Jawaani Jaaneman is a 'youth-obsessed' movie that spends a major portion of its 2-hour run time at the local club and a salon. The club is where the leading man, Jaswinder Singh, aka Jazz (an uber cool Saif Ali Khan), spends most of his waking hours, chatting up girls half his age and taking part in juvenile drinking games. The salon is where he gets his hair dyed, so he can maintain his youthful look. Director Nitin Kakkar, of Filmistaan fame starts off with a great premise. A 40-year-old commitment-phobic Lothario, who chats up young girls at the local club, and looks upon marriage as a deal breaker. Saif is aptly cast as the fun loving Punjabi man, and he not only acts the part but looks it too. When his 21-year old daughter Tia, conceived during a college trip to Amsterdam turns up in search of her dad, Jazz is initially reluctant to accept his paternity. It's a double whammy after all - Tia is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Rohan's baby. Will history repeat itself? Newbie Alaya F plays the angst-ridden 21-year-old with absolute naturalness. There is no unnecessary drama, no overacting. She is as au natural as they come, which is pretty refreshing considering half of Bollywood revels in over-the-top acting. Tabu who plays Jazz's former lover and Alaya's hippie mother, a Vipassana obsessed yogi, is initially a delight to watch. But all her talk about realigning chakras and fending off bad energy can get a bit tiresome. Hers is an extended cameo, but she is too fluffy to make a solid impression. Though to be fair Tabu looks gorgeous and dresses and acts the part of the free-spirited woman who is into recreational drugs; somehow as a mother she just doesn't seem to be there. It's Saif who holds the proceedings together with his signature goofy act in the initial half and a restrained mature turn in the latter part of the movie. Jawaani Jaaneman definitely offers up moments that make you laugh out loud, but the comedy is not even throughout. The movie also moves at an extremely slow pace which doesn't do justice to the genre. Kubra Sait who plays Saif's friend Rhea has a solid presence on screen. So does Chunky Pandey who plays Jazz's friend and the club owner, Rocky. His story is testimony to the heavy price paid by many in today's youth/image conscious world. Watch Jawaani Jaaneman only if you are a huge fan of Saif or enjoy time-pass movies with some erratic laughs at the theatre. ambica@khalejtimes.com Movie: Jawaani Jaaneman Director: Nitin Kakkar Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Chunky Pandey, Alaya F Rating: 3 out of 5
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