Some films should come with a statutory warning—about their own vacuity. Nanu Ki Jaanu, the Hindi adaptation of Mysskin’s Tamil Pisaasu is stupid and sloppy beyond imagination. To be fair, silliness, if done with aplomb, can be sublime fun at times. Nanu Ki Jaanu is none of it, only laughable.
Nanu (Abhay Deol) is a Noida-based crook and flat-grabber, harrassing his landlords, robbing them of their homes in the guise of a tenant. One fine day, his effort to help a road accident victim, ends up having him saddled with a ghost. A lovelorn ghost who loves her cappuccino but won’t let poor Nanu have his beer.
- Director: Faraz Haider
- Cast: Abhay Deol, Patralekha, Manu Rishi, Rajesh Sharma, Himani Shivpuri, Brijendra Kala
- Storyline: Nanu tries to help an accident victim get medical care but she passes away in the hospital – only to come back to haunt him
- Run Time: 132 minutes
One cringeworthy scene follows another. There’s an entire parade of supposedly quirky characters that are actually nothing more than tiresome. Deol, the cheerleader of the contemporary middle of the road cinema, goes hopelessly awry on deciding to play a Noida con man. Deol’s disinterest is writ large on his face. He looks trapped, much like audience does too. Patralekha’s role is as good as a walk-on part. Ditto Brijendra Kala. The rest of the cast hams its way through the two hours and more, including the otherwise brilliant Rajesh Sharma as the weepy dad of the ghost, with a fixation of his own.
If all this wasn’t enough there is a casual, pointless reference to beef lynchings and moral science lessons on mobiles and helmets. Forget the ghost, the film will leave you spooked with the many hairy male bodies on display; under the shower, in the bed. And that’s all I am saying for now.
