Socha Na Tha (2005) User Reviews

Enjoyable romantic comedy full of youth and zest

[AishFan · 7/10 · 9 July 2005]

This movie is a real refreshing dose of entertainment. I should start off by saying that Ayesha Thakia did an excellent job. The vivacious actress seems very down-to-earth and straightforward. There's nothing very clichéd, or "filmi," about her looks and acting. Abhay Deol also had a nice debut. He did full justice to his role of a misguided, happy-go-lucky boy, who can never get his full dose of fun. Both actors were excellent choices for playing India's youth icons. Their characters do a good job of reflecting the (shouldn't be stereotyping...) overall youth culture. They want to live life to the fullest while they are still in college. They have values and respect for their elders while at the same time knowing that it's them who needs to live their own life. They are not rebellious, yet the idea of an arranged marriage seems quite preposterous. Abhay and Ayesha share and sympathize with each other's confusion resulting from the generation gap by hanging out, having lots of fun, and, of course, falling in love. In this fun-filled movie, for the first time in Bollywood, we get to see a down-to-earth film on arranged vs. love marriage from a new viewpoint, the Indian youth. Songs are nice.

I had not thought of liking it so much

[jmathur_swayamprabha · 8/10 · 27 July 2012]

Socha Na Tha (2005) is the debut movie of the director Imtiaz Ali and the hero Abhay Deol. This charming movie is just like a gust of fresh air where love is innocent, the lovers are having hearts of gold and even their family members are no stereotyped villains. Troubles are there, confusions are there, indecisiveness is there, misunderstandings and consequential quarrels are there but the most important thing is that everything is realistic and everybody is human. And to err is human, we all know.That's the quality which makes this movie a winner.

Socha Na Tha (not thought of) is the love story of a confused young boy Viren (Abhay Deol) and an orphan girl fostered by her uncles and aunts - Aditi (Ayesha Taakia). Their parents / guardians want them to get married with each other but they have other plans. On one hand, Aditi likes someone else (Shaayan Munshi), on the other, Viren feels infatuated to a Christian girl - Karen (Apoorva Jha). Viren seeks the help of his sister-in-law (Ayesha Zulka) to get out of the proposed matrimonial alliance with Aditi and finally manages not only the consent of Karen but also her parents as well as his parents for their marriage. But meantime, Viren and Aditi have become friends. Now Viren expressively and Aditi silently feel that in fact, they have fallen in love with each other. Innocent Viren with a clean heart does many illogical things to first repel Karen and her parents and then do the repair work in case of Aditi. However the misunderstandings between their families keep on increasing. Finally, they go away from each other. Viren transforms himself into a mature and successful youth but now Aditi who was earlier much more mature and sensible than Viren, approaches him to unite with him. What happens thereafter is the climax.

The theme of this movie reminds me of a very old black and white comedy - Chacha Zindabaad (1959) starring Kishore Kumar and Anita Guha. However this movie does not at all appear to be a copy of that old movie or any other movie. It has an originality of its own, courtesy the fresh style of treating the story idea.

Teenage and just after that is that time of a normal person's life when the heart wants to fly in the air. Let someone become mine. Let myself become someone's. Let's sing love songs. Let's release sighs when not together. But it takes time to realize as to what actually one wants. It cannot be understood within a short span of time as to who is or can be your real soulmate. And that's the message of Socha Na Tha.

Director Imtiaz Ali has been fully successful in his mission of presenting a touching and lovable rom-com. Hilarious moments are there. Laughs are there. Tender feelings are there. Emotions are there. But as I have said earlier, there are no villains. The negatively behaving people are also not wrong from their viewpoint. The late understanding of things as well as the immature actions of the protagonist create misunderstandings that result in negative reactions of those who are in one way or the other, related to the lead pair. In fact, all the characters involved in the script are good by heart. The ending scene evidences it in the most simple and straight manner.

