Credits open with Esha Deol's childhood flashing by, song with old buddies dancing around and a voice over from our dreamgirl's progeny talking about "love" and how you never know when it happens or words to that effect. A nice enough start but done in a such a sugar coated and child like fashion that the sets start to resemble something out of Blue Peter or Jackanory. What is the need for all of this? Perhaps to appeal to the Britney Spears generation.

Anyway, Esha (Esha Deol) has "met" someone although how this has quite come about is not entirely clear. It seems that our lead pair like to contact each other through the radio and have developed a liking for each other because they like the same songs and…well, dunno really, This leads them to set up a meeting at the radio station but Esha does not turn up even though Rahul (Hrithik) does. Committed as she is to her family and being a good girl, she feels she must get to know him better before she meets him and therefore, they are to be pen pals for the time being. Accepting of this, Rahul and Esha start writing to each other and a warm friendship develops. Into the fray comes Akshay (Saif), Rahul's best buddy and childhood friend whom we have already seen covered in lipstick and moving his hands up and down the bodies of some obscenely clad women. Yes, our boy Akshay is a Casanova. Now we have a situation where we have three people looking to meet "that someone" special.

Esha then crosses Rahul's path and off they go to Dehra Dun, he being the photographer for some ad campaign. A friendship ensues but both Esha only has eyes for her "letters" from the the unknown phantom friend who writes to her. Out of the blue, she is bethrothed to be married to…wait for it..Akshay..who being so against marriage, apparently fell in love with her pic on sight. She goes to Rahul and discovers that he was simply there to check up whether she was marriage material for his pal Akshay. Oh dear…small sparks fly but nothing major.

She writes a desperate note to her phantom friend but it goes amiss. The phantom friend also writes to her saying that he would like to meet her but when Rahul sees her at the designated place; he decides to step aside and leave her to his friend. Will true love triumph after all, will Esha ever find her true love? All these questions are actually a foregone conclusion but we still go along for the ride.

The film has potentially a fairly good fairy tale like plot. Don't pooh pooh this because Hollywood has tried similar stuff with "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Serendipity" and NTJNH has something going for it. Where it falters is the unnecessary padding out with songs albeit shortened and the director at times missing the beat, so as to speak. One example is the song "tum" which is preceded by a genuinely romantic scene but rather than placing this rather dull song in the party itself, we are taken off once again to the snow clad mountains with Rahul bemoaning the loss of his beloved to the skies and the trees. Had he kept the song in the party in some way, the impact would have been greater. Also there is not enough development on the lead pair right at the start with regard to the start of their friendship. But given that it is a long film perhaps that would have made it too long. The first half tends to drag a little and this is because not very much happens except the clowning around of Akshay, a song here and there and generally, the friendship between the lead pair. No romance as such. But it picks up in the latter portions of the film and manages to knit together a sweet story, nothing new but nevertheless engaging enough.

Saif Ali Khan does not do much with his role. He is simply an extension of his role in yeh Dillagi with the odd buffoonery thrown in here and there. Having said that, perhaps the only scene which carries any real weight is the one in the climax and he does this so well that it makes up for much of the film. Hrithik Roshan yet again proves a sensitive and assured performer but one really wishes that he could perhaps ruffle his hair or appear looking unkempt, even for a scene here and there. Both heroes appear at all times as if they have stepped out of their make-up vans and on to the sets..which is probably what it is…but it adds to a rather prefab look. His role will win no awards, neither did Tom hanks' in Sleepless in Seattle, but Hrithik Roshan does manage to bring that extra spark and charm to his projects, even in the diabolical aap mujhe achche lagne lage. The weakest link sadly is Esha Deol. Not a patch on her mother, she will need time to grow. She has an abrasive kind of look, scowling most of the time and unimpressive in the histrionics department. This would have been her dream debut and certainly, she has the chunkiest role in it. Somehow, she doesn't seem to impart the necessary charm, not even in the homage to her father when she dons his garb for "main jat yamla pagla deewana". How many of today would remember that film or that song? Rajesh Roshan's music is ordinary.

Arjun Sablok is a first time director and one can see the potential in him. It is no Kuch kuch hota hai (Karan Johar's first film) or even Dil to paagal hai which this film could be seen as a hybrid of. But he has made a commendable start. Next time round, don't waste your money and time in all the trappings and trying to over choreograph the songs. Stick to the substance. Not great but not bad.