Directed by Shaad Ali, Ok Jaanu is a sweet love story which features a millennial couple, Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Tara (Shraddha Kapoor) falling in love with each other even when they weren’t looking for a serious commitment. Adi is a Lucknow based game designer who wants to work in the USA; whereas Tara, an architecture graduate wants to get higher education in Paris. They come to Mumbai and fall in love instantly. With time, they start living with each other and start a love bond. But, when they have to choose one from career and love, well, they choose career. What happens next, is the mainline story of Ok Jaanu. The movie is a smooth running love story which has many instances of cuddly love and crazy outings, but the story is a ditto copy of the original Tamil film ‘O Kadhal Kanmani’, which is a low-down. The melodious music by A.R. Rahman is an icing on the cake, and keeps the movie going on a good pace. It’s an average movie for those who have already seen the film, but for the first timers, the movie will leave you in a very lovable mood.
To start with, Ok Jaanu is a progressive love story at several levels – right from the young couple breaking all sorts of gender stereotypes (and not just for the sake of breaking, but naturally flaunting new-age gender neutrality) to the older couple extending another reversal of gender roles and a heart-warming and uplifting climax. The chemistry between the duo sparks instantly, the best part being that they are both on the same page as far as marriage is concerned – they enjoy each other’s company but do not want the commitment that comes with tying the knot. Mani Ratnam’s screenplay is the star of the movie, and the actors are natural and energetic enough to convincingly portray it onscreen. While Aditya and Shraddha share a naturally organic chemistry, Nasser and Leela remind us why they are two of the best among veteran actors today. AR Rahman’s music and Gulzar’s pen add to the charismatic, positive vibe of the movie – while the music keeps it peppy and new-age, Gulzar’s dialogues ensure that melodrama does not overpower the film. Watch it if you believe in love, and watch it if you don’t. Fact is, Ok Jaanu is probably one of the most heart-warming romances you will ever see in Bollywood. And as for being a love story that portrays the meaning of true life partners, the last good one we saw was over a decade ago – Baaghban (2003), starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini.
Director Shaad Ali is back with OK Jaanu, a remake of Mani Ratnam's Tamil hit OK Kanmani. His last directorial outing, Kill Dil, was an unmitigated debacle. OK Jaanu marks the return of Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur as the lead pair after three years (Aashiqui 2), and their chemistry is one of the main draws of the film. Perhaps for its timing, OK Jaanu would have suffered from a serious Befikre hangover, were it not for the presence of the other duo, Naseeruddin Shah and Leela Samson, who play the affectionate older couple letting out their apartment to Adi and Tara. Leela reprises her role of the Alzheimer's-stricken classical singer from the original, and Naseer steps into Prakash Raj's shoes to play her doting husband, to introduce the idea of old-school love as a contrast to Gen Y's carefree love. The film also seems to scratch the surface but stays away from really going deep into anything. It was Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen's breezy chemistry that made the original so popular, and Aditya and Shraddha don't disappoint on that front. Shraddha has come a long way in the acting department from her Luv Ka The End days, and Aditya slips into the role of a man-child figuring out life one day at a time with ease. But it is the elderly couple who make OK Jaanu worth a watch. Naseeruddin Shah effortlessly conveys the pain of loving someone with a degenerative disease, and his relationship with his wife in the film is endearing. AR Rahman's songs in the original were all chartbusters, but the title track does not sound half as good in Hindi. Enna Sona is quite likeable, though. The strength of the film is that it remains faithful to the original, and if you haven't watched that, OK Jaanu makes for a decent watch.
In Ok Jaanu, we can see Shraddha has progressed on the acting scale, and looks pretty and fresh. Aditya Roy Kapoor has some nice bits too, but the whole enterprise is beset by a drabness, which is surprising because you can accuse Ratnam of anything but being drab. And given that Shaad Ali did such a good job of the previous time he remade a Mani Ratnam film, it is even more surprising. Leela Samson, who plays a character afflicted with a degenerative illness, reprises her part: she remains as gorgeous but less effective in Hindi. Naseerudin Shah aces it, though: he underplays beautifully, and speaks his lines as they ought to be spoken, with an ache in the voice. I was left wanting more of Naseer. And wishing that Bollywood would get more adept at the young love thing: why is it that our modern-day lovers, so much quicker off the mark when it comes to locking lips and rolling in the hay, sound so juvenile? Why should living-in be such a big deal in this day and age? And why do the big confessional moments feel more cutesy and constructed rather than real? Love is incomplete without the fuss and the mess: the insistence on prettiness leaches it of interest and passion. Why don’t filmmakers trust their audiences more? And yes, here’s a tip: you cannot plonk brands in the middle of the frame and stay classy.
Throughout the movie, Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Tara (Shraddha Kapoor) seem to be running after trains or buses in motion, barely getting in before it’s too late - a great metaphor for the love lives of people of today’s generation. The thing that works most in OK Jaanu’s favour is its screenplay, kept intact from its Tamil predecessor. It is a scene-for-scene remake and capitalizes on great moments from the original film. The music (largely retained) with Gulzar’s new lyrics also does a throwback to OK Kanmani in the best way possible. In spite of its pros, one can’t deny that unsure young lovers and their battle with commitment phobia is a tired topic to begin with. Moreover, if you’ve seen the original Tamil film, it’ll get tedious after a while, knowing exactly what’s coming next. If you haven’t seen the original though, you’re sure to walk out of the theatre with a warm-fuzzy feeling.