Now I am surprised where this young director has lost his touch and the skill to pick the pulse of the young and educated generation. Socha Na Tha is a movie which you will love like anything if watch with not so high expectations. As far as I am concerned, I felt like flowing with the lead characters and the things happening to (and by) them in the story, empathizing with them. Love is like the fresh cow milk when innocent. And let's not allow its innocence to be tainted by any means.

This movie, produced by Dharmendra, has a good production value and technically perfect. The music of Sandesh Shandilya is completely in sync with the mood of this romantic movie and all the tunes are melodious and lovely. However they do not possess the quality to remain in mind when the movie is over. The beautiful and touching lyrics of the songs (coming from the pens of Irshaad Kaamil and Subrat Sinha), if listened to with attention, are able to strike a chord in the listener's heart.

Abhay Deol has proved in his debut movie itself that he's the horse for a long race. With his long hair and innocent raw face, he not only looks dashing but his performance is so impressive as if he was born before a camera. Ayesha Taakia, with her childish looks, is not far behind. The movie has one more Ayesha - the veteran heroine, Ayesha Zulka as the Bhabhi of the hero and she has done exceedingly well in the meaty role assigned to her. The complete supporting cast has done justice to the respective roles but mainly the movie belongs to the lead pair which has lightened up the screen with its amazing chemistry.

It's painful for me to know that this brilliant romantic movie was a commercial failure. May be due to poor marketing. However true to its title, any viewer of this movie (including me) had not thought of liking it so much. If not for some repetition of things in the later part of the movie and the absence of some memorable songs, I would have awarded it a five star rating. It's virtually a heart-conquerer. If your heart beats for someone special, you can watch it any number of times without getting bored.

DVD for keeps

[anirban-iimc · 8/10 · 5 June 2007]

This is one of those flicks which plummets at theaters and then hits home with the viewers on DVD. Although that might be because the flick has a very understated urban appeal to it. One can imagine the movie would have been an unwatchable headache generator if it had cast the Govindas and Kareenas of the world and had been made with a high hand of melodrama. Instead, Miss Takia makes us all fall in love with her, Mr Deol included, by just twisting the pencil and being herself. Abhay puts forth a honest performance and the director truly takes us through a breezy ride, pleasant as a walk through the jungle on a windy morning. Buy a barca lounger, uncork the wine, get cozy and enjoy!

Watch it for the maverick's first outing!!!

[AvinashPatalay · 2 November 2009]

"Socha Na Tha", it came, it saw and it went away. Like me many of you would have missed it. Post-Jab We Met however rewrites the rules and I was persuaded to retrace my steps and take notice to Imtiaz Ali. Believe me - true to its title "Socha Na Tha" Imtiaz is a fine story teller indeed. Probably it was the timing of the release or perhaps it lacked the star-value owing to which it didn't get the recognition it deserved.

Abhay Deol:: A launch pad and its very much like for a first-timer. Quite confident and who anticipated that this guy would carve a genre for himself. In retrospection the failure of "Socha Na Tha" (read that as "non performance") saved the Indian Cinema of type-casting Abhay as yet another hero in the number game. So its "good riddance...." for him which made him a character actor.

I particularly liked his character which does a proper "Create a problem, solve it and then claim 'Yes I have done it!!!'".

Ayesha Takia:: For her stint in Bollywood perhaps the closest she would be proud of next to "Dor". Quite promising and a matured performance delivering at ease the director backed role.

Apoorva Jha:: Leaves a lasting impression actually - pity she wasn't seen much around after this movie. Managed to pull-off Karen quite realistically.

Ayesha Jhulka:: Wouldn't be wrong to state this Bhabhi as lovable as Renuka Shahane from HAHK. A natural transformation for Ayesha too.

The rest of supporting cast which includes Suresh Oberoi, Rati Agnihotri, Raj Zutshi, Sandhya Mridul were adequate. Nearly forgot - Vijay Maurya as well.

Not many noticed but "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa" heavily borrowed the concept of "So when do you know it's love?" from "Socha Na Tha". On the same note it does bears resemblance to the "Saif-Sonali" track from "Dil Chahta Hain".

Epilogue:: Go for it - to watch the genius trotting his initial steps!

A light-hearted romantic comedy!

