What the film does, instead, is showcase Lara Dutta's gamine charms, the undeniable beauty of the Jaisalmer desert, pleasant song picturisations, and the appeal of what seems to be a 29inch BPL television set.
Director Apoorva Lakhia's debut film could have been good. It should have been good, given his qualifications. He opted out of a filmmaking course at New York University to assist Monsoon Wedding director Mira Nair while she was making The Perez Family. He then assisted Oscar-winning director Ang Lee on The Ice Storm and Andrew Davis on The Perfect Murder.
Thereafter he moved to India and worked as Ashutosh Gowariker's assistant on Lagaan, which made it to the Oscars 2002 Best Movie shortlist.
Instead, his debut film will most probably be given the go-by as Bollywood buffs look for more interesting options.
Look out for the complete review of Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost on rediff.com in a few hours.
