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'Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota' is the directorial debut of actor Naseerudin Shah. Shah is a brilliant actor and this time he has proven beyond doubt from his directorial debut that he is a brilliant director too. As a debutant director he has indeed done a wonderful job! This film is also a launch pad of Naseerudin Shah's son, Immamuddin Shah. 'YHTKH' has been shot on a shoestring budget, and it's a no frills film.

Shot only in Mumbai and New York the film has a very urban feel to it. The film follows parallel narrative structure, which is not very common in Bollywood though. Naseerudin Shah has put in a lot of effort in the technical aspects of the film and also in clearly defining his characters.

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Every character in the film is moving along a clearly defined path. The only negative point of the film is that the director has tried to say a lot of things through his characters and the journey they have undertaken during the course of the film, but he has not been successful in getting the point across. At times we feel that the director is deviating from the basic theme.

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The film has four parallel stories that converse in the end. There is Tilottima Punj played by Konkona Sen Sharma, who marries her internet love Hemant played by Jimmy Shergill. After the wedding Hemant returns to his job in the US, while Tilottima is stuck in a dysfunctional family and is desperate to reach Hemant. Then there is Salim (Irffan Khan), who is a stock broker on the run.

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He is a stockbroker by profession but a poet at heart. He is in love with a lady much older his age. The third protagonist is Rajubhai (Paresh Rawal) who runs a racket of illegal immigrants. His old memories revive when his ladylove returns after a decade to convince Rajubhai to send her daughter to the US. The last story is about this boy Rahul Bhide played by Ankur Khanna who gets admission in a US university but cannot leave India because of his ailing father.

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There are several other characters who might not have a big role in the film but have given a brilliant performance. Bomin Irani is at his acting best but the biggest surprise is the performance of choreographer Saroj Khan. She has given a new dimension to her role as Irffan Khan's mother. Shah junior's performance is also worth noticing.

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He plays the role of Ankur's friend who is a medical student interested in music and a nationalist at heart. He has a very miniscule role in the film but his performance isn't miniscule. He has a long way to go before we can even start to think of comparing him to his father. The initial glimpses of Shah Jr are promising let's see if he can carry it forward.

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The music of the film is a drawback as there are not many songs in the film, and the album has other tracks including Tu (Mumbai Matinee). The background score is very apt and somehow adds to the narrative. The music is very situational and adds to the whole experience.

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Anyway, this is a good film to watch. Naseerudin Shah has proven himself not only to be an able actor but also an able and a sensitive director. There are power-packed performances by Konkona Sen Sharma, Irrfan Khan and Paresh Rawal. The film brings out a variety of human emotions. It is a good film to watch if you are tired of watching typical Bollywood song and dance movies.