It´s really sad when you see a film taking the step in the right direction, yet failing to make it past the finish line. Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye could´ve really been an out and out entertainer, but it falls short on many accounts. Directed by newcomer Sanjay Jha, produced by Mahesh Manjrekar and backed by a great star cast, you would expect that it would at least come close to your expectations, but it desperately needed some polishing before it hit the marquee.

The film´s plot is relatively simple. The film revolves around some 49 odd families living in Popatlal Chunilal Garodiya chawl. Each of the families have their own problems. Laxmi (Raveena Tandon) cannot conceive but desperately wants a baby. Mona (Namrata Shirodkar) is a struggling film actress who has a secret identity. Dulari (Divya Dutta) works herself to the bone trying to support an unappreciative family. Sheela (Shweta Menon) has been forced to come back and live with her parents cause her husband (Sayaji Shinde) cannot hold a job. To top that off he only has one thing on his mind, sex. Then there is Soundarya (Diya Mirza) who is apparently so ugly that no boy wants her. And finally, Suman (Rinkie Khanna)whose brother (Sanjay Narvekar) was senselessly killed in a police encounter and ever since has been having trouble finding someone to marry. Their individual problems take a backseat when it´s revealed that the Chawl owner Parveen Seth (Sachin Khedkar) is planning on tearing down their home and setting up a modern complex. Now it´s up to the chawl residents to unite, along with book researcher Aman Joshi (Aman Verma), and come up with a plan to save their beloved chawl.

The film has it´s moments, especially in the first half. The parodies of filmy songs and dialogues help lift spirits. Some of the sequences really make you crack up. For instance the gang of friends who hang out in the courtyard make things fun. Whether it be a ´3 hour break´ or an impromptu commercial, they manage to put a smile on your face. The women´s right activist who uses her sexuality to manipulate men also draws some laughter. The filmy scene where Soundarya and Michael confess their love to each other is also funny. There are many such ´filmy´ scenes in the movie which makes it a pleasure to watch at times. The addition of two story tellers (Sushmita Sen and Vijay Raaz) is a good idea because it speeds up the narraration. The film also retains a tongue in cheek humor through out which is delightful in several sequences. Poking fun at cinematic liberties and filmy situation gives it a satirical edge which is a refreshing change.

Sadly there are far more flaws in the film than advantages. With so many characters in the film, character development takes a backseat, as a result you cannot really sympathize with any of them. Some of the characters are certainly not needed, they have obviously been added to give the film some star value (a point that even Sushmita addresses in the film's opening sequences). The film also tries to tackle quite a few social issues, however, it doesn´t succeed on any level. There are far too many issues being addressed and the impact is diluted. The way they have dealt with some of the issues is sloppy and could have been better written into the script. It becomes obvious that the film is a social commentary so the viewer doesn´t really take any of the messages seriously. The Suman and Aman love angle seems forced and doesn´t register an impact because it´s treatment is so shoddy, in the end it becomes useless as well. The toilet situations are somewhat funny, but after a while they just become boring and to some they may seem obscene. Diya Mirza´s character is supposed to be ugly, but when you have a former model playing the part it doesn´t really make sense. The biggest flaw is the plan that the chawl residents (specifically Raveena) come up with to save their homes. The Sati track gets dragged on endlessly and looses it´s charm fast. As a result the last 45 minutes of the movie are dreadfully slow and boring.

As a director Sanjay Jha is shaky. In some of the comedic sequences he is successful but overall it´s a jaded effort. It´s rather disappointing that a movie which makes so much fun of regular filmy fare also becomes filmy as well. It totally defeats the purpose. Screenplay is shaky for the first half however it manages to hold your attention, but takes a nosedive in the second half. Daboo Malik and Nitin Raikwar do an absolutely horrible job on the music. If the music is going to be this bad then what´s the point of adding songs to the movie? Sanjay Pawar´s dialogues are funny for the most part. He comes up with some witty lines, but the overdose of profanity and a healthy helping of sex will turn off most conservative indian film goers.

The film has some confident performers, and it makes the movie a little easier to bare. Vijay Raaz is the star of the show. As Ganpat he takes the position of the narrarator and gives it a great twist. He also gets the best of lines and his expressions and dialogue delivery will have you chuckling all the way. Raveena is also good in a few scenes, but her character is really ill defined so it looses the impact. Namrata Shirodkar did a similar role of rebellious chawl girl in Tera Mera Saath Rahen, and leaves an impression. Divya Dutta is very likeable, in a short role she still makes a mark. Rinkie Khanna, Diya Mirza and Shweta Menon do their part adequately but don´t leave an impression. Newcomer Aman Verma is decent for his first film, but his choice of roles will determine how far he will go in Bollywood. Sachin Khedkar is intentionally over-the-top and does it with conviction. The rest of the supporting cast is adequate. Mahesh Manjrekar and Sushmita Sen make a special appearance through out the film, while they aren´t really useful to the plot their still a fun addition.

Overall the team behind this movie had the right idea but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. While the movie has many moments which make it enjoyable, they are outweighed by the negatives (which are abundant). The film tires to be experimental and succeeds on some small level, but next time the script and direction will need to be much more polished if the team behind the movie wants to leave an impression.