Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shaad Ali
Written by	Habib Faisal
Story by	Shaad Ali
Produced by	Aditya Chopra
Starring	Abhishek Bachchan Preity Zinta Bobby Deol Lara Dutta
Cinematography	Ayananka Bose
Edited by	Ritesh Soni
Music by	Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd
Release date	15 June 2007 (2007-06-15)
Running time	132 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹27 crore
Box office	₹51.08 crore[2]

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (transl. Keep On Dancing)^[3] is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic comedy film directed by Shaad Ali and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. Based on a story by Ali and a screenplay by Habib Faisal, the film stars an ensemble cast of Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, and Lara Dutta in lead roles, with Amitabh Bachchan in a special appearance.^[4]

Set in London, the film revolves around two strangers who meet at a train station and concoct elaborate stories about their respective partners, leading to a tangled web of romance and misunderstandings.

Released on June 15, 2007, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its soundtrack, costumes, and cinematography, but criticism for its screenplay and performances of the cast. The film emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹38.4 crore (about $9.3 million) worldwide on a production budget of approximately ₹27 crore (about $6.6 million).

The film opens with a mysterious Romani-like musician, leading a vibrant crowd at London's Waterloo station, dancing to the film's title track.

At the station, two strangers, Rakesh "Rikki" Thakkral and Alvira Khan, await the arrival of their respective fiancés on the same train. Rikki, a free-spirited Punjabi from Bathinda, now living in Southall, and Alvira, an upper-class Pakistani from Lahore, more culturally assimilated into British life, begin conversing to pass the time.

Rikki narrates how he met his fiancé, Anaida Raza, at the Hôtel Ritz Paris on the same fateful night that Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed left the hotel for their last journey. He romantically declares that "when two lovers die, another two are born," explaining his instant love for Anaida. Alvira, meanwhile, shares her story about meeting her fiancé, a dashing lawyer named Steve Singh, at Madame Tussauds, where he saved her from a falling Superman wax figure. The incident supposedly led to a substantial lawsuit win, leaving Alvira infatuated with Steve.

As the conversation unfolds, Rikki and Alvira grow fond of each other, setting aside their different backgrounds. They part ways after exchanging contact details, believing their love is unrequited.

However, it is later revealed that Rikki is actually at the station to meet his business partner, while Alvira is waiting for her relatives. Both realize they have fallen for each other but assume the love is unreciprocated.

In an attempt to reconnect, Alvira makes a fake call to Rikki, which leads them to a meeting at a dance competition. To maintain their ruse, Rikki hires Laila, a prostitute, to pose as his fiancée, while Alvira blackmails her coworker, Satvinder, into pretending to be hers. The four meet at the disco, exchanging barbs and competing on the dance floor. Rikki and Laila win the contest, prompting Alvira to leave in tears.

Later, Satvinder visits Rikki and reveals that he has genuinely fallen for Laila and that Alvira is not engaged to him. Realizing the truth, Rikki rushes to Alvira, and after a brief misunderstanding, they confess their love and begin dating, while Satvinder and Laila head to Hollywood.

The film concludes with the enigmatic gypsy musician revealing that Rikki and Alvira invented stories about their fictitious lovers, inspired by Alvira's newspaper and Rikki's comic book.

• Abhishek Bachchan as Rakesh "Rikki" Thakral
• Preity Zinta as Alvira Khan
• Bobby Deol as Satvinder "Steve" Singh
• Lara Dutta as Anaida Raza / Laila
• Amitabh Bachchan as a man singing at the train station (special appearance)
• Piyush Mishra as Hafeez Huffy Bhai
• Ameet Chana as Shahriyar
• Meera Syal as Satvinder's mother
• Sanjeev Bhaskar as Shopkeeper
• Sagar Arya as Neil
• Sudhir as Contest Co-announcer

Pre-production for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom began in 2005, while director Shaad Ali was working on the crime comedy film Bunty Aur Babli (2005). Initially titled Sangam Mein, the casting process saw Abhishek Bachchan as the first actor confirmed for the film.^[5] Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra were both approached for the role of Anaida Raza, while John Abraham was considered for the role of Steve Singh.^[6][7] However, after their refusal, Lara Dutta and Bobby Deol were finalized for the respective roles. Amitabh Bachchan also joined the film in a special appearance.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom marked the first time that Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta were romantically paired opposite each other, but it was their second collaboration after Karan Johar's ensemble musical romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006).

