Spoilers ahead…
In a sense, Aaha Kalyanam is an interesting, perhaps even important, film. In a cinema culture obsessed with virginity, it’s refreshing to light on Shruthi (Vaani Kapoor), who begins a wedding-planning business with Shakthi (Nani) and gradually falls in love with him. After executing a big contract, they end up celebrating – with champagne. A woozy-headed kiss leads to sex, and she’s happy. But soon she discovers that he isn’t. He’s confused about their relationship status. Are they just business partners or… partners? And when she casually lets slip that that night might not have meant much, he leaps at this out with visible relief. And she’s crushed – not because she’s had sex with him and he’s not going to marry her, and not because she could be pregnant, but because something that meant so much to her means so little to him. She doesn’t regret having sex, but the fact that to him it’s just sex, nothing more.
Band Baaja Baaraat mined gold from this premise. The film was an example of how relatively standard-issue rom-c0m fare could be transcended – indeed, made transcendent – through terrific casting, staging and a feel for both the milieu and the material. Gokul Krishna’s remake follows the original almost beat for beat, but never does anything more. Vaani Kapoor appears so invested in pronouncing her lines right that she hasn’t any energy left for a performance. Nani gamely allows his Telugu accent to be mocked – but the role, especially during the final declaration of love, calls for much more. The supporting characters aren’t well developed (the actress who plays Shruthi’s mother is good, though). And despite some wonderfully conversational dialogue, we’re left with the strange feeling of watching a Hindi movie dubbed in Tamil, along with the realisation that a story alone doesn’t make a movie.
KEY:
* Aaha Kalyanam = Wow, it’s a wedding…
* a cinema culture obsessed with virginity = see discussion here
* Band Baaja Baaraat = see here
* pronouncing her lines right = to see what a non-Tamil actress usually does in a Tamil movie, see here
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Kalpesh Jain
February 22, 2014
but the role, especially during the final declaration of love, calls for much more.
The director opted for some fun there and I think Naani was perfect there.Nothing much can be called out there
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susruthanvesh
February 22, 2014
Reblogged this on .Writeffective. and commented:
Haha … I was waiting for this review!
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Lakshman
February 25, 2014
Saar your keys are now becoming inkey pinkey ponkey level! But no duplicate keys!
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Bala
February 25, 2014
Just two comments ? Hmm. Has the movie been marketed well ? I understand nani is probably not that big a draw in tamilnadu but has no-one else watched this ? 🙂
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Ceaser
February 25, 2014
Bala, dude the response here is much better than Jai Ho and thats a salman starrer
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abvblogger
February 28, 2014
“the final declaration of love”…
Where are the movies where two leads do not end up with each other? That’s what made Vinaithandi Varuvaaya unforgettable. It can still be fairly comedic.
“Vaani Kapoor appears so invested in pronouncing her lines right that she hasn’t any energy left for a performance”.
This crack reminds me of the Hugh Jackman ads for Micromax. At first they rolled it out without using his name explicitly and he looked so anaemic that everyone was asking whether it was really Hugh Jackman. Then they turned out another ad, where he dourly announced, “Hi, I’m Hugh Jackman” before going on to extol the phone in equally unconvincing tones. Clearly a good cast and script alone does not an advertisement make.
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