Review: Jhootha Hi Sahi truly mediocre

Well, one thing is for sure, Warner Bros and the filmmakers of “Jhootha Hi Sahi” can rest easy because the Indian romcom is definitely not a rip off of the Hollywood production house’s cult sitcom, “Friends”.

But Universal Pictures might have a thing or two to say if they happen to catch the uncanny resemblances to their 1999 hit “Notting Hill”.

However, “JHS” female lead and scriptwriter, Pakhi, had mentioned that particular fact to Emirates 24|7 earlier, so we reckon honesty does count for something in Bollywood after all.

With its star-studded premiere held in Dubai on Wednesday, which saw hottie John Abraham and Pakhi strut their stuff, the viewing guaranteed a full house as fans thronged to Grand Cineplex to catch a glimpse.

However, we highly doubt “JHS” will continue to demand such an audience turnout over the next few days, because word of mouth can take a mediocre movie only so far.

The premise is an interesting one, as the film opens with a geeky bookstore owner, Siddharth (Abraham), forced to field calls from suicidal Indians after a helpline erroneously prints his residence number on a flyer.

Sid, who stammers his way through real life when a beautiful woman passes him by, has no qualms in taking on the job as big brother on the Dost India suicide hotline. Yet, after successfully saving a few troubled souls, a late night call from a weeping woman throws his life in turmoil. The lady in question, of course, is his future love interest Miskha (Pakhi).

As their friendship develops over the phone through subsequent calls, Sid’s growing affection for Mishka results in a pack of lies that snowballs into an avalanche that the budding beau finds difficult to dig himself out of.

This film’s review would be incomplete without highlighting Sid’s group of friends, who provide the much-needed comic relief in lifting the film out of its doldrums.

A special mention goes to Alisha Varde and Raghu Ram, who play the on-screen Pakistani brother-sister duo, Aliya and Omar. The chemistry between the pair and their camaraderie with Sid makes the film almost seem real at moments. 
And the effects of the two-month long acting workshop that the cast partook of prior to the shoot are easily visible, with no particular scene jarring to the eyes.

What does jar, though, is Sid and Mishka’s romance. And it’s not the characters that seem to be the problem, but the actors themselves. Both leads overact on occasions, and no matter how hard he tries, Abraham simply cannot resemble a geek at any given point. The actor may have said at the press conference prior to the screening that this was his best performance till date, but we are not convinced. His earlier film, “Karam”, saw far superior acting.

As for Pakhi, if you get beyond her nose and her spotty skin (yes, we know, but you just can’t ignore it one hour into the movie), she desperately needs more acting workshops and master the art of facing the camera in a way that flatters her countenance.

Indeed, there were high expectations from director Abbas Tyrewala, who has returned after last year’s hit teenage comedy, “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”.  And while there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, “JHS” desperately needs a producer like Aamir Khan who, with the former film, cracked the whip to ensure Tyrewala delivered with a fast-paced product and sharp editing.

“JHS” will certainly do more than average business, but with not even a decent soundtrack from AR Rahman to pad the film’s slow pace and some absurd scenes, Tyrewala should probably think twice before taking on actors who find it difficult to act; even when the female lead happens to be your wife.