[vineet_pro · 10/10 · 1 May 2007]

Going by my experiences with the movies which I have seen in a theatre, this movie was not at all what I expected it to be.

I would say, this movie brought a breath of fresh air, to Bollywood, just like QSQT brought in 90s and DCH in 20th century.

This movie is a tale about a boy and girl, who first meet each other in typical arranged marriage meet, but decide not to go ahead. This leads to enemity between the two families, and later fall in love with each other.

Sounds like typical Salman Khan, Govinda, Karishma, Ravinda Tandon kind of masala movie?? Wrong. Even though the plot looks the same, the characters are much more realistic, decent and believable. On top of that, rather than looking like a vulgar drama, looks much closer to you.

In short a must watch! Interestingly, at first I thought I was the only one who found this movie entertaining. Going by the reviews, I feel pleasantly relieved that I am not alone.

Wonderful movie

[sugunadew · 9/10 · 6 March 2009]

A very light hearted and straight forward movie, Socha Naa Tha might have crashed at the box-office. But it touches hearts in a way that not many movies do. Director Imtiaz Ali has directed a wonderful plot which is very usual in any Indian household. The chemistry between the couple is very naturally presented. I had fallen in love with this movie instantly. The lyrics of the songs may seem vague at first. But they relate and amalgamate to situations so appropriately. The dialogues are very 'day to day'... which contribute that the movie is not out of this world. I would say it is a better movie than Jab We Met, the second movie by Imtiaz Ali.

Takia BABY!

[ChiBron · 7/10 · 9 April 2005]

Great 1st half......but sadly the writers forgot abt Ayesha Takia in the 2nd. She was easily the best performer of the lot and lit up the screen pretty much every time she faced the camera. But there was one big problem, the camera wasn't often enough on her(especially in the slow 2nd half)! Either way, count me in as a BIG fan of this gorgeous actress. I don't know anybody in Bollywood who can look unbelievably cute in one scene, and then addictively sexy in the next. She's a unique beauty. Her acting skills are quite good too. A very natural air to her performance in this movie. Especially loved the way she spoke.

Abhay Deol isn't bad either. He's got good comic timing and can have decent success in Bollywood IF he improves his appearance.

Overall, a "cute" movie elevated by Takia's work and the chemistry shared between the lead stars.

Re-watchable and one of the best movies of 2000's

[fahimaalam-96902 · 10/10 · 10 June 2018]

I first saw this movies in 2006 and have been watching it since every time i need to get out of this bruised world. The acting of both lead actors is flawless and to the point. No melodrama, no overacting etc. I really can't remember, the last time i have actually liked(loved) a Bollywood movie this much.

A must watch once in a life kind of Movie. If you love cinema, you will surely fell in love with this underrated master piece.

Slow character development movie

[fauzia_lala · 7/10 · 20 September 2008]

The movie is a slow paced, character development based romance/family genre. There are some flaws but direction is well done. Ayesha Takia's character was a little inconsistent. In the beginning she is shown as a decent sober Desi girl who goes bowling in Shalwar Kameez, wears a sober bathing suit and then suddenly shown as a girl who lies to her guardians and shares a room with a guy. That made her character seem fictional so it took a little fun out of the story, but one thing that Ayesha has is her charm. Not a tremendous actor, but her acting has some reality to it (unfortunately, her character does not.) Besides that, I did not find any serious flaws. Ayesha's character was very straightforward and in a scene when she tells Abhay Deol that his girl friend won't like him hanging out with her, the speech was very realistic. It was direct and something a person actually would say.

When Ayesha is caught lying, her family asks her quickly what the deal was; very rational, unlike Hindi movies where the suspense gets dragged on. Abhay's character made complete sense too.

Usually, when a movie has too many real touches, it gets boring. Surprisingly, that wasn't entirely the case, not only because there were some flaws that brought excitement, but also because the character development was rather fast in the movie.

If you don't like drama and character based movies and don't care about direction, then this one is not for you.

