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*may contain spoilers*

Apparently I am a fan of director Siddharth Anand, having seen both of his other films and thoroughly enjoying them, so it wouldn't be a stretch to add 'Bachna Ae Haseena' to that list. Strong female characters and a fairly mature portrayal of relationships are the two things that this film can surely boast about. It is less about the fairy-tale side of love and deals with the complexities and the process of how the characters are led-on and betrayed, how they hurt, how long the healing process takes, and ultimately how all relationships needs some sort of closure.


The film is clearly divided into two separate halves, the first with Ranbir Kapoor involved in three love stories. The first story with Minissha Lamba is a sweet typical teenage romance taken straight from the pages of 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'. Once Aditya Chopra is done reminding us that he’s the man behind the 1995 classic, the story begins to emerge. The second romance, and the one with the most depth, with stunning Bipasha Basu, is about a live-in relationship. The final romance with Deepika Padukone, the most important of the three as it is the catalyst for the entire second half of the film, is underdeveloped and, for a real life couple, the passion doesn't quite translate through for me. The film even incorporates, in an attempt to be clever, other Yash Raj references into the script such as the four friends strutting to the 'Dhoom' soundtrack or dancing to 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' at a party.


Now let’s move on! Ranbir, as Raj Sharma, did a competent job portraying the rogue-turned-morally-recovered man seeking redemption, but it was the women who really shine. Minissha Lamba, as the young Mahi, is vivacious, earnest and sincere and fits the role to perfection. In the second half she is also very elegant and brilliant as the cold-hearted wife. A ravishing Bipasha Basu (Radhika/Shreya Rathore) plays her part so well you can literally see the growth her character makes in the film. Though Deepika (Gayatri) is undoubtedly stunning in her role, I am not entirely convinced by her performance, but in all fairness the blame must be shared with the film's writers for saddling her with a sophomoric role. Special mentions must go to Hiten Paintal who is spot-on as Raj's best friend, and Kunal Kapoor, who plays Mahi's patient husband brilliantly. One of my favorite moments in the entire film is post-interval, when we see Ranbir's first attempt at atonement with Mahi and her husband. Ranbir's apology looks convincing and the culmination to this chapter couldn't be better. The climax of the second half, however, feels rushed and wrapped up in an all too convienient package.


Bachna Ae Haseeno is one of the best visual spectacles you can see on Celluloid! Top notch cinematography goes hand in hand with amazing photography. It captures the heart and soul of exquisite locations like Switzerland, Australia, Italy, as if they are an important character of this movie leaving you spell bound! I would really love to ask all of our cinematic heroes one question though: are none of them afraid of heights or are those precarious poses on top of cliffs, trees, etc. just second nature to them? I know that there is no way you would ever catch me standing on a hugely tall rock formation jutting out of the water 15' high and 3' wide! My goodness!!

Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani are at it again with another celebrated soundtrack. With 'Om Shanti Om', 'Salaam Namaste' and 'Dostana' under their belts and on my ipod, it's no wonder I connect with the music from this film as well. Not only have the duo hit musical paydirt with the tracks 'Aahista Aahista', 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' and my fav's 'Jogi Mahi' and 'Khuda Jaane', all of which were blended perfectly in the movie, but the picturizations are flawless with long sweeping camera movements in 'Khuda Jaane' and the camera rotations in the colorful and catchy 'Jogi Mahi'. I'm practicing those dance moves as we speak!





Overall, 'Bachna Ae Hasseno' is a lovely mixed plate of light romantic fodder and a little serious relationship drama served with a side of self-redemption and this Bollygirl enjoyed it very much.