The movie revolves around Raj(Arjun Rampal) who is the host of a TV programme in London called British Raj. One even Raj finds an unexpected visitor on his balcony-Shivani(Vipasha). When he talks to the girl she is surprised that he can see and hear her, she tells Raj that she is actually a spirit who needs help. Her body lies in a coma in the hospital. At first Raj thinks this is all a prank courtesy of his Akshay(Chunky Panday) however Raj soon figures that Shivani isn’t lying and is infact a spirit. Shivani and Raj become good friends as she becomes a part of his everyday life. Akshay arranges for a meeting with a shrink(Boman Irani) but even that doesn’t help. Slowly Raj falls in love with Shivani, however in order to gain her love Raj must help Shivani and get to the bottom of her secret and save her from dying before it’s too late.
The story is rehashed from the Hollywood film JUST LIKE HEAVEN. I don’t have a problem with remakes as such, as long as the director adds enough of their own touch and manages to transport the movie to its Indian milieu and setting in a reasonable manner. However the core problem with I SEE YOU is that Vivek Agarwal-the writer has pretty much taken the exact story from the original and presented it in Hindi. The screenplay of the movie is faulty and abounds in flaws. One usually expects a certain amount of “thrills” and “chills” from a ghost story; however Suresh Nair’s screenplay decides to focus the entire movie on a love story which doesn’t convince one bit. The initial portions of the movie are well done and with its breezy introduction and pace it makes for a rather refreshing and relaxing watch. However soon the movie turns into slow, sluggish and dull affair leaving the viewer completely bored. The love aspect of the film hasn’t been properly developed at all and neither has the whole “mystery” element surrounding Vipasha’s character. The climax is entirely ridiculous and leaves the viewer completely bored. The love story is contrived and doesn’t succeed in connecting with the viewer at all. The whole “mystery” element in the movie is tame, and doesn’t excite nor entertain the viewer at all. The whole “human donor trafficking” theme has been witnessed countless times before in Indian cinema and doesn’t hold much value or surprise with the treatment it’s given here. The flaws in the screenplay stick out glaringly, why for example is Vipasha suddenly able to “touch” towards the final reels and open the door? The entire finale is far far from convincing and turns into a tepid mess. One just wishes Vivek Agarwal who had an interesting story on hand had looked over the screenplay properly before going ahead with this movie.
As a director Vivek Agarwal doesn’t show many sparks of talent. Yes he has a novel and unique concept on hand, and one that could’ve translated to a very entertaining film, however Vivek Agarwal along the way seems to have got confused. The intent here was to make a “breezy rom-com” however that is lost somewhere along the line as the movie doesn’t turn out to be neither very romantic nor very funny. There are some individualistic sequences which have been well executed, but those are few and far in between. The rest of the movie, regardless of how beautiful it looks on screen, is a mess! Agarwals biggest fault is that he had the room to make not only a romantic/comedy with a different here, but to make an intelligent and though-provoking film. However in an attempt to force-feed the romance down the viewers throats and laced it with some rather lame comedy the movie simply fails to impress. Please do your groundwork better next time Mr. Agarwal.
Niranjan Iyengars dialogues are strictly functional.
As far as performances go Arjun Rampal tries, but fails to leave a mark! The actor has only so far impressed me in MOKSHA, AANKHEN and EK AJNABEE; apart from that he has been wooden, and expressionless with a monotone voice in most of his other movies and sadly I SEE YOU falls into the same category. He simply does not have what it takes to be a solo lead and is better of in supporting roles. No doubt he’s a good looking bloke striking features and good height as well as a booming baritone voice, however his acting skills just aren’t up to scratch. His voice modulation is poor, and he sounds like a mechanic robot for the most. His facial expressions too are non-existent and a film like this needs a charismatic and engaging actor as he is needed to be present in every frame, and Arjun simply doesn’t have what it takes. There are individual dramatic and comic scenes where he hits the right notes…but that’s as good as it gets.
Newcomer Vipasha makes a confident debut. She looks cute, sweet, simply and sexy all rolled into one. She exudes confidence and charm is is intermittently likeable.
Chunky Panday is as reliable as ever. After some great supporting stints of late, Panday gives another notable performance. Kirron Kher hardly gets any scenes to leave a mark.
Dare I say, Boman Irani tries way too hard to make you laugh and simply does not succeed. Infact, this has to be the first time a Boman Irani performance has not impressed me. Usually no matter how small or big the role is, Irani is spot on! Sonali Kulkarni does well in her small part. Sophie Chaudhury is glamorous and sexy as ever. The actress is no doubt a poor actress, but in her short role she does OK much like in PYAAR KE SIDE EFFECTS, and from a guys point of view her rather revealing outfits do help.
Michael Maloney as the Hindi speaking Angrez cop(OH GOD) is downright annoying.
Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan look magnificent in their 2 second cameos.
However all is not lost……
Technically the movie is a dazzling film. No doubt director Vivek Agarwal has an eye for technical finesse and it’s evident in every frame. Cameraman Ashok Mehta proves yet again he is one of the finest in the business. His cinematography is outstanding and London is bought to life on celluloid.
Vishal-Shekhars music too is fabulous and it’s tragic to see such a good musical score wasted in a movie like this and the songs have been merged into the narrative well. SUBAH SUBAH and HALO are the two best tracks, and they have been superbly picturised as well with some foot-tapping steps by Shiamak Davar. A special mention also too Manish Malhotras wardrobe which is as stylish as ever.
All up I SEE YOU is a colossal disappointment and a poorly made product despite being technically superior. Sorry Mr. Rampal..better luck next time.
Final Rating: * *
