Janaan - Movie Review

Desi Ratings: 1.5/5 stars

Directed by:
Azfar Jafry

Produced by:
Hareem Farooq
Reham Khan

Written by:
Osman Khalid Butt

Starring:  
Armeena Khan
Bilal Ashraf
Ali Rehman Khan
Hania Amir
Ajab Gul
Mishi Khan
Nayyer Ejaz                   

Main issue with Janaan is Osman Khalid's script/screenplay. Janaan has so many subplots that by the end one tends to forget what is this movie actually about. Story is about Meena an overseas raised Pakhtoon girl who comes back to Pakistan after 11 years, falls in love with one of his two eligible bachelor cousins and end up deciding to live in Pakistan. Concept was very simple and with the kind of budget/technical expertise available had the potential to become next 'Hum Apke Hain Kaun'.

I wish Osman Khalid Butt had only focused on the elements of the love story/family drama in detail and left the villain (child abuse) angle out. For me I did not get why both guys fell in love with Meena, why Meena never visited Pakistan in 11 years and had no clue how his cousins looked like, (Spoiler Alert) why Asfandyar was adopted, How come the whole village went against Ikramullah so quick,  this movie had so many issues that I was even thinking that they can own a SUV but can't afford a UPS (ref to candle light dinner sequence).
And if I think about the way this movie was promoted, there is so much that was missing in the movie for example a good Pakhtoon/Punjabi fusion wedding elements, funny cultural shock interactions, a nice romantic/wedding Balay Balay type song etc.

I liked Azfar's effort as a second time director but with a loose script like this I don't think he had any chance. Music was also a let down and I was not comfortable with the amount of Pushto used in the movie.

Acting department is the saving grace of this movie. Ajab Gul and Mishi Khan were very refreshing. Ali Rehman portrayed pindi boy accurately, Bilal Arshraf also for most of the part held his ground as an angry young man. Here my main problem was with Armeena Khan , she lacked the screen presence required to carry such a movie. I felt the same while watching Bin Roye and this time Hania Amir as Palwasha seemed more appropriate for the role of Meena.

One thing I loved about the movie is how they shot Swat. I had no idea Swat which was terrorist heaven till some time back had so much scenic beauty. My next trip to Pakistan will definitely include a weekend in Swat.

This script and production would have been an excellent 21 episode drama where all the elements have been given enough time and effort to materialize but as a 2 hour silver screen entertainer it failed miserably. I go with 1.5 star only