Hum Tum Shabana Review

There are mixed feelings that one has after stepping out of 'Hum Tum Shabana'. That's because it turns out to be a film which could just have been much-much better had it stuck to the basic theme (romance) instead of meandering into a territory (underworld) that no one could see from a distance.

So while the first half is about Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade trying to woo Minissha Lamba while not caring much about her hot competitor Pia Trivedi, second half is about the two youngsters trying to find their way out of the mess created by Minissha's gangster uncles (Satish Kaushik, Sanjay Mishra).

The film starts off very well though. Pranks played by Tusshar and Shreyas are not just likeable, they are also breezy enough to keep the pace quite good. Jokes work well and their own little ways of wooing Minissha while trying to pull each other down truly reminds one of 'Deewana Mastana'. The second half too starts off decently with clear influence from 'Andaz Apna Apna' where Aamir Khan and Salman Khan had to battle their way out of Paresh Rawal and Shakti Kapoor.

However the biggest trouble lies in the last 30 minutes of the film. The moment Tusshar-Shreyas decide to safeguard their life first instead of thinking about settling down with Minissha, 'Hum Tum Shabana' just loses it's plot. Jokes stop working and director Sagar Bellary too sounds a tad confused about how to culminate the film. In fact from the moment Pia is kidnapped and starts dancing in front of villains, you know that the film is only going downhill. However the worst is reserved for the entire 'horror house' episode which doesn't just go on and on, it is also plain boring despite an attempt from the makers to make it funny.

This is where one misses the fun element from the first half which was entirely set on a beauty pageant. It had brought with it the required glamour quotient, had a striking look around it with quite a few notable sequences that made it utterly enjoyable. No wonder, one ends up looking at the screen in disbelief when the movie suddenly moves entirely away from the romantic angle and starts exploring the underworld setting. Of course due to their vast experience, both Satish Kaushik and Sanjay Mishra do manage to bring in an occassional chuckle. However they can't help the film much due to the loose written material.

Thankfully film's music by Sachin-Jigar comes to rescue as it ensures that there is a peppy mood maintained right through the film. Cinematography is rich as well which lends the film a youthful flavour. Moreover, despite not many jokes emerging in the second half of the film, both Tusshar and Shreyas are wonderful in their comic act and help the film balance itself to a fair degree. While Minissha acts well, she also looks a million bucks, especially in the scenes where she hits the ramp.

'Ek Lo Ek Muft' is more often than not an irresistible offer. Still, how would you react if the second commodity served on a platter actually turns out to be rotten and only goes on to spoil the taste of original as well? This is what happens in case of 'Hum Tum Shabana'. It isn't the case of second half not being as high impact as the first half. It is more about the second half being an entirely different movie when compared to the first half. And this is what lends a sense of disappointment.

Rating: **1/2 

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