The graph of the film is erratic. It goes up and down at regular intervals. There are interesting moments in the film, especially in the first hour, but the film stagnates just when you think everything is going fine.

The dilemma of the characters is well depicted. Nana’s nature [no smile, no emotion, he’s completely detached from the simple pleasures of life], Danny’s cricket addiction [it’s cricket and only cricket for him], Kunal and Rimi’s rocky relationship [since the wife is attracted to cricketer Dhoni] and Paresh Rawal’s stubborn attitude [dreams of acquiring the British citizenship] seems straight out of life. All this is fine till the intermission card flashes on screen. But things take a dip in the second hour.

HATTRICK is the story of five characters. The caustic Dr. Satyajeet Chavan [Nana Patekar] hates everything good in life, especially cricket. David Abraham [Danny Denzongpa], a veteran cricketer, is obsessed with cricket. David falls ill and is admitted to the government hospital. That’s where Dr. Satyajeet and David meet.

On the other side of the planet, London, is Hemu Patel [Paresh Rawal]. A janitor, a cricket maniac and an illegal immigrant! His single pre-occupation in life is acquiring a U.K. citizenship. He longs to return home from U.K. after years of fooling himself that he’s happy living a second-rate life in a foreign land.

Saby [Kunal Kapoor] is a cricket addict, so much so that his television set is better company than his seductive wife Kashmira [Rimi Sen]. The problem begins when Kashmira gets obsessed with Dhoni.

In HATTRICK, the three stories proceed simultaneously. The Nana-Danny at regular intervals or Paresh’s stubborn attitude or Kunal-Rimi’s blow-hot-blow-cold relationship is beautifully depicted. In fact, the humor in the first half compels you to flex your facial muscles quite often.

Milan Luthria’s direction is satisfactory, but it’s the writing that acts as a spoke in the wheel. Pritam’s music is strictly okay. You watch the songs on the big screen without exhibiting any emotion, but forget all about them once the movie ends. ‘Wicket Bacha’ is the only track that stands out, partly due to its zany filming. Cinematography [Nirmal Jani] is lucid.

The performances are up to the mark. Nana carries his part with precision. There’re certain roles he excels in and this is one of those. Danny is extremely likable. All you want to ask the veteran is, Where have you been all this while? Paresh gets a serious role this time and the actor proves his versatility yet again.

Kunal Kapoor is highly competent. He has the potential to make it big! Rimi springs a pleasant surprise this time around. She’s efficient. The actors enacting the role of Paresh’s wife and daughter are first-rate. Pratiksha Lonkar [Nana’s wife] gets minimal scope.

On the whole, HATTRICK is an average product at best.

All the same, the execution of the film and the shot compositions are masterly. If you understand cinema or if you’re an avid moviegoer, you’d notice that JAAN-E-MANN is shades apart from Yash Chopra or Mani Ratnam or Priyadarshan or RGV or Rakesh Roshan’s movies. It stands out for its individuality. The technique leaves you wondering, is this Hindi cinema or are you watching a fairytale?

Most importantly, JAAN-E-MANN has its heart in the right place. Like this reviewer pointed out at the outset, it takes time to get used to Shirish’s style of narrating a story. The initial reels may give you the feeling that it’s all gloss, no soul and perhaps, the director has lost his marbles and experimented at the expense of an uncompromising producer [Sajid Nadiadwala], but JAAN-E-MANN catches you slowly, but firmly and doesn’t leave you till the end.

Wait, this doesn’t imply that JAAN-E-MANN is a flawless product. There are blemishes that stand out in the narrative. If Shirish deserves distinction marks as a storyteller, you need to deduct his points as an editor. Perhaps, Shirish fell in love with his product and didn’t realize that this 19 reeler tends to get lengthy and at times, slow paced.

Also, Shirish’s style of storytelling — very novel and refreshingly different — caters more to the multiplex crowd/elite/big city junta/Overseas audience rather than the aam public/hoi polloi/masses/frontbenchers. The generous usage of English will also restrict its appeal to urban centres. Yes, there are mass appealing moments, but JAAN-E-MANN is a big gamble. The first section of moviegoers would love the film and if it catches on with the masses [thanks to the strong emotional quotient in the second hour], there’s no stopping the film then.

Farooq even goes to the length saying that Afzal is innocent despite Supreme Court sentencing him to death. All this deserves serious attention from the govt. and the judiciary to stop people like Farooq Abdullah blaspheming the order of the highest judiciary. In this regard, Abdullah and the other terrorist supporter Ghulam Nabi Azad should be held guilty of treason against India if they continue to make such statements.