Friday, February 03, 2006
MJS+Aksar
Mere Jeevan Saathi
Suneel Darshan’s Mere Jeevan Saathi has obviously been in the making for a while, since it stars Karisma Kapoor (who has supposedly taken a break from films after her marriage). It also warms up the plot of Fatal Attraction—after Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, there was nothing left to add to this old chestnut about a woman scorned going berserk.
Aspiring singer Vicky (Akshay Kumar), who seems to have just one song in his repertoire, is turned into an international star by the mysterious Natasha (Karisma Kapoor). Apparently she was in love with him since college (and he didn’t notice her, imagine!), so she orchestrated the whole thing—including a romp in bed in America. But Vicky is in love with Anjali (Amisha Patel), and is terrified of the consequences of his one-night stand. When asked by his secretary how it happened, he says, “God knows”. Hilarious!
Natasha follows Vicky to Mumbai, pawing him at every given opportunity, while he turns purple with guilt and embarrassment. The point of Fatal Attraction was that the man has to suffer for what he did, when the woman he had the fling with turns out to be a monster. Natasha goes through bouts of self-destruction, weeps, wails, threatens and does nothing.
So the film quickly settles into tame seventies melodrama mode, of the Ek Hi Bhool, Maang Bharo Sajna variety. There is even a Silsila like open-air confrontation between Natasha and the patient, understanding Anjali.
Outdated, hackneyed and quite hopeless, Mere Jeevan Saathi adds to viewers’ woes by dumping in a pair of irritating lisping villains (Gulshan Grover-Ashish Vidyarthi), and a whole bunch of washed out looking parents of various characters.
In a story like this the girlfriend/wife has to be as powerful, if not more, than the other woman—but here a very glamorous Karisma Kapoor steals every scene from every actor in the film and leaves her rival in love looking like a soggy pancake.
Aksar
Problem number one with Anant Narayan Mahadevan’s Aksar—Udita Goswami sorely lacks in oomph, and you are supposed to believe she is an irresistible femme fatale. Problem two, Emraan Hashmi playing a womanizing cad, for the umpteenth time. Every other problem follows.
The director, who claims Aksar is original, but borrows liberally from Dial M For Murder and Unfaithful, tries to be blasé and sophisticated about sex, but doesn’t succeed.
Rajveer (Dino Morea), a London-based, mansion-owning billionaire, hires a lecherous photographer Ricky (Hashmi) to seduce his wife Sheena (Goswami), so that he can divorce her. Why would anyone go through such a harebrained scheme to divorce his wife? Exactly!
Sheena hates Ricky for ditching her best friend, but he just has to ignore her for a bit, and she comes rushing into his arms. But instead of divorcing Rajveer, she tells him that she will keep him, the lover and his millions, thank you! While Ricky says he wants to keep Sheena, her share of the millions and his room in the mansion, and Rajveer obviously looks as if he has seen a ghost! Why would a cuckolded husband not be able to file for divorce if he can prove adultery? Exactly!
Giving away more of the plot would not be fair to those who might want to see the film, but be warned of several, totally implausible twists and turns and a very strange ending.
If there’s anything going for this movie, it’s Himesh Reshammiya’s chart-busting music. There’s sex on the beach too, with Udita Goswami flashing miles of skin, but then let’s face it, the girl is no Mallika Sherawat!
Suneel Darshan’s Mere Jeevan Saathi has obviously been in the making for a while, since it stars Karisma Kapoor (who has supposedly taken a break from films after her marriage). It also warms up the plot of Fatal Attraction—after Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, there was nothing left to add to this old chestnut about a woman scorned going berserk.
Aspiring singer Vicky (Akshay Kumar), who seems to have just one song in his repertoire, is turned into an international star by the mysterious Natasha (Karisma Kapoor). Apparently she was in love with him since college (and he didn’t notice her, imagine!), so she orchestrated the whole thing—including a romp in bed in America. But Vicky is in love with Anjali (Amisha Patel), and is terrified of the consequences of his one-night stand. When asked by his secretary how it happened, he says, “God knows”. Hilarious!
Natasha follows Vicky to Mumbai, pawing him at every given opportunity, while he turns purple with guilt and embarrassment. The point of Fatal Attraction was that the man has to suffer for what he did, when the woman he had the fling with turns out to be a monster. Natasha goes through bouts of self-destruction, weeps, wails, threatens and does nothing.
So the film quickly settles into tame seventies melodrama mode, of the Ek Hi Bhool, Maang Bharo Sajna variety. There is even a Silsila like open-air confrontation between Natasha and the patient, understanding Anjali.
Outdated, hackneyed and quite hopeless, Mere Jeevan Saathi adds to viewers’ woes by dumping in a pair of irritating lisping villains (Gulshan Grover-Ashish Vidyarthi), and a whole bunch of washed out looking parents of various characters.
In a story like this the girlfriend/wife has to be as powerful, if not more, than the other woman—but here a very glamorous Karisma Kapoor steals every scene from every actor in the film and leaves her rival in love looking like a soggy pancake.
Aksar
Problem number one with Anant Narayan Mahadevan’s Aksar—Udita Goswami sorely lacks in oomph, and you are supposed to believe she is an irresistible femme fatale. Problem two, Emraan Hashmi playing a womanizing cad, for the umpteenth time. Every other problem follows.
The director, who claims Aksar is original, but borrows liberally from Dial M For Murder and Unfaithful, tries to be blasé and sophisticated about sex, but doesn’t succeed.
Rajveer (Dino Morea), a London-based, mansion-owning billionaire, hires a lecherous photographer Ricky (Hashmi) to seduce his wife Sheena (Goswami), so that he can divorce her. Why would anyone go through such a harebrained scheme to divorce his wife? Exactly!
Sheena hates Ricky for ditching her best friend, but he just has to ignore her for a bit, and she comes rushing into his arms. But instead of divorcing Rajveer, she tells him that she will keep him, the lover and his millions, thank you! While Ricky says he wants to keep Sheena, her share of the millions and his room in the mansion, and Rajveer obviously looks as if he has seen a ghost! Why would a cuckolded husband not be able to file for divorce if he can prove adultery? Exactly!
Giving away more of the plot would not be fair to those who might want to see the film, but be warned of several, totally implausible twists and turns and a very strange ending.
If there’s anything going for this movie, it’s Himesh Reshammiya’s chart-busting music. There’s sex on the beach too, with Udita Goswami flashing miles of skin, but then let’s face it, the girl is no Mallika Sherawat!
Labels: Cinemaah
