salaam e saste

I watched Salaam Namaste, a movie whose promotions had 'cool' written all over it. Uber cool Saif Ali Khan and super chirpy Preity Zinta. A pair who look stunning together on screen. Concept of live- in relationship being tackled in Bollywood for the first time. But alas ... the film fails just like the protection which Saif uses and gets Preity pregnant before the intermission. And the movie looks a remix of Hum Tum and Kya Kehna.

Yash Chopra may have thrown out the Karva Chauths and the sarson de khet of Punjab , but his minions the so called new age directors still dish out safe escapist fare even when they have good themes. So you have the standard Non Resident India setting, since London is passe, its now Melbourne.

Formula 1. If you have problems living upto parents aspirations in India or 'do your own thing' or 'lead a great life', leave India and head for phoren shores. So you have Preity who is a RJ plus medicine student, Saif an architect by profession a chef by choice.

Formula 2. Show a lifestyle abroad that only Indians can only dream of even when they are abroad ( ask any software engineer worth his H1 visa). Gizmos, clothes,cars, plush sea-facing houses, the works. Standard Yash Chopra style. Nothing original as Bablis kurtas. Only chic, avant garde stuff.

Formula 3. Stay clear of any complications. Live-in can be shown happening abroad where there are no prying neighbours. No pesky questions asked by anyone except for Javed Jaffrey in a great cameo as an Indianized hybrid of crocodile Dundee, a Sindhi Jhotani in cowboy boots.

Somehow with all the right ingredients and casting, the movie leaves a bland taste instead of a spicy tadka. The time(footage) spent on the live-in relationship per se is too small, the pregnancy comes up too early, the humour inspite of Arshad Warsi's timing is cliched, the songs except for the title track and 'My dil goes hmm' are mediocre, the emotions seem a bit forced and overall it feels like an over marketed concept movie trying hard to be cool. Yes there are some mushy scenes best enjoyed by people in love and few funny sequences, but no salaam for this attempt.