Jannat (2008)

when i watched this movie for the first time, i did not like it to much, because i'm not one of EMRAAN HASHMI' fun, but when i saw it yesterday, i must see it's a masterpiece for an actor like EMRAAN HASHMI.Jannat is the story of a man caught in a quagmire of crime and consumerism as he struggles to find heaven on earth. Arjun is a reckless young man with an obsession for making money at card games. A chance meeting with a girl in a mall, Zoya gives him the reasons he was looking for to move out of his ordinary life. He steps up from playing small-time card games to becoming a bookie. Stuck in a triangle of sorts between the woman he loves and his addiction to make a quick buck, Arjun moves on from being a bookie to a runner for the mafia. He steps into the world of match fixing. Arjun switches on the limelight to bigger, better, faster, more, until his dizzying rise attracts the attention of the police. Arjun has to now choose between the love of his life, Zoya, and this new found success and power. As Arjun struggles to choose between the two, the Don offers the forbidden apple of limitless wealth in exchange of his soul and draws him into his core entourage of money spinners. How far will the horizon of reality stretch as Arjun and Zoya tread a fine, fast-blurring line between right and wrong to find the heaven they have been looking for?just see this movie, i believe that you will enjoy it, if you are looking for a good story, BHATT gives you as usual one of the greatest stories of all the time, if you are looking for acting, EMRAAN HASHMI is at his best, and also K.K makes the music very fantastic. but don't forget: you will cry when you see the end.

This movie could have much better if director could have concentrated on match fixing part more than a love story. Movie starts with average direction and ends with pathetic direction. The way in which Emraan Hashmi evaluates player's expression is pathetic. Emraan Hashmi again proved that he is a really horrible actor, the way in which he delivers expressions in the last scene is almost next to torture. Sonal also gave company to Emraan in bad acting, the way in which Sonal Chauhan abuses Police is laughable, there is absolutely no gravity in her expressions. The only good thing about this movie is, song "zara sa". In short, this pathetic love story is really long without any match fixing/betting substance.

The best thing about a Mukhesh Bhatt release is that no one expects much from it. And more often than not, his films turn out to be quite entertaining. He is also credited with having launched budding directors in this new age of Bollywood (Recall : Anurag Basu). Jannat is the directorial debut of Kunal Deshmukh, and among all the flops that have come out of the Indian Hindi film industry this year, Jannat happens to be a huge surprise.Jannat has two parts to its story. The former set in India, the later in South Africa. Essentially, like most Bhatt films, it is a love story. However, its main storyline deals with betting and match fixing in the cricketing world. Arjun, the character portrayed by Emraan Hashmi, is a man with, what he calls, a 'sixth sense'. He is a master predictor of cricket matches. He becomes a bookie and soon gains attention in the eyes of underworld don Abu Ibrahim, who buys arms and ammunitions with the money he makes from betting on cricket matches. Torn apart by his love for the girl of his dreams, Zoya, and his greed for money, Arjun is left with making a choice between living a normal hard-earned life and an easy, yet deceiving one.The first good thing about Jannat is that it has a solid storyline. Whether it is the childish, yet well defined love story, or the complexities of a man who is clearly suffering from some obsessive compulsive disorder or other. Then there is the cricketing world and underworld bit. This is one of the most original and well written story lines to come out of Bollywood this year so far. When it comes to being effective, it achieves that in its entirety in its two hours and twenty minute running time. With everything from the mention of a cricketer turned comedy show host, to the murder of a coach at the World Cup, the storyline is the strongest point of the movie.The music is not as good as one expects it to be. Judai being the pick of the lot. However, the version sung by Kamraan Ahmad is not there in the film. Zara si is just okay. Characteristic of a Bhatt film. Rupam Islam's Hindi singing debut is noticeable, although miss-able. The song is too similar to the songs of his band, Fossils. The background score is very good. It gels in very well with the pace of the film.Emraan Hashmi, apart from having earned the tag of 'serial kisser', happens to be a freakishly good actor. The versatility of the roles that he has done clearly shows that. From being a wife-thief, to an undercover agent, and now a simple man with quite a serious mental disorder. He is like what his dad states in the film - 'A compulsive liar'. And in order to get himself out of any situation, he does what is characteristic of him. He lies some more. Newcomer Sonal Chauhan is okay, making the transition from a sweet and bubbly Mumbai girl to a sexy bar dancer in South Africa. She does look quite anorexic in certain scenes, but as a whole she looks great. Javed Sheikh, as Abu Ibrahim is cold. Effective. Vishal Malhotra, as the sidekick serves the humor quotient well. The lad has come a long way from hosting Disney cartoons on Doordarshan.Bollywood's only great film this year happens to Jodhaa Akbar, with Mithya and Shaurya being the other two 'good' films. Race might be a commercial success, but it is a highly frustrating film. Even Bhootnaath failed to click. Tashan is a no brainer! In a year when Bollywood is churning out flop after flop, Jannat serves as a breath of fresh air. Although far from heavenly, Jannat has a lot to offer at a time when cricket is on the lips of almost every Indian (Read : The IPL).The IPL has come to a stage when it gets boring to sit down and watch an entire game. Do yourself a favor, grab a Jannat ticket and spend two and a half hours in an air conditioned theater watching a film which redefines all the 'Ishtyle' and 'Pharmoola' that Bollywood has been coming up with off late.7/10. Worth it!

Now I am convinced 'Good trailers do not make good movies'. The audience was lured into believing 'Jannat' had all the elements of a movie which would explore the hidden truths behind betting, match fixing and et al but except for a few patches of brilliance the movie reminded me of Anurag bose's Gangster where a protégé turns hostile against the betting baron at the behest of his girl friends' incessant appeals to quit illegal activities and return to normal civic life. The story had such a beaten plot that even a 5 year old could predict the climax only half way through the movie.It begins well with Emraan's sixth sense serving him good for betting practices but loses its way completely. The insipid romance between the two leads did more damage to the otherwise convincing story telling. What left me completely aghast was the turn of events in South-Africa where the director took his creative imagination too far to show a pole dancing heroine and dressing room cold blooded murder. The movie fell under the gravity of expectations of its director who tried to do too many things instead of sticking with the plot. There were so many incomplete subplots like that of girls conceited stance on morality, her own love for glamour, father's inexplicable hatred towards his son , and the all important modus operandi of match fixing mafia . Instead we had to content ourselves with typical villainous certain bhais and a self indulgent hero who was caught unaware of his girls' sinister motives. .I wish Mr. Director had given more dendrites to the screenplay. Music was good indeed , Emraan hashmi was in his 'business as usual' role and the movie was not what it could have been .