Review: 'Jaana Pehchana' is the cake rather than the icing

Film: Jaana Pehchana
Director: Sachin Pilgaonkar
Cast: Sachin Pilgaonkar, Ranjeeta
Rating: **

Jaana Pehchana is supposed to be a sequel to Rajshri’s earlier 1978 film Ankhiyon Ke Jharoke Se. However, it doesn’t take long for the audience to realise that what’s being offered here instead is a remix version of the original, in a remake-meets-sequel concept. The film is peppered liberally with flashbacks of the original film, but instead of the prequel being the icing on the cake, it ends up being the cake as flashbacks make up for more than 3/4th of the film.

And though unfortunately the icing is clearly missing, one actually ends up thanking the filmmakers for the sequel taking up only a quarter of the film, as watching botoxed versions of Sachin and Ranjeeta do the coy act can take a toll on your nerves.

The original had rich guy Arun (Sachin) fall in love with simple middle-class girl Lily (Ranjeeta) and then lose her to cancer. Love Story anyone? This film takes on 33 years since and shows how Arun has never been able to forget his first love. He opens a cancer hospital and is a much-respected biz tycoon. Enter Lily’s lookalike Asha (Ranjeeta) who wants to write his biography. Well, the rest is as predictable as the fate of this film will be at the BO.

While many in their upper 40s will find it entertaining and won’t mind a nostalgic trip down memory lane, the younger cine-goers may find it hard to bear. Sachin clad in white shorts running around with Ranjeeta in pretty frocks on Juhu beach; Birbal and Jr Mehmood providing comic relief in a way that like the bell bottoms only suited that decade, might evoke laughter, instead of get them to relate to the romance.

Though Sachin and Ranjeeta share a great chemistry in the original, they fail in the sequel, and it’s easy to see why. (For once you wonder why the TV formula of faces being changed to show generation jumps didn’t cross the filmmaker’s mind). No doubt that Sachin is a talented actor and director and Ranjeeta too tries her best, they simply fail to rouse any interest. Birbal and Jr Mehmood are not easy on eyes either and don’t help the story. Most of the original songs are retained too and one is instantly reminded of Chitrahar.

This is not a film that will have college goers throng in, but those who were in college when the prequel had released may not mind getting reacquainted with this flick for sure.