An Entertaining Movie

[saijal17 · 10/10 · 30 March 2005]

I thought this movie was going to be a typical, romantic cliché. But i was extremely wrong. Sure this movie's plot wasn't unusual but it is a romantic flick, and it has quality and plot twists, and most importantly, entertainment; and at the end of the day that's all that matters. It is a love story so there is no need to over analyze the movie. Camera angles weren't too great and neither were the songs, but the script was good and comedic (and i'm very picky when it comes to humour). The acting was fairly good. Although there weren't any really dramatic scenes, Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia were very convincing in their roles, and best of all, no overacting which we see in most bollywood movies. I hope Deol and Takia are very successful in their acting careers.

Pleasant Surprize : Effervescent love story

[nehasrungta · 7/10 · 17 June 2005]

I am always weary of watching movies with newcomers these days. But this movie took me by surprise. It is a fairly well made movie. Entertaining for the most part. You can't help but be reminded of the Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawala's Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Its not specifically the family feud but a few scenes in the movie that are "directly inspired" by QSQT.

The movie starts with Abhay Deol (Viren) dating a Catholic girl (Karen). His parents think since he is 24 and needs to get married. They want him to meet prospective girls and pick one he likes. To placate his parents he agrees to this charade with no intention of choosing a girl. Turns out its a sensible pretty young girl Aditi (Ayesha Takia). With Viren's situation they find it very easy to converse without any pressure. They strike a chord. But Viren's rejection creates a rift amongst the families. The level of the feud seems a little unreal and too forced. Politics of arranged marriages don't reach this level of hostility. That I think is the weakest point of the film. All this happens in the first 15-20 mins of the film.

From that point Viren and Aditi develop a friendship with no strings attached while Viren is looking for the right moment to propose to Karen. The performances are decent. Ayesha Takia does the best in the role of Aditi, modern still rooted. A couple of songs are hummable. Its a refreshing love story. The dailogue is not melodramatic or over the top. Its a good movie.

Gem of a movie. More than a movie.

[vishi-saxena · 10/10 · 30 June 2019]

You don't find a movie, so nice, so simple, so real, so nicely made. Just watch it and fall in love with the characters :)

Amazing and refreshing

[silvan-desouza · 7/10 · 26 March 2014]

Socha Na Tha is a debut of Abhay Deol and Imtiaz Ali which says a lot The film may have not worked but yet it's a decent watch The problems Viren faces are well handled, the film makes you laugh too especially in first half, the escapades and the problems in relationship are well handled. The second half gets a bit slow paced and does get predictable yet the film has it's moments

Direction by Imtiaz Ali is amazing Music is decent the songs are tuneful

Abhay Deol resembled Bobby Deol(early days) in this film but acts superbly, Ayesha Takia is good too, Apoorva Jha is wooden, Suresh Oberoi, Ayesha Jhulka are lovable Rati Agnihotri is good, Manish Chaudhary is good rest are okay

Yawn

[oasisdream-alt · 2/10 · 23 September 2018]

Abhay Deol's character is so infuriating that you have to stop yourself from breaking the TV. Ayesha's, on the other hand, is a tad more robust. This is such a difficult movie to sit through. Yawn.

Imtiaz Ali's Directorial Debut is a Delight

[Chrysanthepop · 22 February 2010]

I may have despised Imtiaz Ali's overrated 'Love Aaj Kal' but 'Socha Na Tha' is a treat to watch. An offbeat but sincere romantic comedy that stars Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia, 'Socha Na Tha' feels fresh because of its appropriate lack of saccharine and straight forward storytelling. Ali is a talented writer as not only does he have a fresh way of telling stories but the dialogues are also first rate. Abhay Deol already proves what a promising actor he is in his very first role. He is confident as Viren and shares a great chemistry with his cute co-star Ayesha Takia. Takia too is very likable as Aditi. After 'Dor' this is perhaps her best performance. The supporting cast, that includes Ayesha Jhulka as a hot bhabhi, Rati Agnihotri as a hot-headed aunt, Suresh Oberoi as the patriarchal dad, Sandhya Mridul as the supportive sister, Vijay Maurya as the friend in need and Rajendranath Zutshi as the angry but hilarious brother, is very good. The songs are cool and calm and they agree with the pace of the film. I also liked the camera-work. My favourite parts of the movies are the dialogue scenes between Viren and Aditi and between Viren and his sister-in-law (especially when she's confused by Viren's constantly changing decisions). 'Socha Na Tha' is a fun romantic movie that works as a great date movie and an enjoyable rainy day flick.

