Film: ‘Hum Tumhein Chahten Hain’ (Showing in Theatres);
Duration: 146 minutes;
Director: Rajann Lyallppuri;
Produced by Govind Bansal and Reema Lahiri;
Cast: Janmejaya Singh, Rituparna Sengupta, Govind Namdev, Anup Jalota, Rajpal Yadav, Anusmriti Sarkar, Arun Bakshi and Tinna Ghaai;
IANS Rating: ***1/2
Star-crossed love triangles are a dime a dozen, but what makes this film stand out is its slow but compelling narrative that hooks you to the screen.
Packed with romance, melodrama, tragedy, comedy, morals, and good songs to boot, ‘Hum Tumhein ChahteHain’ has all the ingredients of a good masala film, and director Rajann Lyallpuri has spared no effort to ensure this age-old success formula touches every heart at one point or the other.
The dialogues are intensely dramatic and delivered most sincerely and naturally.
The film, as the title mentions, focuses mainly on the enigmatic Surya Kumar (Janmejaya Singh) and how he becomes the centre of attraction to Maya (Rituparna Sen), an older woman, and Vani (Anusmriti Sarkar), his 18-year-old neighbour.
The film begins on a peculiarly conflicting note, with businesswoman Maya bumping into a soft-spoken Surya Kumar at the gym. It’s his first day at the gym as a trainer, and as Maya throws around her weight, her second glance at Surya makes her go hook line and sinker for him.
The narrative moves on to give us an insight into the relationship between Maya and her ambitious politician husband, Mayapati (Govind Namdeo). To complicate matters, there are Vani and Aarti (Tina Ghai), an intriguing character, and a whole lot of politicians, with Anup Jalota playing the party president.
There are not just one but three sub-plots at play that propels the story, and eventually, the climactic moment arrives in quick succession after Maya tells Surya, “Aaj ke shyam mere naam kar do.”
What follows is an unexpected twist that makes the film wholesome and meaningful.
In his debut performance as Surya,Janmejaya Singhis endearing. There is intensity in his eyes, honesty in his demeanour, and subtleness in his performance that makes you root for him. How he juggles uncomfortably between Maya’s instructions and Vani’s obsession is a point to be noted, and Janmejaya does it gracefully. There are moments when he outshines his co-stars with his confidence and charisma.
Acclaimed award-winning actress Rituparna Sen, as the understanding cougar, delivers what’s expected from her, and similarly, Anusmriti Sarkar is equally competent.
The rest of the cast keeps you glued with their performances.
Coming from the late ace music director Bappi Lahiri’s stable, the film is mounted with superior production values and boasts of five good songs that mesh into the storyline.
Each song has the stamp of Bappida and is well picturised. They are worth your ticket price,but the best is “Sewa, sewa, sewa jo karenga payenga mewa.”
The lyrics are written by the director Rajann Lyallppuri, and the song is mellifluously sung by Bappida’s grandson Rego B, whose voice is refreshing and flawless.
Overall, the film sparkles and touches an emotional chord with the viewers.
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