Hastey Hastey, aptly titled, is another comedy to tickle your funny bone. Unfortunately, it really doesn't.
Directed by Ramanjit Juneja, Hastey Hastey stars Jimmy Shergill, newcomer Nisha Rawal (known for her appearance in Sonu Nigam's Chanda Ki Doli music video) and Rajpal Yadav.
The film, based in Manhattan, is about a young man, Neel Singh (Shergill), who is fresh out of college. He is ready to make a life with his girlfriend, Maya (Rawal), even though her dad disapproves. Still, it is smooth sailing for the young couple until Neel gets a tempting job offer.
The job takes him to India, away from Maya, and into the clutches of Tanvi (Monishka). Tanvi does her best to seduce Neel but he rejects her. Tanvi swears revenge and plots to ruin Neel's life.
Going by the film's title and the promos, one expects a romantic comedy. Though there is some romance in the first half, there is very little comedy. Even the comedic situations -- some straight out of Kal Ho Naa Ho -- fail to make you laugh. In the second half, comedy is almost non-existent.
The cinematography, however, is good. Many of the scenes and songs are shot at breath taking locations
After his superb performance in Strangers, Shergill disappoints. In fact, he looks bored throughout.
Rawal does well as a cute college girl but she falls flat in emotional scenes.
Monishka's vamp role seems like a filler to extend the film's length. But she does well; she seemed very comfortable in her role and in her skimpy outfits.
Rajpal Yadav puts off quite a few roles here -- he plays a young college student, Sunny. Then, he doubles up as Sunny's dad and uncle. With his generous screen time, he could have stolen the show from Shergill. But his over-the-top performance doesn't work. His fake American accent annoys.
Anu Malik's music is average, and there are too many songs.
The fault lies more in the script, than in the patchy direction. Some of the dialogues are ridiculous too. Give this film a miss.
Rediff Rating: 
