Aashayein

It does not surprise me that the so-called critics did not think much of this movie. I think it's just the times we're living in - movies such as Aashayein fare poorly at the box office because majority of the people neither have the patience nor have the IQ to watch such movies.

This is the 3rd movie of John Abraham I have watched after Kabul Express and New York, and he has just continued to show what a tremendous actor he is. Despite his other masala movies, he seems to find an off-beat movie and leaves his mark. Anaitha Nair acted excellently in a role that was very different than her role in Chak De India. She fit greatly in her role of a hospice patient. Supporting cast of Farida Jalal and Girish Karnad filled in their roles well.

The little boy Ashwin Chitale's role was mystic and portrayed well. Music was by and large melodious and lyrics were fresh (change to today's bollywood junk). Ab Mujhko Jeena, Shukriya Zindagi, Chala Aya Pyar were the best tracks and rest were good too.

I'm rating this movie 10/10 easily simply based on the fact that I can watch it again. Must see for serious movie fans that enjoy a strong story line and sensible movies.

Out of the many shiny bollywood masalla action packed, brainless plots and pointless movies, here comes a treat to watch. John Abraham is getting better everyday in bollywood and I assume the day is not far when he will stand with the top line of bollywood. I don't know but he is the only actor I feel who gives a strange feeling of belongingness to the masses. Anyway ! About the movie.. It's a story of a dying man and his experiences after wards. (Full Stop! Find out the whole of it in the movie). This is a very touchy and sensitive subject and the way it was portrayed in the movie is the brilliance of the Production team. No fun intended, no typical bollywood happy-happy moments, Its a movie with hard facts and human emotions and PAIN. It's a difficult movie to watch because of the pain and hopelessness it carry. Throughout the movie you will be in pain and misery for the characters. And that credit goes to non other then John himself and the new talent portrayed in the character of Padma. They managed to transfer the agony to the viewers and that's the 'job-done'. With out a doubt this is the best ever performance by john Abraham as he himself claimed it in a TV show interview recently that people would be stunned to see the performance and they sure do! The music number 'shukrya zindagi' is very well pasted in the film at different moments when 'needed' (no pointless bollywood songs at least in this movie). And why an 8 for a movie which deserves at least 9? Yeah the Indiana Johnes segments (Dreams). This would have been a much better treat to watch without those scenes and the story should have focused more on the realities of life, but anyway still no hard feelings for a great movie. By the way this is not your weekend reliever and a pop corn flick!! As a whole it's a very serious movie and not many people would like to watch it (sorry for that John). But those who have a taste of such movies would definitely remember this one for a long time. Aashayein.. Yeah!

After the horrendous '8 x 10 Tasveer', Nagesh Kukunoor is back on track. Even though I was a bit skeptical seeing that Kukunoor has been going downhill since 'Bombay to Bangkok' and the casting of John Abraham in the lead role didn't sound very promising but I was wrong. 'Aashayein' is a heartfelt down-to-earth little film about a young man who, after being diagnosed with cancer, admits himself to a hospice, leaving behind the life he once knew (that includes a fiancée), only to find a new one. The premise sounds familiar but don't be fooled. This isn't another 'Anand' or 'Dasvidaniya'. Yet, Kukunoor doesn't shy away from showing who he's influenced by as he wisely makes references to classics like 'Anand' and 'Indiana Jones'. The Indiana Jones dream sequences are quite well executed. The songs, including the Shreyas Talpade item number, fit in well.

The setting of the hospice is quite beautiful. Hindi films usually depict hospitals and other medical centres as this cold, impersonal place where the ill are ignored or treated without affection. Thankfully Kukunoor sheds a positive light and hopefully there are more such options for people in India. In addition, I also liked how Kukunoor briefly depicts the struggle encountered by the medical staff in order to run the place.

John Abraham's performance may not be flawless but it's the best work he's done to date. Hot Sonal Sehgal has good screen presence. Girish Karnad, Prateeksha Lonkar and Farida Jalal provide great support. I would have liked to see more of the lovely Jalal as her character was very interesting. Finally, the star of 'Aashayein' is Anaitha Nair who steals every scene she's in with a commendable performance. I would like to see more of this actress cast in such significant roles in good films.

'Aashayein' may have its share of flaws but it manages to win the heart of the viewer and I hope, from this movie on, Kukunoor stays on track instead of stumbling with the likes of '8 x 10 Tasveer'.

As far as the story plot is concerned, AASHAYEIN may not have anything new to say to the viewers. But talking about its fresh treatment, the movie does have few worth mentioning merits in its kitty which rightly differentiate it from all the previous ones made around this particular subject.

