Yeh Hai Jalwa Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
Ketan Manmohan Desai�s YEH HAI JALWA, directed by David Dhawan, tries hard to be a chuckle-a-minute entertainer. It tells the story of Raju (Salman Khan) who suddenly discovers that the father, Rajesh Mittal (Rishi Kapoor), he thought was dead for all these years is alive and is, in fact, one of the richest men in U.K. So what happens when the father, happily settled with his wife (Rati Agnihotri) and children , is suddenly confronted with a grown up illegitimate son? What wild measures does Rishi Kapoor take to eliminate Salman Khan from his well-settled life? Does the street-smart son succeed in making the father accept him? Or does the frantic father succeed in getting rid of the son?
The story of YEH HAI JALWA reminds you of the Salman starrer JAB PYAAR KISISE HOTA HAI, the only difference being that Salman played the role of the father in the former, whereas he is the illegitimate son in this enterprise. The subject in question required sensitivity, but knowing David Dhawan�s forte for comedy, the narrative is laced with light moments. In fact, that�s one of the reasons it is difficult to identify with the story after a point. The initial reels give the impression that Salman is adamant about making his father accept him, but he hardly seems to take any steps in that direction. In fact, the story hardly moves till the interval point. It is only at this point when Salman speaks out his heart to his father, that there is some hope of the story progressing. Post-interval, one expects things to happen, but the portions let you down since Salman, instead of adopting a confrontationist stand, becomes pally with his father�s family members.
Even the tricks he adopts to consolidate his position seem far-fetched. Also, the romantic angle between Salman and Amisha Patel is not well-established. Director David Dhawan is known for gags and punches, but barring a couple of scenes, the impact is plain mediocre. Dialogues are witty at places. Cinematography is just about okay. Himesh Reshammiya's music is an asset, with a couple of lilting tunes. Performance wise, Salman Khan and Rishi Kapoor stand out with decent performances. Amisha Patel does not impress. Rati Agnihotri is alright. Kader Khan is his usual self. Sanjay Dutt (guest appearance) does not leave any impact. Rinke Khanna, Ajay Nagrath and Anupam Kher enact their parts well.
On the whole, YEH HAI JALWA is an ordinary entertainer with nothing much to rave about.