Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai Review: A Light-Hearted Comedy About Greed That Steers Clear of Depth
DA Gadgets
When
Emily
Dickinson
wrote
“The
heart
wants
what
it
wants,”
it
hit
home
for
many
of
us.
Like
Dickinson
said,
human
desires
and
fixations
are
often
beyond
rationale
and
reasoning.
JioCinema’s
latest
original,
Jo
Tera
Hai
Wo
Mera
Hai,
is
based
on
the
same
concept.
The
film
tells
the
story
of
a
man
called
Mitesh
(Amit
Sial),
who
has
had
his
heart
set
on
Utsav,
a
gorgeous
Bungalow
in
Mumbai,
for
years.
Like
a
love-struck
teenager,
he
keeps
scrolling
through
photos
of
the
villa
on
his
phone,
daydreams
about
it,
and
doesn’t
mind
holding
up
traffic
just
to
get
a
moment
to
admire
the
villa
in
its
full
glory.
The
only
obstacle
that
stands
in
the
way
of
his
childhood
dream
house
is
Govinda
(Paresh
Rawal),
the
perpetually
cranky
owner
of
Utsav,
who
pelts
unwanted
visitors
away
and
stays
with
his
household
help
at
the
villa.
He
is
well
aware
of
the
place’s
magnetism
and
can’t
stand
the
sight
of
brokers
hovering
over
him,
waiting
for
him
to
agree
to
sell
the
place.
A
notice
outside
his
villa
reads
“Trespassers
will
be
killed”.
Govinda,
always
seen
in
a
khadi
kurta
with
his
cloudy
hair,
is
a
tough
nut
to
crack.
However,
when
Mitesh’s
obsession
takes
over,
he
decides
to
make
his
way
into
Govinda’s
tightly
wound
life.
His
idea
is
to
follow
the
old
man
around,
strategically
build
a
relationship
with
him,
win
his
trust,
and
ultimately
convince
or
con
(whatever
suits
better
at
the
moment)
him
into
giving
away
the
villa.
What
follows
next
is
a
series
of
comical
efforts
at
fulfilling
this
difficult
mission.
Mitesh
is
ready
to
go
to
any
extent
for
the
villa,
even
if
that
means
dealing
with
dangerous
criminals
or
missing
his
kid’s
birthday
party
for
it.
Being
a
man
of
vice,
who
lies
through
his
teeth,
gambles
and
cheats,
this
isn’t
exactly
a
temporary
shift
of
morals
for
him.
Sial’s
portrayal
of
Mitesh
is
impressive
and
keeps
the
mood
of
the
film
light.
From
his
expressions
and
body
language
to
his
comic
timing,
Sial
has
aced
the
role.
He
even
manages
to
bring
a
touch
of
innocence
to
Mitesh,
who
is
otherwise
a
poster
boy
of
flaws.
However,
it
was
Paresh
Rawal
who
stole
the
show
for
me.
The
veteran
actor
has
once
again
delivered
a
stellar
performance,
adding
to
his
diverse
portfolio
of
roles.
His
character’s
crankiness,
insecurities,
and
idiosyncrasies
resonate
through
the
screen.
In
a
scene,
he
gets
suspicious
of
Mitesh’s
intention
and
yet
chooses
to
ignore
it
because
of
the
undivided
attention
he
is
getting
after
ages.
Sadly,
however,
the
screenplay
gives
Rawal
and
Sial
a
very
limited
room
to
shine.
While
the
actors
made
the
most
of
what
was
given
to
them,
the
film
stops
far
short
of
utilising
them
to
their
fullest
potential.
I
would
have
loved
the
film
to
explore
Govinda’s
loneliness
and
touch
upon
his
memories
with
his
deceased
son,
who
is
constantly
spoken
of
in
the
film.
Jo
Tera
Hai
Wo
Mera
Hai
essentially
tries
to
show
the
omnipresence
of
greed
across
age,
class,
or
gender.
Even
with
its
comical
approach,
it
succeeds
in
establishing
how
greed
often
leads
to
one
digging
their
own
grave.
Almost
all
characters
in
the
movie
harbour
greed
for
something.
For
some
it’s
money
and
assets,
for
others
it
is
lust
and
companionship.
While
Jo
Tera
Hai
Woh
Mera
Hai
makes
an
honest
attempt
at
showing
the
depths
of
greed,
it
suffers
from
an
overly
simplistic
tone
that
glosses
over
the
harsher
realities
of
the
world.
Had
it
not
sugarcoated
the
portrayal
and
attempted
to
satirise
instead,
the
film
wouldn’t
have
felt
like
a
preachy,
bedtime
story
about
the
immorality
of
greed.
Raj
Trivedi’s
film
could
be
a
good
pick
for
when
you
are
looking
for
something
light-hearted
and
simplistic.
Its
lessons
in
morality
might
suit
a
younger
audience,
but
if
you
are
looking
for
something
with
a
little
more
emotional
depth,
or
even
just
all-out
laughs,
we
suggest
you
skip
this
one.
Rating:
6/10
