Naam Gum Jaayega   Producer: Suresh Pai Director: Amol Shetge Starring: Dia Mirza, Rakesh Bapat, Aryan Vaid, Divya Dutta, and Mandira Bedi Music: Anand Milind Lyrics: Parveen Bhardwaj Genre: Suspense Recommended Audience: General Approximate Running Time: 2 hrs Film Released on: 10 April 2005 Reviewed by: Shruti Bhasin  - Rating: 3.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review

As I entered my local video store, I was surprised to notice the DVD of this film. Did the film not release in cinemas yet? And if it has, there was certainly no hype or publicity. After viewing the film, it is perhaps best that it was only released on VHS/DVD.

So what’s this story all about? This film begins on the hillside, where occult scientists Aryan (Aryan Vaid) and Divya (Divya Dutta) are travelling. They find a girl named Natasha (Dia Mirza) on the side of the road. And thus, the story begins . . . Natasha thinks she hears her love, Vishal (Rakesh Bapat) calling her to come to him. Aryan and Divya thinks she’s nuts and at this point so do I. Anyway, Natasha had met Vishal in college and they fell in love. She wanted them to get married, but Vishal was in no hurry. For some odd reason, she tells him that they will not talk or meet for 6 months so they can test if they really belong together.

6 months later, Natasha shows up at their meeting place, but Vishal is not there. She goes to his house only to discover he sold it to Nalini (Mandira Bedi). Seeing Natasha’s weird state of mind, Nalini invites her to stay in the house. Natasha has some things happen where she gets partial amnesia. She hallucinates that Vishal is around her, she writes a book about a time travelling Professor Xeno (Sandeep Mehta), and thinks that this fictitious character exists.

By the time, this tedious flashback is over, the scientists are on the case to solve what’s really going on. Even Vishal returns suddenly, only to say, he does not recognize Natasha. The suspense builds up when Aryan asks too many questions. And this is where the film remains for the last hour.

The movie is a bit of a drag because the same questions are repeated: Is Natasha crazy? Who is Professor Xeno? Why doesn’t Vishal know Natasha? Is Natasha someone else? Can you really hypnotize someone by having them stare at your left eye? Are you annoyed by these questions already?

My point exactly, the movie asks too many questions, introduces multiple characters, and goes nowhere.

The film has some nice hillside shots and music picturizations, but this does not complete a film. Most characters are under developed and the climax is rushed to solve the mystery of Natasha. Out of all the performances, I feel that Dia Mirza owned the film, however, she tends to go over-the-top near the end. Rakesh Bapat needs to choose better roles if he wants to get more exposure. Mandira Bedi is subdued in her role. Aryan Vaid is much better than his other sleazy releases. Divya Dutta is completely wasted, which is shame, because she was the surprise package in Veer-Zaara.

Music by Anand-Milind all seems the same; all romantic tunes. Direction leaves much to be desired because the mystery is dragged with the weak screenplay.

Overall, movie is recommended for mystery buffs only.