of a police officer.

Story 4: Rahul (Ankur Khanna) is a brilliant but poor M.B.B.S. student who's already got admission into a prestigious university abroad. But he's hardly excited, nor appears to be too keen on going because of a lack of funds and an unwell father. His problems get sorted out, thanks to a friend (Ayesha Takia), and he finds himself flying out to a brighter future.

Of the four stories, the ones that stand out are the Paresh-Ratna and Jimmy-Konkona tracks. The Paresh-Ratna is the best and seems straight out of life. Even the Ayesha Takia-Ankur Khanna story touches a chord somewhere.

The portion at the U.S. Consulate when Konkona is being interviewed for a Tourist Visa is good. The sequence in which Paresh Rawal interacts with Konkona Sen at the Consulate is brilliant too. The sequence at the U.S. Consulate when Paresh and Ratna's daughter break into a song to convince the Officer, Rajat Kapoor, is well enacted.

There isn't much scope for music (Viju Shah) in the film, yet the theme song has a haunting feel to it. The negative aspect of the film is its slightly abrupt ending. ***** SPOILER ALERT ****** Skip this paragraph completely if you do not want to now the climax. Why doesn't Konkona make a phone call to her husband, clarifying that she couldn't board the ill-fated flight and that she's very much alive? Also, didn't the director feel it was important to show the newly-married couple reuniting!

Now the performances. Paresh Rawal is brilliant and is different from his usual screen characters. All credit to Naseeruddin Shah for tapping this untapped-before potential of the great actor. Paresh has even broken into a song for the director. Ratna Pathak Shah is brilliant. Konkona Sen Sharma too is brilliant as usual. Jimmy Shergill comes across as a perfect natural. Ayesha Takia is another natural.Choreographer Saroj Khan who makes her debut as an actress is unbelievable. She could put any seasoned actor to shame! Irrfan Khan doesn't get much scope. Suhasini Mulay is a real surprise package.

This is a film definitely aimed at the multiplex audience.

*** (Three stars)

*poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent

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