Socha Na Tha

I believe that Abhay Deol is one of the best character actors in India and he demonstrated that in his debut film Socha Na Tha. Everything about this film was good: the storyline, the acting, the music and the direction. Produced in 2005, this is an oldie, but goodie. Watch it!

This is one of those flicks which plummets at theaters and then hits home with the viewers on DVD. Although that might be because the flick has a very understated urban appeal to it. One can imagine the movie would have been an unwatchable headache generator if it had cast the Govindas and Kareenas of the world and had been made with a high hand of melodrama. Instead, Miss Takia makes us all fall in love with her, Mr Deol included, by just twisting the pencil and being herself. Abhay puts forth a honest performance and the director truly takes us through a breezy ride, pleasant as a walk through the jungle on a windy morning. Buy a barca lounger, uncork the wine, get cozy and enjoy!

A very light hearted and straight forward movie, Socha Naa Tha might have crashed at the box-office. But it touches hearts in a way that not many movies do. Director Imtiaz Ali has directed a wonderful plot which is very usual in any Indian household. The chemistry between the couple is very naturally presented. I had fallen in love with this movie instantly. The lyrics of the songs may seem vague at first. But they relate and amalgamate to situations so appropriately. The dialogues are very 'day to day'... which contribute that the movie is not out of this world. I would say it is a better movie than Jab We Met, the second movie by Imtiaz Ali.

I thought this movie was going to be a typical, romantic cliché. But i was extremely wrong. Sure this movie's plot wasn't unusual but it is a romantic flick, and it has quality and plot twists, and most importantly, entertainment; and at the end of the day that's all that matters. It is a love story so there is no need to over analyze the movie. Camera angles weren't too great and neither were the songs, but the script was good and comedic (and i'm very picky when it comes to humour). The acting was fairly good. Although there weren't any really dramatic scenes, Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia were very convincing in their roles, and best of all, no overacting which we see in most bollywood movies. I hope Deol and Takia are very successful in their acting careers.

This movie is a real refreshing dose of entertainment. I should start off by saying that Ayesha Thakia did an excellent job. The vivacious actress seems very down-to-earth and straightforward. There's nothing very clichéd, or "filmi," about her looks and acting. Abhay Deol also had a nice debut. He did full justice to his role of a misguided, happy-go-lucky boy, who can never get his full dose of fun. Both actors were excellent choices for playing India's youth icons. Their characters do a good job of reflecting the (shouldn't be stereotyping...) overall youth culture. They want to live life to the fullest while they are still in college. They have values and respect for their elders while at the same time knowing that it's them who needs to live their own life. They are not rebellious, yet the idea of an arranged marriage seems quite preposterous. Abhay and Ayesha share and sympathize with each other's confusion resulting from the generation gap by hanging out, having lots of fun, and, of course, falling in love. In this fun-filled movie, for the first time in Bollywood, we get to see a down-to-earth film on arranged vs. love marriage from a new viewpoint, the Indian youth. Songs are nice.