Now you see it, now you don’t

i see you

Director: Vivek Agarwal Cast: Arjun Rampal, Vipasha Agarwal, Chunky Panday, Boman Irani, Kirron Kher, Sophie Chowdry, Sonali Kulkarni, Michael Maloney (Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan) 5/10

See, you either believe in spirits or you don’t. But a soul whose body’s in coma?! It’s like, yeah, okay you’re lying in a hospital ICU. I see you! But I don’t believe you…simultaneously materialising elsewhere? For heaven’s sake, technically, don’t you have to be dead to be a ghost? Can’t blame debutant director Vivek Agarwal though. It isn’t his idea. You see, his film I See You is just like the Hollywood romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. Only apna desi copy doesn’t know whether to be spoofy (Englishman speaking Hindi-cinema dialogue), goofy (screwball comedy by Chunky, Boman) or go gauche Bollywood kitsch (item song, Halo halo). Indian Raj (Arjun) anchors BBC television show British Raj with seductive, competitive co-host Sophie fighting for air space. But just when you think it’s all about internal politics at a network channel — whoosh! Enter, ethereal/angelic (if you like mannequins) bhootni Vipasha. And you inadvertently enter the realm of ghost story-love story which humorously alludes to every filmy female-spectre — from Madhumati, Bees Saal Baad, Woh Kaun Thi? to Aishwarya in Mohabbatein. Modellish chaal in place, Arjun’s pretty in-step with his role of Casanova-type passionate lover-boy morphing into compassionate lover. Boman and Chunky are good and wasted in bit parts. As is Kirron. Sexy Sophie and shrilly Sonali are irritating caricatures. Set and shot in London, the film gets its swanky look mostly from veteran Ashok Mehta’s swish cinematography. And surprise! In faraway vilaayat our swadesi Shah Rukh and Hrithik suddenly appear singing, dancing...for two seconds — then vamoose! Before you can say, I See you.

Mandira Mitra