The film also marked the first collaboration of Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol, whose fathers (Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra) famously co-starred in Sholay (1975). It also features a scooter scene as a nod to the iconic scooter sequence from Sholay, only this time Deol is driving and Bachchan is in the passenger seat.^[8]

It also reunited Deol and Zinta, who had earlier worked together in the action thriller Soldier (1998), as well as Bachchan and Dutta, who had appeared together in the dram Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost (2003). The film also marked the first and only collaboration between Zinta and Dutta.

Filming began in the second half of 2006, with major portions shot in London, including significant scenes at London Waterloo station and a schedule in Paris, France.^[9] Some scenes were also filmed in Agra, near the Taj Mahal. The choreography was handled by Vaibhavi Merchant.^[10] The film features locations such as Green Lanes and Harringay in North London.

Some filming took place at Stamford Bridge, the home stadium of Chelsea F.C., with rumors circulating that the football team would be part of the film. However, this scene was ultimately cut from the final version of the film.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom's teaser trailer was released along with Ta Ra Rum Pum, which released on 27 April 2007.^[11]

This is the third directorial venture of Shaad Ali, and second with Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, after the crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli (2005). The album has a dhol-oriented sound. Santoor, sarangi and flute were used for the melody "Bol Na Halke Halke" and Mahalakshmi Iyer has sung in a lower key. "Ticket to Hollywood" has a hip hop feel to it, while "Kiss of Love" is a zingy and rambunctious. "JBJ" is the techno song during the climax scenes of the movie, which is picturized on Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. "Jhoom Jam" is the only instrumental in the album, which as title suggests, is the 'jam of the instrumental version of all track of the album.^[12][13]

The soundtrack of the film was released on 15 May 2007 by Yash Raj Music in various formats including music cassette, MP3 files, audio CD, and the DVD-Audio, CD.

All lyrics were written by Gulzar.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Bollywood Hungama	[14]
Planet Bollywood	[15]
Business of Cinema	[16]

The soundtrack garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama said, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is an album that has chartbuster written on it in bold letters. There are some albums that take time to register with music lovers. There are some that require the strong word of mouth to carry them forward. There are some which are destined to be popular in the very first listening. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom of course belongs to the last category.^[14] Sukanya Verma of Rediff described the album as high on melody, entertainment and attitude.^[17] Gianysh Toolsee of Planet Bollywood in his review, stated, "S-E-L successfully manage to hit the bull's eye with their proper use of zingy sounds, effective arrangements, lively tunes, rhythmic variations and groovy beats."^[15] "S-E-L, the most prolific composers of last year maintains their golden streak of success with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom", said the GlamSham review. Sanjay Ram of Businessofcinema.com stated that the album is positively a must-buy.^[16]

The album featured in the list of "Top 10 Soundtracks of 2007" by Bollywood Hungama^[18] and Rediff.^[19]

The music for the film entered the charts at #6^[20] and in its second week climbed to #5.^[21] By the first week of July, the album topped the music charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.^[22] Despite the poor response to the film, the music received high acclaim.^[23] On the week beginning 23 July, the album was placed at #3.^[24] On the week beginning 17 September, the soundtrack dropped to #10.^[25] According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 1,700,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's fourth highest-selling.^[26]

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom released on 15 June 2007.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.30/10.^[27] Jhoom Barabar Jhoom received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its soundtrack, costumes, and cinematography, but criticism for its screenplay and performances of the cast.^[28]

Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times rated the film 2/5 and felt "With so much hair-and-there going on, the film could have very well be titled Jhoom Barber Jhoom."^[29] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "If only Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was more than a lavishly produced concert."^[30] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 1.5 out of 5 and wrote "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is no patch on Yash Raj's illustrious films. The film is all gloss, no substance. Body beautiful, minus soul."^[31]

The film grossed ₹37.88 crore (US$4.5 million) in India and ₹13.2 crore (US$1.6 million) overseas, for a worldwide total of ₹51.08 crore (US$6.1 million).^[2]

• List of films set in London

• Official website
• Jhoom Barabar Jhoom at IMDb