So I finally saw this film on Monday, and I must say, I was quite impressed.

A step away from the cartoony-antics of your average Bollywood blockbuster, where they try to cram too much into 3 hours, this one was quite leisurely in its pacing and story, and that’s what makes it one of the strongest Bollywood films of the year.

We’re introduced to Aditya. He is young, handsome and rich, but he feels anything but. His father has died, leaving behind a failing company, his mother is distanced and his fiance has left him.

Getting on-board a train, he decides to attempt suicide. But then he meets Geet – a fanatical, eccentric Punjabi girl, with a lot to say. She saves him, without realising. After a minor calamity involving missed-trains, they end up on a road trip to Punjab, where they’re introduced to a whole host of chaos.

The film is written/directed by Imtiaz Ali, who manages to nail down emotion perfectly, thanks to his amazing leads. Shahid Kapoor proves he can lead a film on his own, and his performance is solemn, moody and realistic. Aditya isn’t in-human, he’s just searching for his soul – Shahid could have very easily over-played this, but he gets it right.

Kareena Kapoor is amazing as Geet. She gets the bubbly personality just right, and there’s not much left to say except she’s perhaps the most talented mainstream young-star in Bollywood. Great show!

The story is simple, and it works well because of it. There is no ridiculous plot twist or silly moments, it really is a romance story. But in being simple, and “small,” there isn’t much in the form of lavish sets or big musical numbers. But I’m sure Om Shanti Om has enough to fill in the void.

After Chak De!, this is further proof Bollywood is coming up strong. Let’s hope Aaja Nachle is just as good!