Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Aisha
Aisha
There was a time when films used to be talked about for their content or performances; now they are talked about for their style. Before the release of Rajshree Ojha’s Aisha, Sonam Kapoor made sure she was seen in public wearing trendy designer togs, and be crowned style queen. That image is what she capitalizes on in the film.
Aisha is the ‘Dilli’ version of Clueless, which was an update of the Jane Austen novel Emma. The original was set at a time when there was the big divide between the aristocracy and ‘commoners’, and the wealthy had nothing to do except party and picnic, and marry in the right social circles. Transplanted to contemporary Delhi, the film, does, up to a point capture the lives of the idle rich with a wry sense of humour, and well-written dialogue.
Emma in the Austen novel was an inveterate matchmaker, which young girl today would be worried more about the love lives of her friends and relatives, rather than her own? Aisha, as her neighbour and nemesis Arjun (Abhay Deol) says, is “shallow” – all she does is parade around in stylish clothes, shops, dabbles in ‘causes’ and treats her friends as ‘projects’ to be improved. Such a heroine is amusing up to a point, but her very shallowness drags the film down, because that’s all there is to it.
Aisha and her friend Pinky (Ira Dubey) try to get a ‘behenji’ Shefali (Amrita Puri) into stylish mode and match make for her with a mithai tycoon Randhir (Cyrus Sahukar). Aisha’s meddling causes the poor Shefali a lot of anguish, and complicates her own life too.
Because the film tries to be light and all pretty looking, it misses having any emotional connect with the audience, except perhaps teenage girls who are busy admiring the clothes and accessories. It’s not as if one has anything against chick flicks about airheads, but they should be funny and enjoyable, which is a prerequisite for romcoms. Or, one should end up rooting for the main character—by the time Aisha is left standing alone on a dance floor to emphasize her isolation, the viewer is part caring.
As far as performances go, Amrita Puri as the helpless innocent being tossed around for the amusement of her rich friends, is charming and nicely cast. Sonam Kapoor’s ‘look’ is more impressive than her performance, and Abhay Deol sleepwalks through his role.
There was a time when films used to be talked about for their content or performances; now they are talked about for their style. Before the release of Rajshree Ojha’s Aisha, Sonam Kapoor made sure she was seen in public wearing trendy designer togs, and be crowned style queen. That image is what she capitalizes on in the film.
Aisha is the ‘Dilli’ version of Clueless, which was an update of the Jane Austen novel Emma. The original was set at a time when there was the big divide between the aristocracy and ‘commoners’, and the wealthy had nothing to do except party and picnic, and marry in the right social circles. Transplanted to contemporary Delhi, the film, does, up to a point capture the lives of the idle rich with a wry sense of humour, and well-written dialogue.
Emma in the Austen novel was an inveterate matchmaker, which young girl today would be worried more about the love lives of her friends and relatives, rather than her own? Aisha, as her neighbour and nemesis Arjun (Abhay Deol) says, is “shallow” – all she does is parade around in stylish clothes, shops, dabbles in ‘causes’ and treats her friends as ‘projects’ to be improved. Such a heroine is amusing up to a point, but her very shallowness drags the film down, because that’s all there is to it.
Aisha and her friend Pinky (Ira Dubey) try to get a ‘behenji’ Shefali (Amrita Puri) into stylish mode and match make for her with a mithai tycoon Randhir (Cyrus Sahukar). Aisha’s meddling causes the poor Shefali a lot of anguish, and complicates her own life too.
Because the film tries to be light and all pretty looking, it misses having any emotional connect with the audience, except perhaps teenage girls who are busy admiring the clothes and accessories. It’s not as if one has anything against chick flicks about airheads, but they should be funny and enjoyable, which is a prerequisite for romcoms. Or, one should end up rooting for the main character—by the time Aisha is left standing alone on a dance floor to emphasize her isolation, the viewer is part caring.
As far as performances go, Amrita Puri as the helpless innocent being tossed around for the amusement of her rich friends, is charming and nicely cast. Sonam Kapoor’s ‘look’ is more impressive than her performance, and Abhay Deol sleepwalks through his role.
Labels: Cinemaah
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