The sweet factor

If ever there were a film that screamed happy and feel-good from the first frame till the last, Tujhe Meri Kasam would be it.

Anju and Rishi are best friends. They study in the same college, their fathers are best friends, their houses are opposite each other and they were born in the same hospital on the same day. The two are inseparable but not in love (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?). As Rishi says, ‘two guys cannot be in love,' referring to Anju as his buddy.

Comes a day when Anju has to go to Bangalore for a week for a college festival. That week without Anju makes Rishi realise he loves her. He refrains from revealing his feelings to her for fear that he may lose his best friend.

Meanwhile, Akash, who is part of the team that goes to Bangalore, proposes to Anju. She accepts, after consulting best buddy Rishi.

If you know your Barjatya, Johar and Chopra, you know what happens next.

The film, its makers urge, is not a love story. Various billboards around Mumbai have proclaimed, ‘We're Friends'; 'To young hearts everything is but fun'; 'Friends who laugh together but stay together'; 'They fight, they play and that's the way they are meant to stay', for more than a month now.

What it is is a fun-filled film tailormade for college-going audiences.

Lead actor Ritesh Deshmukh gave up a career in  architecture to join films. He recently said, 'I am doing this film for me; not for the audience.' I would wager very few in the audience will say they watched the film for Ritesh or will watch it again for him. He has a long way to go if he wants to pursue a career in films or wants to be taken seriously as an actor. The same goes for newcomer Genelia D'Souza.

Anuradha Patel as Anju's mother is a pleasant surprise. Sushma Seth is funny as Akash's loud Punjabi grandmother. Supriya Pilgaonkar as Saraswatibai the maid is funny too, but goes overboard at times. Satish Shah, Shakti Kapoor, Vijayendra Ghatge, Asrani and Tikku Talsania all give their best.

Director K Vijaya Bhaskar's Tujhe Meri Kasam is an honest effort. I overheard someone say ‘sweet film' to her companion on the way out of the theatre.

If you are forced to watch this film, like I was, I can tell you you won't come out fuming!