Movie review: Purani Jeans will remind you of old friends

While the plot of the film is as old as the jeans of our young characters, it is the treatment of the film, the sub-plots and the character artists that make it worth watching.

Written and directed by debutante Tanushri Chattrji Bassu, Purani Jeans is an old wine in a new bottle that gets better as the movie progresses. The climax especially brings an unexpected twist, which helps wrap up the film seamlessly.

A-still-from-the-film-Purani-Jeans

The film is bit painful in the beginning as the main protagonist Sid (Tanuj Virwani) goes on a nostalgia trip after his mother's (Rati Agnihotri) death, recalling his good ol' college days. The bromance of the Kasauli cowboys (played by Tanuj Virwani, Aditya Seal, Param Baidwaan, Raghav Raj Kakker, Kashyap Kapoor) will remind some of you, of old college buddies. The only hitch is the Friends Forever quotes which will bore you no end.



Sam (Aditya) is the only guy in the gang who's studying in the US, but wants to be a rockstar. Rest of them emulate him, as he sets rules of friendship. Sample this - a friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself. He wants Sid (Tanuj) to write songs for him but he's more interested in his MBA from USA. All's well till the best buddies fall for the same girl Nayantara (Isabelle Leite).



While the plot of the film is as old as the jeans of our young characters, it is the treatment of the film, the sub-plots and the character artists that make it worth watching.

Interestingly more than the real life mother-son relationship of Rati Agnihotri and Tanuj Virwani, it is the bond between Rati and Sam which is more endearing. Rati even tells her son not to hurt the feelings of his best friend Sam.



Aditya Seal, who played the love interest of Manisha Koirala (as a teenager) in Ek Chhoti Si Love Story steals the show from the film's main protagonist, as he handles the emotional, tragic and romantic moments with equal ease. Tanuj Virwani has an ordinary screen presence and he struggles to act.



Isabelle Leite lights up the screen with her presence. She does justice to her character, but her range as an actor is yet to be explored.



We cannot compare the young cast with veterans like Sarika (Sam's mom), Rati Agnihotri and Rajit Kapur (Sam's step father), but they certainly lend depth to the film.



In all, Purani Jeans might be a one-time watch for some college friends who are planning to be friends forever. Got the drift?