Bhatt naturally

[sajid]

With a controversial subject, the customary kiss and great music, this film doesn't stray far from the Emraan Hashmi formula.

Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are back with another controversial cinematic tale, Jannat, starring their blue-eyed boy Emraan Hashmi and debutant Sonal Chauhan. This time the Bhatt brothers have taken on the subject of illegal match-fixing and tainted cricketers. This issue has been the subject of much discussion in the world of cricket ever since Hansie Cronje, the former South African cricketer, admitted to match-fixing. It resurfaced during the World Cup last year when Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room.

Real-life inspiration

The film is inspired by Fallen Heroes, the book version of the investigation into cricket match-fixing conducted by the Indian website www.tehelka.com. Former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar had raised the subject of match fixing while meeting cricket players and officials with a hidden camera. The Bhatts used plenty of this 'inside information' while making Jannat to give the film an authentic feel. Once again the Bhatts have introduced a young new director, Kunal Deshmukh, and he seems to have no qualms about making his debut with such a murky subject. "I believe there are bad or unwanted elements in every field, whether it's politics, business or the judiciary. There are cricketers who do a number of illegal activities for personal gain and this is something my film seeks to highlight," says Deshmukh. The film supposedly has characters with uncanny resemblances to Woolmer and a few real cricketers.

Serial kisser returns

Awarappan was the Bhatts' previous outing with Emraan Hashmi. Though the film was critically acclaimed and hailed as Hashmi's best performance, it failed to work at the box office. Jannat is expected to provide a much-need boost to Hashmi's career. "I am confident Jannat will be able to build on the image that I acquired after Awarappan. My character has an amazing graph and I'm very happy with the way my role has shaped up," says Hashmi. One thing common to all his films is a passionate kiss, so is this one any different? "Well, I was literally forced to kiss Sonal in the film. That aside, I think she is a talented young actress with a bright future," he says.

Chart-topping music

Besides kisses, Hashmi's films are also synonymous with great music. Last year Awarappan and The Train had Toh Phir Aao and Woh Ajnabee respectively, which scorched the music charts despite the films' dismal performances at the box office. With Jannat, Hashmi has another musical chartbuster to his credit. "I am excited about Jannat's music, which is already a craze, especially Lambhi Judaai, which is my personal favourite," says Hashmi. The Zara Sa track has caught on big time with music lovers.