Dear Jassi

Essentially an Indian Romeo and Juliet (a comparison that the film explicitly makes), this was a mostly decent if blatantly overlong film from Tarsem Singh (billed here as Tarsem Singh Dhandwar. Odd that the man has gone from being credited as just Tarsem, to Tarsem Singh, and now Tarsem Singh Dhandwar. How long until he adds a fourth name?). Say what you will about Singh’s filmography, but the man absolutely knows how to make a movie look good, and that’s definitely the case here — though the style is a bit lower-key than some of his previous films, the movie is always engaging on a visual level. His ability to tell a story worth caring about, on the other hand… The central couple spend so much of the running time apart, particularly in its first half, that it’s hard to particularly root for their half-baked relationship. You’d think the epic 134 minute running time would give the movie time to really deepen its characters, but that’s not how things work out — mostly, it just feels flabby. Still, it definitely has its moments, and it’s hard to deny that the final stretch packs a wallop.

**1/2 out of ****