It was Iqbal that got Nagesh Kukunoor noticed though he did quality work prior to it like 3 Deewarein and Hyderabad Blues. In between Nagesh made Tasveer which was a disaster Aashayein was stuck for 2 years and released in 2010, The film may have released just after No Smoking(2007) when John was trying experimental stuff. In the film again John plays a chain smoker who gets lung cancer Though the hospital shown is hardly authentic but yet the moments he shares with Anaitha Nair are warm and welcoming, however the put off is the Indiana Jones chapter, Donno why Nagesh chose to focus so much on it? Otherwise the film is well made though it went unnoticed.Direction by Kukunoor is fab though the writing could be better Music is okayJohn Abraham often known as a one dimensional actor however he has proved earlier in No Smoking and several films that he has lot of untapped talent, here he takes full advantage and delivers a fantastic performance, he also lost weight(16 kilos) and it shows Sonal Sehgal is good, Anaitha Nair is perfect and simply mindblowing Farida Jalal is good, Girish Karnad after Iqbal is fab, rest are decentFor trivia buffs, There is also a reference to Hyderabad Blues, A band is shown with that name.

Aashayein and ExpectationsIt's a movie where reality meets fantasy. Nagesh Kukunoor have always dealt real issues in a very subtle ways and showcased us the true beauty behind the camera. Be it Dor, Iqbal or Hyderabad Blues' the story lines were greatly woven with camera-work and screenplay. Aashayein lacked in story and screenplays. But kukunoor knows how to extract the performances from the casts.The moment the protagonist wears the cowboy's hat of Harrison Ford and lands into Ark full of Ghosts, the story looked childish. Before this turn, the first half is worth watching and it was touching the nerves. Soon the contact with emotional aspect got lost and a thrill ride happened. The entire human aspect of the movie lost its meaning.The Movie opened with a very great camera and a real betting zone where one easily win some 3 crore Rupees. Another marvelous moment followed with a small party and a proposal. The Director didn't spend much time telling you the dilemma the movie is going to deal. After all you need money to die too...Enter Hospice, where the death is not serious and looked like a filmi- set. Sonal Sehgal looked efficiently beautiful. Nagesh was sure that this girl does not need a makeup to be more beautiful. Her performances were carried well. Anita Nair as an obnoxious kid was brilliant with a Wiggy effect. The last wish was something one could die for. She got some good lines along with Girish Karnad. This Chak de girl was brilliant than the famous self. The only weak character was of Farida Jalal, whose role and acting didn't do any justice with an HIV infected person, she was eating well and shown well without any hint of AIDS. John was chosen because of the innocence and carrying beard. However his cigarettes and holding ashes over them looked quite amateurish. Abraham did his bit with an effort; he was good in eating mangoes and impersonating Ford. The small child avatar with big eyes and hanging teeth was amazing and a beautiful story teller.Like always, this movie had a happy ending. A low budget film with promises not delivered as it should be. There was not a single scene stealer in this movie where one needs to hold back his tears. There was even a tribute to Hrishikesh mukherjee.The beach song was unnecessary and worst among the lot. Salim-Suleiman music was catapulted to touch emotional strings.Kukunoor need to stick to his blue satire and the realistic movies where we don't see any fantasies.No need to take it to the Heart.

