Till a few years ago, Bollywood was known for churning out hero-centric
movies. The leading ladies were treated as mere props or eye candy in
most Hindi movies. That's not all, heroine-centric themes were
considered dicey, since not many were ready to invest their crores on
stories that centred around female protagonists. But 2012 has made the
naysayers chew their words. The year belongs to those gutsy film-makers
and of course, the enterprising ladies who changed the rules of the
game. Films like KAHAANI, JISM 2, RAAZ 3, HEROINE and ENGLISH VINGLISH
challenged the male dominance at the box-office. Now AIYYAA, which rides
on Rani Mukerji's shoulders, is all set to break the stereotype.
Like all Anurag Kashyap movies [he wears the producer's hat this time,
it's directed by Sachin Kundalkar], AIYYAA takes on a novel premise and
transports you to an altogether new world. This time, it's about a
middle class family living in Mumbai. What sets it apart is that this
Maharashtrian girl - Tamil guy
prem kahani [Rani, Prithviraj] is
woven around the concept of smell/aroma. Also, a lot many middle class
girls feel suffocated when they can't choose the guy they want to spend
the rest of their life with. In AIYYAA, the girl chooses her own groom,
defying her family's choice. But AIYYAA is not a serious take on the
institution of marriage. It's an amusing journey, actually.
AIYYAA is a
desi film at heart. Also, quirky and funny. But the
humor is more of the Hrishikesh Mukherjee/Basu Chatterjee variety. What
makes this film stand apart is that it does away with the crutches of
big stars [except Rani], forced humor, unnecessary songs, international
locales or grandiose sets. Its strength lies in its cohesive script and
able performances.
Meenakshi [Rani Mukerji] is a young Maharashtrian woman who is fixated
with movies and movie stars and loves escaping into her make-believe
world. She gets attracted to a painter, Surya [Prithviraj Sukumaran],
because he smells good. But there's a hitch: She's all set to be engaged
to Madhav [Subodh Bhave], who happens to be her parents' choice.
Although the plot is innovative, but skeletal, what keeps the film going
is Sachin Kundalkar's ability to stumble upon humor in the most
ordinary situations. In fact, a number of sequences merit a mention
here, but that would ruin the fun. Again, this is one of those rare
movies where every actor, big or small, sparkles in their respective
part. Wait, beyond the laughs and smiles, there's a sensitive side to
AIYYAA as well. The girl is eventually torn between the man she desires
and the man she's all set to be engaged to. The emotional conflict
towards the concluding stages may seem convenient, but is completely
satisfying nonetheless.
Sachin catches the pulse of the Maharashtrian backdrop and does immense
justice to the written material. Moreover, while the middle class
setting of Mumbai has been explored in several Hindi movies, it looks so
real in AIYYAA. The characters, their home, the verbal communication…
everything seems original here. This director, in my opinion, is a
prized find.
On the flipside, it takes time to get the hang of things. Also, the
first half seems stretched, with a few unnecessary sequences adding to
the run time. But the second hour more than compensates for the
deficiencies.
Amit Trivedi's music is already a sure-fire hit. 'Dreamum Wakeuppam' is
already a chartbuster and so is 'Aga Bai'. The tantalizing and enticing
choreography of these two tracks [Vaibhavi Merchant] deserves
distinction marks. The DoP [Amalendu Choudhary] captures the essence of
the Maharashtrian surroundings beautifully. I'd like to make a special
mention of the casting director [Chinmay Kelkar] for choosing actors who
fit wonderfully well in their respective parts.
AIYYAA is what it is for varied reasons and one of them is Rani's
livewire act. A complete natural, Rani glides through her part with
brilliance. An accomplished actor, who can handle the comic sequences
with as much flourish as the emotional ones, Rani is absolutely
ravishing. Prithviraj, who has several South Indian films to his credit,
does a super job in his first Hindi outing. He has striking screen
presence, has worked hard to get in shape, but most importantly, he is a
damn confident actor.
Subodh Bhave is excellent and matches up to Rani on several occasions.
Nirmiti Sawant [Rani's mother] incites laughter in abundance. So does
Jyoti Subhash [the grand-mom], who is too funny. Anita Date [as Maina,
Rani's colleague] is superb. Ditto for Ameya Wagh [Rani's brother],
who's an actor to watch. Satish Alekar [Rani's father], Kishori Ballal
[Prithviraj's mother] and Pakada Pandi [canteen boy] are wonderful in
their respective parts.
On the whole, there are reasons aplenty as to why AIYYAA becomes a
deserving watch. It's arresting, amusing, entertaining and of course,
thoroughly enjoyable, with Rani's splendid act, refreshingly different
plot, winsome songs, pleasant humor and terrific moments as its aces.
Don't miss it!
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