When Emily Dickinson wrote “The heart wants what it wants,” it hit home for many of us. Like Dickinson said, human desires and fixations are often beyond rationale and reasoning. JioCinema’s latest original, Jo Tera Hai Wo Mera Hai, is based on the same concept. The film tells the story of a man called Mitesh (Amit Sial), who has had his heart set on Utsav, a gorgeous Bungalow in Mumbai, for years. Like a love-struck teenager, he keeps scrolling through photos of the villa on his phone, daydreams about it, and doesn’t mind holding up traffic just to get a moment to admire the villa in its full glory.

The only obstacle that stands in the way of his childhood dream house is Govinda (Paresh Rawal), the perpetually cranky owner of Utsav, who pelts unwanted visitors away and stays with his household help at the villa. He is well aware of the place’s magnetism and can’t stand the sight of brokers hovering over him, waiting for him to agree to sell the place. A notice outside his villa reads “Trespassers will be killed”. Govinda, always seen in a khadi kurta with his cloudy hair, is a tough nut to crack.

However, when Mitesh’s obsession takes over, he decides to make his way into Govinda’s tightly wound life. His idea is to follow the old man around, strategically build a relationship with him, win his trust, and ultimately convince or con (whatever suits better at the moment) him into giving away the villa.

What follows next is a series of comical efforts at fulfilling this difficult mission. Mitesh is ready to go to any extent for the villa, even if that means dealing with dangerous criminals or missing his kid’s birthday party for it. Being a man of vice, who lies through his teeth, gambles and cheats, this isn’t exactly a temporary shift of morals for him.

Sial’s portrayal of Mitesh is impressive and keeps the mood of the film light. From his expressions and body language to his comic timing, Sial has aced the role. He even manages to bring a touch of innocence to Mitesh, who is otherwise a poster boy of flaws.

However, it was Paresh Rawal who stole the show for me. The veteran actor has once again delivered a stellar performance, adding to his diverse portfolio of roles. His character’s crankiness, insecurities, and idiosyncrasies resonate through the screen. In a scene, he gets suspicious of Mitesh’s intention and yet chooses to ignore it because of the undivided attention he is getting after ages.

Sadly, however, the screenplay gives Rawal and Sial a very limited room to shine. While the actors made the most of what was given to them, the film stops far short of utilising them to their fullest potential. I would have loved the film to explore Govinda’s loneliness and touch upon his memories with his deceased son, who is constantly spoken of in the film.

Jo Tera Hai Wo Mera Hai essentially tries to show the omnipresence of greed across age, class, or gender. Even with its comical approach, it succeeds in establishing how greed often leads to one digging their own grave. Almost all characters in the movie harbour greed for something. For some it’s money and assets, for others it is lust and companionship.

While Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai makes an honest attempt at showing the depths of greed, it suffers from an overly simplistic tone that glosses over the harsher realities of the world. Had it not sugarcoated the portrayal and attempted to satirise instead, the film wouldn’t have felt like a preachy, bedtime story about the immorality of greed.

Raj Trivedi’s film could be a good pick for when you are looking for something light-hearted and simplistic. Its lessons in morality might suit a younger audience, but if you are looking for something with a little more emotional depth, or even just all-out laughs, we suggest you skip this one.

Rating: 6/10