As far as the story plot is concerned, AASHAYEIN may not have anything new to say to the viewers. But talking about its fresh treatment, the movie does have few worth mentioning merits in its kitty which rightly differentiate it from all the previous ones made around this particular subject.If we look back, then all the films revolving around a dying person made by many famous directors in the past, have two things in common. Firstly it's the fun element incorporated in them which lightens the mood of the viewer throughout the film, till it reaches its climax. Before coming to the concluding moments every such venture first makes you smile with few hilarious or enjoyable moments and then leads you towards the end, talking about the ultimate death of the hero. Secondly, all those movies have never been too verbal on the subject of death. If you can recall, their characters always talk about the most certain truth in a very subtle way without any strong offensive or direct dialogues in a sheer poetic kind of mood.AASHAYEIN breaks all these preset modes of the subject and takes you into a more bitter, hard hitting and truthful kind of arena where every character clearly knows that he has to die in few months and they don't feel shy or uncomfortable talking about it freely with each other. All the key characters of the script live under one roof, getting their decent daily life facilities while waiting for their final moments to arrive any time. And it's the interaction between these different dying people in the film, which transforms it into a worth watching venture, dissimilar to anything you have seen before.Especially the sequences between John Abraham and Anaitha Nair, which are beautifully written and superbly enacted by the talented duo. The verbal expressions of Anaitha when she talks about her experiences within and outside the help-house are simply a treat to watch. In fact, death has never been expressed so freely on Indian screen before as done by Anaitha in AASHAYEIN. In short she gives the most explosive performance of the movie which deserves to be seen as a must.Apart from John-Anaitha's brilliant on-screen chemistry, the movie has some highly enlightening scenes featuring Farida Jalal, Girish Karnad, Sonal Sehgal and a charming child actor Ashwin Chitale. Here I would like to mention a dialogue which has never been used before in a movie on the same theme, where in Sonal explains her trauma to John saying, "Your pain gets over within few days when you would be gone, but what about us, the people you will leave behind. How are we suppose to live with this pain all our life?" Indeed a well written thought put in by the writers.John Abraham being the central character surprises you with an honest and heartfelt performance. After the few initial moments, you just forget about his killing looks and star status and start believing in his pain as he easily establishes an emotional relationship with the viewers. Undoubtedly he delivers a performance he can always feel proud of. Other than the main lead, Nagesh extracts some great performances from his entire supporting cast (including himself in a cameo) and with this; he once again proves his mastery over the medium when it comes to emotional and sensitive subjects.Salim Suleiman's music works as you are watching the movie, but the song featuring Shreyas Talpade as the rock band leader remains the one in your mind while walking out of the theater. And Shreyas is also equally good performing it on the screen. Another merit of the movie remains its Cinematography which captures both the indoors and the outdoors fantastically. Now let's talk about the main avoidable glitch in the movie which serves as a big unwanted interruption in its otherwise smooth progression. Here I am referring to all those sequences in the film wherein John imagines himself as Indiana Jones leading to some strange dream sequences inside a cave where there are many white faced ghosts tied in thick chains. The relationship of the dream with the reality was fine but why it was used in such a length was quite weird and out of my understanding as it hampered the overall impact of the film on its audience.Along with this big mistake, Nagesh also uses another half baked and unexplained character in his script who gets no justification of any sort right till the end. This refers to the character of a small child who is shown to have some magical healing powers in his body. Now whether he really had some powers…., if yes then how did he actually benefit John with his powers in the end remains a mystery.So, in all AASHAYEIN could have been a much better and highly appreciated movie in absence of The Indiana Jones character in its script. It certainly has its own highly commendable moments to watch and learn from. But minus all those dream sequences it surely would have impressed a lot more people in the theaters as well as in the industry. Still it didn't deserve to be canned for more than a year for whatsoever reasons. Regarding its box office prospects, the chances are not so bright as today's busy generation is simply not interested in seeing a movie revolving around the theme of Death, unless there is a Shahrukh, Aamir, Salman or Hrithik dying on the screen. But I would really like to recommend it to my readers, for the effortless performance put in by Anaitha Nair and its few not to be missed enlightening moments, capable of teaching some new lessons of life to all of us.

Well, the last two flicks of Nagesh were a gross disappointment. But, not this time. He has come back to his forte, that of, sensitive and touching cinema. John has given his best till date and the seventeen year old Anitha was outstanding.The story revolves the last few days of a lung cancer patient. The way he deals with his pain, his isolation and paradox of life. In this process he discovers that he needs a purpose in life which is shown by a child who resembles a monk. Slowly he discovers, instead of gloating and wasting life, he devotes himself for the happiness of others. There are frequent references to Karma and the hidden messages are nicely conveyed through this film. He uses his surplus of funds for the fulfillment of desires of his friends and thus kind of liberating them. The parallel story of Indiana Jones is well woven and strikes a parallel to the needs of the protagonist.The films ends on a positive note and the protagonist still seeking a new adventure.The music is outstanding with the same team as that of Dor. It Blends very well with the situations and embellishes the movies further.All in All ! Nagesh is Back ! Looking for further great movies from him.