One of Abnay Deol's best

[Geeta352 · 9/10 · 22 July 2018]

I believe that Abhay Deol is one of the best character actors in India and he demonstrated that in his debut film Socha Na Tha. Everything about this film was good: the storyline, the acting, the music and the direction. Produced in 2005, this is an oldie, but goodie. Watch it!

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.

[BiswajitSince2005 · 9/10 · 6 March 2007]

You know you are in love when you see the world in her eyes, and her eyes everywhere in the world.

Falling in love is not easy. Neither to planning to fall in love. Sometimes you feel you don't love someone and rejects him/her initially. But later you realize you won't be able to live without that person. Socha Na Tha is the story of two youngsters who were forced to see each other for marriage and reject because they were annoyed by the way they were forced to see each other. They thought they are not made for each other but they fall in love ultimately.

This movie makes the debut of (Abhay Deol) Viren, another one from Dharamendra's family. He playes a role that is very confused so as Ayesha. He is in love with a Christian Girl whom his parents do not approve of. His parents fixes Aditi (Ayesha) for him. But then both of them rejects each other. Their parents have a misunderstanding between each other. By the time he realizes he doesn't love Karen but Aditi, his parents have already agreed for Karen. They have decided to marry him of to Karen. Viren doesn't know what to do. He now has one choice. He has to win Aditi against all odds. Now both of the family are dead against each other.

They have got no option left but to run away. The movie has got a lot of nice moments that are too touchy and innocent. The chemistry between the lead pairs is too good. Ayesha is developing herself as an actress. This movie can truly be a romantic comedy.

Delicious take on confused youths...

[hikerhetav · 7/10 · 27 October 2016]

This movie was on my radar since I watched Jab We Met and Rockstar. Imtiaz Ali is coming of age director for Bollywood and he has guts to change the perspective of Bollywood films. Imtiaz Ali's first venture Socha Na Tha is an old wine in a new bottle but it's guaranteed that bottle is quite new with a new comer brand of wine inside. Well, the flavor might taste likewise but it's fragrance and presentation are quite delicious. Story was much similar to that concept of Triangular Love Story. But its premise, screenplay are a complete fun to watch.

This movie discusses two major topics. Misconception of arranged marriage and love marriage. Another, tackling power of youths in these kind of situations. It asks the youth that are they really capable of inviting their different stage of life i.e. marriage? Are they satisfied with the life they lived till now with their parents supporting them? Would they be able to tackle lifestyle with one more person in their family as their spouse? Another major thing is, do the youths really know what kind of partner they want? Or can they really find someone themselves the perfect choice for their whole life? Also, if they have been in relationship, are they ready to take that relation further for many years ahead? Or would they get diverted to another one due to their capricious hearts?

The plus points are there're no dull moments in the film. Film is a roller-coaster ride and it's a real treat to watch various scenes in it. Movie might get emotional at times but this one doesn't tend to stick to the scenes for longer time. Repetitive premises are poor to handle sometimes but it's the performances of characters that lead the film in an adventurous direction. The confusion in the characters' mind is well captured that it sounds almost next to real life incidents. Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia both are a treat to watch. Go watch it if you're a Rockstar fan.

One of the greatest romantic movie i've ever seen.

[kirtikjr · 10/10 · 15 May 2009]

What a movie!!! For the first time i'm writing comments for a movie and this movie has forced me to do so.. A must watch for all ages, and I pity those who haven't seen this. Acting is good, direction even better. The flow in which movie flows is great, well-knit.

I have fallen in love with Ayesha Takia after watching this movie.. I like Abhay Deol's movies and just to watch all his movies i watched this movie. But to my surprise i found this his best among all. Thats all I have to say. I am sure those who understand love in life, would get the true meaning of my post.

