This is the point at which most sane people would think I had lost my marbles.
Having got up at 6.45am, I was in Ilford Cineworld, 130 miles away for the 10.20am showing of Punjabi romance.
Fortunately, I didn't have to catch my breath about whether it would have sub-titles thanks to a new Friday arrangement with Cineworld's press office.
So, thanks to Chrissy, for finding out that I would be able to understand Ravinder Peepat's movie.
Pata Nahi is a strange mix of a film. In parts soppy as a wet lettuce, in others as tough as a Klitchko brother as well as being perfectly professionally put together in most areas and yet bizarrely amateurish in others.
The story surrounds a chap called Harman (Tarun Khanna) who falls in love with a girl (Neeru Bajwa) the first time he lays eyes on her at college.
I know, I know, it's less than 24 hours since the same start in Ek Deewana Tha - do all Indian fellas fall head over heads at first sight?
Anyway, Harman has completely unrealistic designs on Simran because she is from a well to do family and his family are virtually paupers (sounding familiar).
So, aside of not being able to inveigle himself with a woman who he loves (despite never having spoken to her), he is also troubled by his father's ill health and the fact that his parents are under pressure from loan sharks.
Fortunately, his priest plays a part in changing Harman's path for the better and that is really where the movie takes off.
Khanna is engaging in the lead role - he has a smile and a way with him which reminds me of the Hindi actor Akshay Kumar - the sort of fella it's impossible not to like.
Meanwhile, Bajwa is equally appealing so, despite the film bumping along as a typical Indian romance, I was happy enough.
And then came a couple of twists which completely changed its direction and added a realism which is so often missing from boy-meets-girl movies.
I know there probably aren't a lot of my followers who will see this movie but I will still resist giving away what happens but, suffice to say, it put the film in a completely different quality bracket.
What a shame then that the production values vary so much within the same film.
For example, singer Sukhbir has a small part but when he speaks it sounds as if his words have been re-recorded on a 1980s cassette player, his words are so muffled.
Indeed, those quirky moments were summed up when just under halfway through the movie, it lost its horizontal hold, like TVs used to in the 1970s and the sub-titles then went out of synch for five minutes.
his didn't distract too much, though, and in the end I came away appreciating Pata Nahi in a way I had not expected.
Is it autobiographical? I'd like to know. The producer and screenwriter was a chap called...Harman.
Laughs: a couple of chuckles
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6.5/10
0 Comments