The film revolves around Viren Oberoi(Abhay Deol) a confused young boy who thinks he is in love with Karen(Apoorva Jha). His dad Nirmal(Suresh Oberoi) is always worried about his and after much persuasion from the whole family including his beloved Bhabhi(Ayesha Jhulka) he agrees to see a girl which they all want him to marry Aditi(Ayesha Takia). On face value the two are perfect for each other as their caste, status, and religion all seem to meet-but on their first meeting Viren tells a very honest and open Aditi that he is in love with someone else and both become good friends and Viren makes a pact with Aditi that he will reject the offer.
Virens rejection causes a rift between the two families which turns into a verbal war of sorts and the two families start hating each other. In the meantime Viren continues to see Aditi as a friend and gains advice from her about his relationship with Karen as the two become close friends. Viren begins to enjoy Aditis company, he loves being able to express himself around her, saying what he wants and above all being himself which is something he cannot do around Karen.
As fate would have it Viren falls in love with Aditi...end of story? Heck no! At this stage Virens family who had initiallu disagreed about accepting Karen due to the religious differences agree to get Viren married to Karen. in the meantime Aditis marriage is also fixed to her ex boyfriend who she had a tiff with..what happens next? SOCHA NA THA provides the answers.
In terms of a story Imtiaz Ali has written a simple story about a boy meeting a girl and love blossoming.....he has even opted for the two families feuding angle ala QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK and PAAGALPAN but what sets SOCHA NA THA apart is its screenplay which manages to keep the viewers interest alive. What could've been you run of the mill love story laden with cliches scores by being a fresh, innovative love story which moves at a fast pace which is packed with great comic and emotional moments. The film does lose some steam in the second half but makes up for it by some great performances.
As a director Imtiaz Ali deserves full marks-for his first film he proves that has talent! His approach right from the has the viewers approach. Love stories have been seen a million times before in Hindi cinema but his ability to present it in a fresh manner connect with the viewer(specially the with the youth). He does lose some steam in the second half though. His main trump card is he manages to keep the movie flowing at a soft yet FAST pace throughout with many twists to keep things alive.
Abhay Deol makes a great debut! He has charm, charisma and screen presence. Like his cousins Sunny and Bobby Deol he too makes his debut in a romantic venture (Sunny debuted with BETAAB and Bobby with BARSAAT). He is totally natural when it comes to comedy-something which his other two cousins are yet to prove themselves in. His "boy next door" looks help him in portraying his character efficiently a bit like Tusshar in MUJJHE KUCH KEHNA HAI. Abhay does need to work on his voice modulation which comes across uneven sometimes and definetly his looks. His long locks remind one of Bobby Deol in his earlier films and he appears very chubby in scenes and needs to work on his presentation a lot more.
Ayesha Takia gives a totally natural performance that is bound to make the viewer fall in love with her. She has brilliant charishma and is a total cutie. Her delivery is efficient and she handles both comic and emotional scenes with aplomb.
A large part of what makes the movie work is the chemistry which is shared between Abhay and Ayesha and also the dialogues that are shared between them which gives the viewer the feeling " this could be my love story"-both are totally bubbly and natural.
The supporting cast is fresh and talented although not all perform upto scratch.
Suresh Oberoi is seen after a hiatus and plays the stern father role perfectly. It is great to see the seasoned actor back on big screen.
Ayesha Jhulka plays her role as the "bhabhi". She delivers a first rate performance and stands out.
Rati Agnihotri and Raj Zutsi have been given loud and screechy roles-one wishes they had been used more efficiently and not wasted.
Sandhya Mridul too is wasted. The talented actress last seen in PAGE 3 has a two bit role here which leaves no impact.
Apoorva Jha is OK in her role. She comes across very wooden at times although she looks good on screen.
The films biggest trump card is its dialogues! The dialogues throughout the film have a very realistic, natural and "every" touch to it. They are very REAL dialogues which are delivered by young people today hence the viewer connects with the film. There is no "main tumhare beena jee nahin sakta etc". The lingo throughout the movie is very hip and modern yet natural and not too " try hard".
Music in the movie is nice and soft although one misses a chart busting number. The title Track, Abhi Abhi Mere Dil Mein and Yaara Rab stand out and Sandesh Shandilya do a good job.
Technically the film is good with a slick look throughout and urban feel throughout.
All up SOCHA NA THA is a definite dark horse. One would think it would be a typical love story-but the film manages to strike away from the regular love stories that are witnessed in Bollywood and is a very fresh and lively love story. Fans of the genre will love the movie and for those who don't usually go for Romantic films will also love the movie. The movie has its fair share of flaws in the direction department and could've done with some trimming in the second half but SOCHA NA THA scores overall. Welcome to Bollywood Mr Abhay Deol and Mr Imtiaz Ali.
Final Rating: * * * ¾