I would strongly recommend and request those who have not seen the movie, just have a go and let me know how was it.

refreshing take n 3 debuts

[maychat · 10/10 · 8 October 2019]

So this was one of the only 2 movies i watched after bunking class ever

as it ended, i was already a fan of abhay deol His natural spontaneity and his acting skills we're pretty obvious, which he proved later too

Aisha Takia also showed a lot of promise, though her career was cut short

N then the master himself, Imtiaz Ali. Though he had beautiful films ahead, socha na tha still remains one of my fav of him. It's freshness and innocence was amazing, Which makes this moving watchable innumerable times.....

PS - Writing this review as I watch it one of those innumerable times

Charming and Rewatchable

[GypsiB · 8/10 · 6 June 2018]

Viren (Abhay Deol) and Aditi (Ayesha Takia) are introduced as a potential match, but privately decide together that he will refuse her quickly because he has a secret girlfriend, Karen (Apoorva Jha). His refusal causes a serious problem between the two families, leading to hostilities. Viren and Aditi meet by coincidence later, and clandestinely become friends. When Viren finally gets approval to marry Karen, though, he discovers he is actually in love with Aditi.

This is a charming movie, with an entertaining plot and mostly good music. Deol, in his debut role, was natural and believable; Takia was graceful and credible, as well. Their on-screen chemistry was good. The location shots were lovely. While not a classic, it's certainly enjoyable and even rewatchable.

Watch the movie Serendipity (2001) before this one.

[rahulnayan-n11 · 4/10 · 16 March 2018]

Lack of writers in 1.2billion population. Simply copying each and every thought of the movies.

A refreshingly sweet and romantic movie

[user-13794 · 10/10 · 23 December 2006]

The story of how Viren (Abhay Deol) and Aditi (Ayesha Takia) are supposed to get married, then they don't, then they do, then they don't and so on! Abhay Deol is just about okay, looking slightly over-weight and older for his age. Ayesha Takia is very sweet and excels in this role. Sandhya Mridul is completely wasted but the rest of the cast (Suersh Oberoi, Ayesha Jhulka, Rati Agnihotri etc.) give decent performances. Overall it's a very refreshing movie from the Director who gave us the sweet romantic TV series 'Rishtey' on Zee, many years back. The songs are not too great, except the final romantic duet which is pleasantly hummable.

A fresh romantic flick

[chetanc_i · 8 April 2005]

Before I started watching this movie, I had no idea what the story was about. I had seen the first movies of Abhay Deol's cousins (Sunny Deol's Betaab & Bobby Deol's Barsaat) and did like them when they were released. So I was expecting a good movie even for Abhay and I wasn't disappointed at all. On the contrary I liked it a lot. The movie is simple, funny, straightforward and avoids clichés and twisted tales much on the lines of Dil Chahta Hai (though it has quite different story line).

The initial dialogues between Viren (Abhay Deol) and Aditi (Ayesha Takia) are crisp and consuming and provide a brisk start to the movie. The music score from Sandesh Shandilya is little different and unconventional but I started liking it by the time movie ended, especially the score "Abhi Abhi...". Though the story is simple, it is well edited and is able to communicate with the audience.

Overall I think this is a very good movie. It makes you laugh and makes you feel good about the time you spent watching it. I would highly recommend this movie. Score: 4.5 / 5

A feel good love story

[zoheb-haider · 8/10 · 17 July 2014]

A near perfect debut from Imtiaz Ali. Socha Na Tha is a tale of perfectly timed dialogs in the most practical way and are so natural to relate with our personal experiences in relationships. A refreshing blend of faces with Ayesha Takiya and the débutant Abhay Deol also helps the course of the movie because they have no stereotypes when it comes to role play. The acting part could have been improved just a lil bit, it looks a bit unpolished at times but overall a total worth watch! Seriously, this is how crazy, stupid and cute love is! The runaway bride scene at the end of the movie is hilarious and sooooo lovable :)