the like of naseeruddin shah be a rarity in bollywood . he be one of the very few actor in indian cinema who have succeed in bridge the lamentable divide that exist between ensible ( read realistic ) and glamour ( song and dance and fight sequence by the dozen pepper with rain dance or bath beauty play out by the heroine or vamp in skimpy costume out to titillate the viewer while walk the thin red line between the acceptable and obscene and base on the notoriously arbitrary censorship law in india ) cinema during the 80 and early 90 . the parallel cinema during the late 70 and early 80 produce several noteworthy film like mirch masala and jaane bhi do yaro and masoom and waisa bhi hota hain and all of which be commercial success . although he then go on to act in movie like tridev and which would undoubtedly fall into the glamour or amainstream cinema and he be still consider to be one of the best actor ever in indian cinema . the long winding title yun hota toh kya hota ( which can be translate a what if it have happen thus . ) come with a mercifully shorten title what if . in the subtitle accompany the movie . the story be about 4 complete stranger bind by one fateful day in their life . the bride there be the newly wed couple of tilottama da and hemant punj ( play by konkona sen sharma and jimmy sheirgill ) who have just tie the note after an internet courtship and marriage . hemant who work in the u. s. be about to travel back to his work and the day after his wedding reception . tilottama would stay back with her in law papaji ( play by ravi baswani ) and mom and a dysfunctional si in law undergo a divorce and till her american visa get ready . caught between a sadistic mother in law and a schizophrenic si in law and and the visa paper that never arrive and long distance call from her husband that she be never able to attend and she decide get to the u. s. by whatever mean it take be it lie to the officer at the visa section or keep her motif hide from her overbear mum in law . the student rahul bhide ( ankur khanna ) be a brilliant but impoverished medical graduate who be catch between lack of finance and a sense of duty towards his ail father on the one hand and the prospect that await him in the land of opportunity on the other . aid by a twist of fate and finance by his friend kay modi ( ayesha takia ) he travel to the u. s. in search of his destiny . the lover the stock broker son ( irrfan khan ) of an underworld don ( saroj khan ) and get involve in the murder of a corrupt police officer and be force to leave to the u. s. and where he be to meet with a prospective employer who would take him under his wing . he be tear between his love for the much old and but passionate lover namrata ( suhasini mulay ) and his inability to reconcile with her infidelity on the other . the showman rajubhai patel ( paresh rawal ) be a small time organizer of cultural show in the u. s. and it cost any aspiring dancer a small fortune to join his group . he be approach by his erstwhile love interest tara gandhi ( ratna pathak shah ) and ask to take her daughter payal ( shahana goswami ) to the u. s. and away from an abusive father and poverty and pay him with the money that she receive by mortgage her home . rajubhai for the first time in his life be father an innocent girl on her first trip abroad . four startlingly different life and yet bind by fate to come together in one unexpected journey . the fate they encounter unfurls in the climax of the film . exceptionally well direct and the film have a well write screenplay by uttam gada and some excellent photography by hemant chaturvedi . the transition between the character and their environs be well reflect in the photography and which i understand be achieve by use a different lens for each protagonist and the transition from the pastel shade of india to the vibrant color of the u. s. be captivate . some excellent editing by hina salyada and a sense of conciseness in the director ( which be so very often sorely lack in indian cinema ) make the film an enjoyable watch . also noteworthy be the visual effect by pankaj khandpur who top it off with some excellent shot for the climax . all in all a welcome breath of fresh air in hindi cinema which have now show lot of promise with the advent of a new crop of director and script writer who believe that cinema be not only about endless string of song and dance weave around opulent wedding and display of wealth and which would be a out of place in middle class india a anywhere else in the world .