Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)

bhishek Bachchan - Rikki Thukral
Bobby Deol - Steve
Preity Zinta - Alvira Khan
Lara Dutta - Anaida
Robert Galas - Paul Pimply
Director: Shaad Ali
Written by: Habib Faisal


It may fall a wee bit short of the high expectations that were attached to it, but ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’ verily delivers what it promises – unadulterated entertainment.

The movie solely rests on the now-dependable shoulders of Abhishek Bachchan, who once again proves that he has got the mettle to live up to the credentials and reputation of his bloodline. The actor, once brooding and uptight, has now begun to loosen up. His comic timing is coming in place. His facial expressions are more real and his body language reflects the character. Abhishek is the driving force of ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’. Preity Zinta complements him well, while Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta remain mainly on the sidelines until the film’s last half hour.

You’ve got to throw cynicism aside before watching a film like JBJ. It is easy to curl your lip and poke holes in somebody’s work. Not so easy is to be flexible, to step back and take an impartial look at how a director has tried to present a story in a different way.

Yes, JBJ is a movie different from others of its ilk. Although it is set in London and Paris, the movie has a very desi touch. Perhaps the reason for it is that Shaad Ali, the film’s director, has himself been a small-towner. The humour in the flick is crude and has a street flavour even though the visuals are very glossy.

Amitabh Bachchan, dressed in his rockstar outfit and carrying a guitar, opens the film with the song ‘Jhoom’.

The location is London train station. Two strangers are waiting for a delayed train. In a crowded café they share the same table.

Rikki Thukral (Abhishek Bachchan), a Punjabi guy living in London, breaks the ice and begins the conversation. Alvira Khan (Preity Zinta) gives him no lift. To ward Rikki off, she tells him she is engaged to someone who is coming from the train she is waiting for. In response, Rikki also flaunts his engagement ring and tells her he has come to receive his fiancée.

Thereafter, these two strangers, already engaged to someone else, begin to tell each other the story of their fiancée and fiancé.