MUMBAI: Zindagi Tere Naam, almost a decade old film, has finally been released. Its release just helps close the chapter and forget about it since even if it is a 10-year-old project, it is at least 30 year-old in its story and treatment.

Producer: Shree Sai Pictures. Director: Ashuu Trikha. Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Ranjeeta, Aseem Ali Khan, Priyanka Mehta, Dalip Tahil, Supriya Karnik, Ashish Sharma, Sharat Saxena.

Zindagi Na MIlegi Dobara tells you the story of passionate romance between a young girl from Chandigarh on a holiday at the picturesque Dalhousie and a local lad who, along with his father, Sharat Saxena, cuts trees from nearby woods and makes violins. Their love blooms till the usual hurdle in the form of her rich father, Dalip Tahil, and a stiff upper lip, society conscious mother, Supriya Karnik, find out about it.

The girl, Priyanka Mehta, is instantly whisked away to Chandigarh and away from the boy, Aseem Ali Khan. Attempts to communicate are foiled which makes Mehta conclude that Ali has forgotten her; she is ready to close his chapter, marry and move on. However, her wish to meet Ali once before tying the knot clears her misgivings and rekindles her feelings for him.

This is the story being read out to Ranjeeta by Mithun Chakraborty; it turns out that this is really the story of Mithun Chakrabporty and Ranjeeta, their own youth and romance but Ranjeeta suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and remembers things only in momentous flashes. Reading out the story is Mithun’s attempts at reviving her memory. The theme is similar to Ajay Devgn- Kajol starrer U Me Aur Hum (2008).

The love story as well as director Ashuu Trikha’s treatment is old-fashioned; the two new faces, Priyanka Mehta and Aseen Ali, with no supporting cast as such are taxing on the viewer. Priyanka Mehta is not a heroine material, lacking on all fronts while Aseem Ali is just passable. Mithun Chakrabory is effective while Ranjeeta, Dalip Tahil and Supriya Karnik fill the bill. Sharat Saxena is good as usual. Cinematography is eye-pleasing. Editing is slack. Musically the film does have a couple of good numbers.

Chaurahen tells three stories of people at the crossroads of their life. The stories alternate between each other in three cities, Mumbai, Kolkata and Koch: One of Soha Ali Khan and Ankur Khanna, the other about Victor Bannerjee- Roopa Ganguly- Kiera Chaplin and the third one of Karthik Kumar.

The stories are more a personal kind with no identification to be found by those watching cinema for entertainment. There is nothing positive about these stories as all three have the characters dealing with some sadness in life. The one about Soha Ali Khan and Ankur Khanna is weird while the only one with some lifelike features is about Kartheek who, while dealing with the death of his brother in the war, is grappling with his conscious; his family insists he choose a wife for himself, he has a lover, a man named Sam, back in Vienna where he is based now.

While the stories hold no appeal, direction is indulgent making this 88-minute film seem unending.

Performance by Kartheek Kumar, Victor Bannerjee, Roopa Ganguly and Soha Ali Khan are good, in that order.

There is nothing commercial about Chaurahen.