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By Taran Adarsh, May 31, 2003 - 16:58 IST
iDream Productions' JAJANTARAM MAMANTARAM, directed by Soumitra Ranade, takes you on a fantasy trip where fairies appear, man-eating demons exist and where magic is as normal as anything else. Unfortunately, a good idea gets wasted thanks to a mediocre storytelling.
Jaaved Jaaferi, a typical cool dude from Mumbai, is stranded in a storm. His boat is capsized but somehow, he hangs on to it only to find himself in a village called Shundi. When he regains his senses, Jaaved is astonished to find that his size is nearly ten times more than the villagers.
The villagers, who are initially afraid of him, gradually realise that he is their friend. However, the army chief of Shundi, Gulshan Grover, has wicked plans. He eyes the kingdom and the king's beautiful daughter.
Gulshan has a magical contraption through which he creates a demon [Joy Fernandes], who matches Jaaved's size. The villagers have an understanding with Joy that he will not destroy their village and in turn, the villagers would offer him a child to eat.
But with Jaaved on the scene, Gulshan's plans go haywire. Now he wants to kill Jaaved and take over the reins of the village. What follows next is a series of clashes between Joy and Jaaved, where, after some initial hiccups, good triumphs over evil.
The director has tried to package just about everything to keep the viewer hooked, from fairies to demons to special effects and even a romantic track. But all efforts turn futile since the film lacks the grip to keep your attention arrested.
The film is aimed at children, but the 'Bambaiya' dialogues that Jaaved mouths, look completely out of place in a film of this genre. Also, the romantic track seems completely uninspiring and underdeveloped. The director seems to have relied more on form [technique] than content [script] to carry the story forward.
Music [Three Brothers And A Violin] is in sync with the mood of the film. Dialogues pass muster. Cinematography is quite good.
Jaaved Jaaferi suits the role to the T. He is highly competent. Joy Fernandes registers an impact. Gulshan Grover does justice to his negative character.
On the whole, J2M2 leaves you wondering if this really is 'josh ka naya mantram'. The film might appeal to a section of the audience [kids], but a universal appeal is ruled out. Also, a difficult-to-pronounce title will only go against it. However, excellent promotion by iDream may salvage the show to an extent in big cities.
  
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