As already announced, Yash Chopra's next directorial venture stars the king of romance, Shahrukh Khan. As Yashji put it earlier, "Everyone knows that when I make a movie, Shahrukh will be involved with it. He is like family to YRF and I have always regarded him as one of my own."

However, after days of media conjecturing, we are happy to confirm that the two ladies, who will also be a part of this project, are Katrina Kaif, who will be playing a role opposite Shahrukh for the very first time, and Anushka Sharma, who was launched in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", alongside Shahrukh.

Orchestrated by Yash Chopra, this untitled movie will mark the coming together yet again of the award winning duo of the music maestro A. R. Rahman and the poet & lyricist, Gulzar.

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There is a reality, as we know it, our mundane daily lives peppered with some joys. There is good cinema with its play on the reality as we know it. And we accept those stories, as unique commentaries on the state of our lives.

And then there is an alternate reality of Bollywood, where couples fall in love, with loud souring soundtracks in foreign locations, but fate keeps them apart and they make unreasonable promises and sacrifices to save their loved ones. The late Yash Chopra excelled in presenting us with that unreal reality, where human beings were principled people, essentially good souls, and for them love was everything. And they would give up all for that love, make sacrifices that made the audience tear up.

Chopra's swan song Jab Tak Hai Jaan plays in that arena, even though it is a relatively weak example of that alternate reality. But all his romantic musicals - films like Daag, Kabhi Kabhie, Chandini and Veer Zaara suffered with that same liberal dose of optimism, a reflection of unreal life, made to look appealing by good looking actors, songs, and a lot of tears and melodrama.

Plot

Akira (Anushka Sharma) is a spunky student out for a project in Ladakh when she chances upon the story of Indian army’s bomb disposal officer Samar (Shah Rukh Khan) and decides to make a documentary on him: The Man Who Cannot Die.

The story goes into flashback mode as we learn about Samar’s lost love. A hard working chap in London, Samar worked a couple of jobs to make ends meet but always looked at the brighter side of things. A chance meeting with the rich heiress Meera (Katrina Kaif) changes both their lives. While Meera wants Punjabi singing lessons from him, Samar barters it for English lessons from her. Soon, the two fall in love, though Meera is betrothed to someone else.

On the other side of the timeline, Samar is now a bitter, reticent army officer who doesn’t even bother with a bomb suit while defusing explosives. Akira finds herself increasingly drawn to Samar and even he thaws a bit.

But why did Samar and Meera part ways? Will they meet again? And does Akira have a chance with Samar?

Performances

Katrina looks pretty and rocks a dance number with her sexy moves. If only someone would give her acting lessons! Anushka plays the same girl she has played in all her previous films — bindaas, chirpy and over-the-top. Why can’t filmmakers give this talented actor a hatke role to play? Anyone listening?

JTHJ is essentially Khan's film.  Freed of the burden of wanting to be video game character or an international gangster, Chopra allows him to be just Shah Rukh Khan, the regular movie star who still has the magic in him. He is charming and mischievous, displaying his dimples with each smile. And he is even more watchable when he is bitter and heartbroken.

There are age issues, where the film first makes Khan appear to be in his mid-20s and then in his late 30s. But in the second half of the film the 47-year-old actor carries his age very well. With his stubble, aviator glasses, leather jacket, and motorcycle, Khan struts around with uber confidence.

Overall

Watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan for Shah Rukh, who can still convey love and passion in a fleeting look or a dimpled smile; and for Yash Chopra who gave us some of the most enduring romances of all times.

The soundtrack of Jab Tak Hai Jaan begins with Challa, a song that has elicited a wide range of reactions ever since its video released on YouTube two weeks ago. Keeping aside the jarring visuals of Shah Rukh Khan clumsily strumming the guitar, the song — a simplistic acoustic rock track — doesn’t disappoint. It may not come across as a typical, grand AR Rahman production, but singer Rabbi nails it with his distinctive vocals.

Saans doesn’t belong to this era at all. Save for the grand orchestral instrumentation, the tardy love ballad, which still seems to be stuck in the ’90s, doesn’t hold its own. Shreya Ghoshal’s extreme lilts on ‘saans mein teri..saaaaaans mili toh’ and the obsolete dafli might get under the skin of even the most patient listeners.

Thankfully, Saans (reprise) doesn’t torture as much; the two-minute number features minimal instrumentation (the dafli remains though). Ishq Shava, sung by Canadian pop singer Raghav with Shilpa Rao, has fine percussions, Middle-Eastern style. Singer Harshdeep Kaur’s voice befits Heer, a melancholic Punjabi ballad. Rahman experiments beautifully in Jiya Re, a song where singer Neeti Mohan makes her debut. The chorus cascades to a crescendo-like build-up, making the song one of the most memorable ones in the album.

The title track Jab Tak Hai Jaan could have been more hummable. Sung by Javed Ali and Shakthisree Gopalan, it alternates between a dreamy verse and an upbeat chorus. Those with a thing for percussions will enjoy Ishq dance a catchy instrumental track. The soundtrack concludes with a sparse track featuring SRK reciting Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the poem.