May 06, 2003 01:05 AM
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(Updated May 06, 2003 01:14 AM)
First things first... I am not a big fan of Bollywood movies - infact I am the first to denounce it, be it a production of Subhash Ghai or Subhash Bhai, none of which makes a difference to me, anyways! But there something struck me & struck me real hard, when I first saw the promos of the movie...
Hrithik Roshan was the new-found cuddle-boy of the Film Industry. People had been praising him (and his biceps) high and low. It was a difficult act to follow, in terms of performance by a newcomer. To vie with him for the award for the best debut would be equal to blasphemy! And here was Anubhav Sinha, releasing a film full to the brim with newcomers! (So much so, that it actually might have followed ''Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi'' for most newcomers!) People opined that it was sure to flop and flop real hard - crash was more like it!
But they were, as usual, proved wrong, ''Tum Bin'' actually did well and managed to recover more than the production cost, which qualified it to be declared a hit. That it could not deliver a business as big as ''Kaho naa Pyaar Hai'' could be attributed to its small budget and low distribution percentage. It didn't go down well with the 'acclaimed movie critics' (the ones who write for papers and talk in front of a camera) but the opinion of the general public said ''Objection Overruled!!'' in a real loud voice!
The Plot...
Instead of discussing the plot which most of you know by now, I'd much rather discuss the roles and performances of the actors, all of whom are newcomers.
Priyanshu, (Shekhar - in the movie) a struggling model was picked up by Mr. Anubhav to play the lead in the movie. Previously known (or was he?) for his stint with DIGJAM suitings, his debut on the silver screen was marked with doubt and apprehension. Many feared he would fail to make the cut - but he did. He carries an impassive face in the movie, nevertheless, packs quite a punch in his dialogues.
Having seen Sandali (Pia - in the movie) prance around with Sudhanshu (Abhigyaan - in the movie) on the small screen for videos directed by Anubhav, I was looking forward to a reel full of close-ups and expressive moments. I did get them all right, but not the excess that I expected - surprisingly!! The close-ups and expressive silences were at an amazingly all time low, a record for Anubhav!!
Sandali has an high pitched shriek for a voice which tends to unnerve you at times, but sooner than later you get used to it. Sudhanshu is so soft-spoken, he would probably need a mike within a mike to achieve clarity in speech, but puts up a brave effort. Rakesh Bapat, another Anubhav-music-video-regular plays a short cameo in the movie as Sandali's ex-fiancè, Amar, and does a pretty decent job, too.
Veteran Marathi star, Vikram Gokhale is the movie's only saving grace and he delivers a performance that carries the movie. He doesn't have much of a dialogue but the few sentences he has he is completely mind-blowing! The rest of the cast are fine, not worth commenting, they do little but carry the movie reel further...
Post Mortem...
As far as the movie goes, it is a pretty decent movie with strictly OK performances when compared with its elder brothers. The songs are very good with Jagjit's ''Koi fariyaad'' standing out in the lot. The cinematography is better for the songs than for the rest of the movie - maybe it had something to do with his previous experience of music videos!
The direction however leaves a lot to be desired. At crunch moments, when you absolutely have to see the reaction of a particular character to a statement, the camera is off somewhere else. Screenplay and editing are strictly OK nothing more, a touch less maybe. The story and the plot execution are the only saving grace of the movie, technically speaking.
Bottom Line...
Translated in English (for the non-hindi people) the title means - ''Without You'' and that does say a lot of things... A maiden attempt at the silver screen by a man of immense small screen music video 'experience', i.e. Anubhav Sharma, Tum Bin strikes a regular cinema-goer as an offbeat attempt with a gang of newcomers, and that, is brave by any standards!
The ratings that I have given are a sort of a bravery award dedicated to the cast and the crew of ''Tum Bin'', without which the movie might have very well seen the light of a ''Dust Bin''!
NOTE:
The only reason I have mentioned watch it alone below is because I could not choose all the options!! Watch it with anyone you like you'll still end up liking the movie (if you manage to think of the songs as a separate entity!).
