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(Out of 5) | |
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(Out of 5) |
Afterthoughts
Once more I find myself typing the phrase, "You might think from some of my comments that I did not enjoy this movie." Well I did like it, despite its problems. Some of the other critiques of this movie have said that the whole love triangle concept has been played out many many times before, and this movie doesn't really add anything new to the mix. I can't argue with that. However that doesn't mean it wasn't an entertaining movie. In the end, that's all one can really ask from a film.
I was wondering what happened to the whole Air Force plot thread, since it's all but abandoned after Raj comes home to find Jiya living with his family. The scenes where Jiya is stalking Raj are also asking a little much from the credibility department. All that aside though, the movie was fun. It had some genuinely funny moments, lots of good music, and a story that certainly held my attention for the entire running time.
Akshay Kumar (Raj) is becoming something of a regular here on AoM. He was pretty good in this movie. It was nice to see him get to do a little more dramatic acting instead of just doing all the fights. While he's not quite up to the level of Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan when it comes to the serious scenes, he's certainly no slouch at them either. I enjoyed his performance and look forward to more from him.
Lara Dutta (Kajal) was more or less a newcomer here. She only has one previous sighting on AoM, and that was for only one musical scene in Khakee. So getting to see her act instead of just dancing was nice. She's pretty good in this movie. I would have liked to see more of a response from her during the big confrontation at the engagement party instead of just standing there and crying, but other than that I had no complaints.
Priyanka Chopra (Jiya) redeems herself here. Yes, I know this movie came out before Asambhav, but Andaaz is clearly the superior product. My complaint in Asambhav was that she really didn't get to do much. Here, we get to see a wide variety of performances from her. From the extremely annoying drunk party girl to the determined and persistent admirer to the cunning mastermind of an elaborate scheme, she pulls them all off with no problems. Not to mention she's drop dead gorgeous. I see a few other films on her resume, so we'll have to check those out.
About the vermilion powder - the final step in the marriage ceremony in some areas of India is the application of this powder on the brow of the bride. This usually goes down the part in her hair, with a little showing on her forehead. I've read some accounts that say that this is all that is needed in some areas to make a woman your wife, but that might be out of date. All the research I did to confirm this only turned up descriptions of the wedding ceremonies. To be officially recognized as married in India, it's similar to how it's done in the U.S. It's a legal process that is filed with the government. Either way, as it is presented in the movie, this is mostly a bold symbolic act to show how serious Raj is about his love for Kajal.
Negatives:
The special effects were not that good. These mostly involved the aircraft. The helicopter crash we see in Kajal's flashback was particularly bad.
Raj's "tough love" scene in the hospital. This would have traumatized anyone that had been in an accident. I find it hard to believe that he could cure all of her ailments just by yelling at her.
We see several acts of brutality go unpunished. Raj pummels the guy at the play rehearsal, as well as a whole gang of people at the market when Sally was smacked. At no point was he ever in trouble for doing these things.
The theft of material from other movies was a little disappointing. The Forest Gump running scene was particularly lame (no pun intended), and the Romeo Must Die fight also threw up some flags. I like Akshay Kumar, but he's no Jet Li when it comes to fight choreography.
Positives:
Great acting! With the exception of a few scenes, I had no major complaints with any of the performances here.
Very catchy music! None of the songs struck me as annoying, and most were quite enjoyable. I liked "Alhaa Karen" in particular.
The story, while not the most original, was still engaging and entertaining. There were no moments where I was bored.
It was a joy to watch Priyanka and Lara do more than just smile for the cameras. They are both quite capable actresses as well as being very beautiful. I hope they get to make a lot more films.
For my ratings icon, I'm going with the "Sputtering Lovebirds." This shot was from the song, "Rabba Ishq Na Hove." Raj and Kajal were on the rocks near the water as waves were pounding over them. There was one wave they weren't quite ready for, and it shows.
Andaaz (2003)
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(Out of 5) | |
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(Out of 5) |
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