If we look back, then all the films revolving around a dying person made by many famous directors in the past, have two things in common. Firstly it's the fun element incorporated in them which lightens the mood of the viewer throughout the film, till it reaches its climax. Before coming to the concluding moments every such venture first makes you smile with few hilarious or enjoyable moments and then leads you towards the end, talking about the ultimate death of the hero. Secondly, all those movies have never been too verbal on the subject of death. If you can recall, their characters always talk about the most certain truth in a very subtle way without any strong offensive or direct dialogues in a sheer poetic kind of mood.

AASHAYEIN breaks all these preset modes of the subject and takes you into a more bitter, hard hitting and truthful kind of arena where every character clearly knows that he has to die in few months and they don't feel shy or uncomfortable talking about it freely with each other. All the key characters of the script live under one roof, getting their decent daily life facilities while waiting for their final moments to arrive any time. And it's the interaction between these different dying people in the film, which transforms it into a worth watching venture, dissimilar to anything you have seen before.

Especially the sequences between John Abraham and Anaitha Nair, which are beautifully written and superbly enacted by the talented duo. The verbal expressions of Anaitha when she talks about her experiences within and outside the help-house are simply a treat to watch. In fact, death has never been expressed so freely on Indian screen before as done by Anaitha in AASHAYEIN. In short she gives the most explosive performance of the movie which deserves to be seen as a must.

Apart from John-Anaitha's brilliant on-screen chemistry, the movie has some highly enlightening scenes featuring Farida Jalal, Girish Karnad, Sonal Sehgal and a charming child actor Ashwin Chitale. Here I would like to mention a dialogue which has never been used before in a movie on the same theme, where in Sonal explains her trauma to John saying, "Your pain gets over within few days when you would be gone, but what about us, the people you will leave behind. How are we suppose to live with this pain all our life?" Indeed a well written thought put in by the writers.

John Abraham being the central character surprises you with an honest and heartfelt performance. After the few initial moments, you just forget about his killing looks and star status and start believing in his pain as he easily establishes an emotional relationship with the viewers. Undoubtedly he delivers a performance he can always feel proud of. Other than the main lead, Nagesh extracts some great performances from his entire supporting cast (including himself in a cameo) and with this; he once again proves his mastery over the medium when it comes to emotional and sensitive subjects.

Salim Suleiman's music works as you are watching the movie, but the song featuring Shreyas Talpade as the rock band leader remains the one in your mind while walking out of the theater. And Shreyas is also equally good performing it on the screen. Another merit of the movie remains its Cinematography which captures both the indoors and the outdoors fantastically.

Now let's talk about the main avoidable glitch in the movie which serves as a big unwanted interruption in its otherwise smooth progression. Here I am referring to all those sequences in the film wherein John imagines himself as Indiana Jones leading to some strange dream sequences inside a cave where there are many white faced ghosts tied in thick chains. The relationship of the dream with the reality was fine but why it was used in such a length was quite weird and out of my understanding as it hampered the overall impact of the film on its audience.

Along with this big mistake, Nagesh also uses another half baked and unexplained character in his script who gets no justification of any sort right till the end. This refers to the character of a small child who is shown to have some magical healing powers in his body. Now whether he really had some powers…., if yes then how did he actually benefit John with his powers in the end remains a mystery.

So, in all AASHAYEIN could have been a much better and highly appreciated movie in absence of The Indiana Jones character in its script. It certainly has its own highly commendable moments to watch and learn from. But minus all those dream sequences it surely would have impressed a lot more people in the theaters as well as in the industry. Still it didn't deserve to be canned for more than a year for whatsoever reasons.

Regarding its box office prospects, the chances are not so bright as today's busy generation is simply not interested in seeing a movie revolving around the theme of Death, unless there is a Shahrukh, Aamir, Salman or Hrithik dying on the screen. But I would really like to recommend it to my readers, for the effortless performance put in by Anaitha Nair and its few not to be missed enlightening moments, capable of teaching some new lessons of life to all of us.

Movie seems to be a low budget movie.But i like the fact that there are no villains in this movies, at least physically. This movies is a great example to show how much fragile life is. Here 'Indy' get struck by fortune and disaster at the same time.

Whole movie is an emotional roller coaster while the main character struggles through his own illness and also struggle to cope with the deaths of his fellow mates. Movie has a good ending which make the audience think about life in a different prospective.

For me character 'Padma' was the main attraction where she enlighten the sad mood in the movie with her stubborn and obnoxious behavior.

I think everyone should watch this movies to understand life on prospective of people who already try to live while they are obviously dying. thank you!