After his classic Kaakha Kaakha was remade in Hindi by Nishikant Kamat, Gautham Menon enters Bollywood after a long gap to remake one of his successful romantic films Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. The film gave a new dimension to 2 star sons in Tamil and Telugu. Let’s see if the third star son gets the much needed break that he is looking for. Twentieth century Fox has left no stone unturned in the marketing arena and whether this works for or against the movie will be known in a couple of days' time. But before that let’s analyze the movie.
Ek Deewana Tha portrays Prateik in the role of Sachin, an aspiring film maker who falls head over heels for the daughter of his tenant. It’s a coming of age story of a raw film maker who is introduced to the joys and pains of love by Jessie (Amy Jacksons).
There is no denying the directorial capacities of Gautham. Few scenes like the wedding at the church, the stolen meetings, are very well executed. Considering that Prateik and Amy are seeing each other is visible as their chemistry on screen is excellent. But overall, there is something completely amiss, it becomes a series of beautiful scenes with a slow and boring story. Gautham has become a brand in Kollywood. But Bollywood requires certain level of customization which is lacking in this film.
Menon is known to be an extractor of good performances and he has been able to do that here. Prateik Babbar exhibits tremendous potential as he delivers the not-so-easy role of Sachin. Amy Jackson has tried her best to look not just Indian but also Malayali but she cannot be blamed for her British looks. She has done wonders as far as performance is concerned. Gautham Menon could have improvised on her character sketch to make it more realistic and less confused. Manu Rishi and Sachin Khedekar do well and so does Babu Antony who plays Jessie’s father. Ramesh Sippy appears in a cameo role.
Rahman delivers one original track in this film while the rest are renditions of his Tamil and Telugu hits. 'Hosanna' is still the pick of the lot though the other tracks are sure to grow on you. M.S. Prabhu's cinematography is a visual treat as he captures the beauty of God's own country, Mumbai and US with aplomb. Art direction is good but the editing could have been better.
Verdict: Unfortunately, not a perfected remake!!
EK DEEWANA THA MOVIE REVIEW
