Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein was stuck in the cans for two years. On seeing the movie, you know why. The movie is severely boring and highly confused. It vacillates between depression and laboured joy making you want a quick death in lieu the movie!

John is a chain-smoking gambler. He also dreams of becoming Indiana Jones. He hits the jackpot and gets engaged to his long-time girlfriend Sonal Sehgal. He is diagnosed with lung cancer so he decides to leave his loved ones in search of an obscure hospice (a place where people go to spend the last days of their lives) by a beach. There he befriends everybody including cancer patient Anaitha Nair, AIDS patient Farida Jalal, and a young boy with miraculous story-telling powers. He brings sunshine into their lives to make himself feel better. Whether or not he succumbs to his illness is what the film is about.

The first half of the film is an utter drag and the second half is a tad better. There is nothing rapturous about the film; nothing to evoke joy or hope in the viewer. The poor editing makes all the scenes seem disconnected and stretched. The overall vibe is dull and drab. Whether John's character dies or lives makes not an iota of difference to you since you are thoroughly exasperated with the proceedings. There are no memorable scenes or dialogues. You wonder why anyone would want to make a film on a hospice. Aren’t people depressed and scared of death as it is?

John imagines he is Indiana Jones and starts fulfilling people’s wishes. This analogy is simply a waste of time as it lacks a sense of adventure and excitement. The special effects are amatuerish. You do not feel for the characters. The music is awful and tuneless.

John is the only good-looking guy in the movie and banks upon three fixed expressions. He seems laboured and lazy in many scenes. Since he is the hero of the movie, he does not lose his hair even though he is suffering from cancer. His character’s arrogance is annoying. The dignified Farida Jalal is wasted in the role of a retired ‘vaishya’ (exactly the word used in the movie). Shreyas Talpade’s Hyderabad Blues song-and-dance cameo is irritating. Sonal Sehgal looks pretty but is not much of an actress. The only bright spark in the movie is Anaitha Nair. She lights up the proceedings and how! Her unpredictable drama-queen attitude, tantrums, and her scenes with John make the movie tolerable. She gives her heart and soul to the film and shines in a very mature performance.

We wonder what went wrong with Nagesh Kukunoor’s sensibilities. Aashayein robs you of any hope and happiness you may have and replaces that with boredom and resignation. Don't waste your time on this hopeless film.