'DUNNO Y... NA JAANE KYUN' Movie Review

 Film: DUNNO Y NA.. JAANE KYUN

Director: Sanjay Sharma

Cast: Aryan Vaid, Kapil Sharma, Yuvraaj Parashar, Maradona Rebello, Hazel, Zeenat Aman, Helen, Rituparna Sengupta, Asha Sachdev, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Parikshat Sahni, Kabir Bedi

Rating: **

Advice: Just skip it!!

DUNNO Y.. NA JAANE KYUN boasts to be the first Bollywood film taking a realistic look at a gay relationship. However, the film fails to focus on homosexuality as it strays in various directions on its way. Never mind all the international film fest awards, it really doesn't live up to the promise.

The script is a mixed bag while a few characters are well etched,rest remain ambiguous. The gay relationship that the film tom toms about springs up only in the second half while the first half is wasted on describing family background of one of the gay men played by Yuvraaj Parashar.

The first half kicks off with the various celebrations at the D’Souza household. The family consists of Margaret D'Souza (Helen), her daughter-in-law Rebbecca D’Souza (Zeenat Aman) and her two sons, Ashley (Yuvraaj Parashar), (Maradona Rebello), and a daughter (Hazel). Ashley is married to Jenny (Rituparna Sengupta) and has a daughter. D’Souza family presents a picture of happy family but is mired in secret sorrows. Despite being a gay man, Ashley is married and even has a daughter!Oops, does sound suspiciously similar to Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

Ashley bumps into a struggling model, Aryan Bhargav (Kapil Sharma) and the two are attracted to each other. On the one hand, they start dating each other and on the other Jenny falls in love with Ashley’s brother. Ashley’s father, who had deserted the family years ago, decides to spend his last days with his family, as he has terminal cancer.

As Ashley and Aryan fall deeper in love, Aryan begins to feel guilty of snatching Ashley away from his family. As a result, he stops seeing Ashley, and Ashley too tries to get back to his family. Ashley’s brother finds a job in Dubai and asks Jenny to accompany him. For reasons best known to her and the script writer, Jenny decides to stay back with Ashley. Rather abruptly the film makes a seven year leap when Aryan is a successful actor and he learns that Ashley died in a car accident a year ago. A grief stricken Aryan visits the D’Souza family and they welcome him with open arms.

As a director, Sanjay Sharma pulls off an average job. The cinematography is average (kind of perverse in the first half, camera lingering on boobs and booties way too much!). The music is by Nikhil is good, especially the title track crooned by Lata Mangeshkar. The background score becomes too loud and operatic at times.

The story succeeds in its primary task of gaining audience sympathetic towards the gay community. But the explicit gay love making scenes or cathartic break downs of the gay lovers kind of repels you.

Although his entry is just towards the interval, Kapil Sharma carries out his role very convincingly. But Yuvraaj Parashar fails miserably as an actor. Catch Rituparna Sengupta's steamy bathing scene with co-star Maradonna Rebello, who does a good job too. This is a sad comeback flick for Zeenat who seems too pretentious as a strong mother. But Helen is effortlessly sweet and delivers a brilliant performance within the limited scope of her character sketch. Even in a short role as the repentant father, Kabir Bedi is spectacular.

But folks, take my advice and avoid this half baked gay saga.http://www.bollywoodchaska.com/content/dunno_y_na_jaane_kyun-1702/