Jhootha Hi Sahi

Siddharth (Sid) runs a book store called Kagaz Ke Phool in London along with his partners – Omar (Raghu Ram) and Amit (Omar Khan). He is in a relationship with Krutika (Manasi Scott) – an air hostess. Omar lives next door to Sid with his extremely pregnant sister Aliya (Alishka Varde). Aliya is in a relationship with Nick (George Young) who is, I can only assume, a 2nd generation Japanese dude because he doesn’t show any signs of being Jap. Looks fairly European to me. But yes, he definitely has a Jap surname. Nick is apparently madly in love with Aliya and doesn’t stop short of proposing to her almost every single day – he would do it every hour if he could.


Now Sid is not really in love with Kruttika. And the rest of the gang is not really hot about her either. Omar keeps asking Sid when he is going to break up with her but Sid is in denial. Sid stammers when he is in front of beautiful women and he believes he is in love with her because he doesn’t stammer with her – and just in case your devious mind thinks that she is not beautiful – Mansi Scott is gorgeous to say the least (drool drool). Nevertheless, all of this takes a twist of fate when “Dost Help Line”- a suicide helpline for Indians in London, prints Sid’s residence number instead of their number. Sid is inundated with calls through the night. When the helpline realizes their mistake, the representative (Nandana Sen) requests Sid to keep help by taking calls and giving the actual number – a person who is about to kill oneself is definitely prepared with a pen and paper to take down a new number.

Sid is not pleased but offers to help since it is a matter of life and death. As luck would have it, that very night he receives a call from someone who is not willing to speak at all. So Sid is left holding the line through the nite – which he does painstakingly through a few coffees and large doses of National Geographic. The next morning, the caller – who has by then slept off, introduces herself as Mishka (Pakhi) and goes on to give her entire sob story of how her mother committed suicide and how her boyfriend Kabir has left her etc. etc. Now Sid, to keep her pepped up gives a whole lot of bull shit about how he has climbed Mt. Everest and worked for NASA and that life has loads to look forward to and it is not worth ending. Slowly a friendship develops between Fidatoh (that’s what Mishka calls Sid over the phone coz she doesn’t know he is Sid). Inadvertently, Fidatoh tells her about a book that is available only in one book store in London i.e. Kagaz Ke Phool. Now Sid meets Mishka and the complicated balancing of life between Sid and Fidatoh begins.

Most of the male cast tends to go overboard on the acting front. The entire female cast is quite balanced. Pleasantly surprised with Pakhi who has also written the movie it would seem. I wonder what the confusion with Friends is all about. Cant remember any episode of friends that goes this way – but then I am not a huge Friends fan anyways. Abbas Tyrewala had only one directorial venture before this which was a huge success – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. This one will not be as huge but is quite decent. Humour is a bit forced in part but good overall. Entertaining movie I say – 6 on 10.