Janaan ’ s story unfolds in Swat and the mountains have never looked more scenic ; undulating in emerald hues , looming over scenic lakes and pastures striped in yellow and green . The family home , that is central to the movie , has an exquisite affl uence , replete with wooden carvings , traditional embroidered upholstery , antique doorways and balconies with breathtaking views . Add to this a multi-colored wedding , fi reworks in the night sky and effusions of fairy lights and you end up with a movie that has gorgeous aesthetics . One wishes that this attention to detail had been extended to the plot , the soundtrack , the styling and in many cases , the acting . There were some elements that worked in Janaan – but so many more that didn ’ t . The plot is standard romantic movie fare : anglicized girl , complete with accent and a perpetual blow-dry , returns to her ancestral Pakhtoon home ; she gets wooed by two of her cousins and falls in love with one and remains just friends with the other . And as the two protagonists stumble their way to fi nding love , they truss up and dance at a family wedding , brood through in-house politics and the hero comes head to head with a villain with evil designs on the innocent . With better direction , this story could have been riveting . For instance , the love triangle between Armeena Khan , Bilal Ashraf and Ali Rehman Khan could have been pepped with more angst , better punchlines and a poignant soundtrack . Aside from the very melodious title track Janaan and the Pashto Reidi Gul , there wasn ’ t really any memorable music in the movie . Luckily , the acting served as the saving grace to some extent . Bilal epitomized the handsome hero to the tee and aside from a few stilted scenes , acted well . Ali , meanwhile , played well into the limelight , delivering multiple witticisms and switching effortlessly from comedy to heavy duty emotions . Amongst the lead triad , he was easily the most comfortable in front of the camera and the best scenes in the movie invariably featured him . Moving on to the actors ' wardrobes , the boys dressed so well ; in fi tted shalwar kameez with waistcoats , suits and smart-casual shirts . In contrast , Armeena Khan dressed
movie review : janaan
29 | BOOM
REVIEW ’ S
up a bit too much . For someone so pretty , it is perplexing why the actress insists on being swathed in make-up every time she acts in a movie . It is also unfathomable why the movie ’ s stylists chose to dress Armeena – and the other female characters – in blingy wedding wear at all times , even when they were at home watching a movie . As the lead actress , Armeena plays the girl next door character well but lacks the screen presence and skill to develop nuances to her role and make it more interesting . In contrast , some of the supporting cast stood out : particularly Ajab Gul and Nayyar Ejaz as the sinister villain . Other things that don ’ t make much sense : why does producer Hareem Farooq make a guest appearance only to disappear immediately afterwards without any explanation ? Also , the Pakhtoon family is a bit too glossy to be believable , setting paper lanterns into the air , orchestrating grand fi reworks and grooving onto the mehndi dance fl oor . Given that the movie is also releasing internationally , audiences unfamiliar with Swat may end up assuming it to be a vibrant , thriving metropolitan hub rather than a resort-town ensconced away in the mountains . There is a dire need for better editing and crisper , more lucid storytelling . So should one watch Janaan at all ? One could . It may be a bit over-long but there are also some defi nite entertaining bits . Ali Rehman and Bilal Ashraf make the story work . There are funny instances such as Ali ’ s character ’ s obsession with Facebook , the jibes at overuse of Botox and the grandmother telling the prospective non- Pakhtoon groom to try to get fairer by using Zubaida Apa ’ s whitening soap . Of course , one should also watch Janaan out of patriotism , for the revival of cinema and what-not . In retrospect , if the movie had released a few years earlier , one would have applauded it for its efforts and the sheer beauty of Pakistan captured on-screen . But Janaan has come at a time when Pakistani cinema is fast coming into its own ; where a Moor has captured love for the motherland , a biographic Shah has captured the world of boxing , a Jawani Phir Nahi Ani has rollicked and a Na Maloom Afraad has played with social satire .