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Friday, April 19, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD AISHA
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***
The thing about shallow people from the beau monde is that they shouldn`t be
played shallowly when brought to the screen.
Sonam Kapoor in a `tailor`-made role (where more moolah seems to have been spent
on tailoring her chic outfits than on exploring the locations, sound sights
scents and, yes, sense of this embarrassing world of excessive self-preening)
gets the Jane Austen character right. Quite a leap for the actress.
When she had played the confused lover-girl in "Saawariya", Sonam had
imposed her own natural-born confusions on the character - rendering it shaky
and disembodied.
In "Aisha", Sonam is far more in control of her character`s misguided
emotional compulsions. The fact that the young actress knows this label-centric
designer world of chic shenanigans so well, helps Sonam master and contour her
character`s art of self-deception in a way the original author of the character
would have approved.
Sonam`s world harks back to Jane Austen`s giddy-headed British gentry class
where match-making was not an idle chatter. It was religion. When placed in the
neo-rich spiced-up politically-charged atmosphere of Delhi, Jane Austen`s
characters seem to come alive in unexpected spurts of sassy splendour and
unbridled joie de vivre. You can`t help laugh at these young, often-aimless,
people`s self-importance.
"Aisha" is a two-hour celebration of pre-nuptial rituals. Though no
one says it, every girl in the film wants only one thing. And it isn`t
necessarily love, but somewhere close. The bristle and bustle of Delhi comes
alive through the slender intellectual faculties of the protagonists.
Let`s not forget that Jane Austen had applied great intellectual strength to her
frail and shallow people. "Aisha" converts Austen`s world into a frail
feisty frolicsome fashion fiesta shot with an empowering affection for the
natural light that bathes these somewhat affected people. The cinematography by
Diego Rodriguez and especially the songs and background music by Amit Trivedi
create a multi-hued skyline in this saga of sophomore socialites, their loves,
lovers and love tattle.
Debutante director Rajshree Ojha gets into this world of titillating trivia and
designer dreams with a wink and smile that goes a long way in building a
showcase around these metropolitan mannequins on a single-minded match-making
prowl. The casting is as dead-on as it can get. While the guys Abhay Deol, Cyrus
Sahukar and Arunoday Singh play the Brain, Nerd and Hunk with absolute relish,
it`s the girls who keep you chuckling and tch-tch-ing.
Neha Dubey and debutante Amrita Puri put in pitch-perfect performances as
sahelis bullied into alliances that seem manipulated on earth rather than
arranged in heaven. They have a bright future ahead, single or not.
But the film belongs to Sonam Kapoor, make no mistake of that. She makes the
best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be part of a
Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi`s elitist affectations in
one clean cool sweep.
Engaging and endearing - Aisha makes you wonder if there`s anything more
important in the world than finding the right match.
Maybe finding the right movie about finding the right match?
Actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film "Veere Di Wedding", says her closest friends are actresses Jacqueline Fernandez, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Swara Bhasker.Asked if real friends can't be made in Bollywood, Sonam told IANS: "Completely untrue. Jacqueline, Bebo (Kareena) and Swara are my closest friends."Directed by Shashanka Ghosh, "Veere Di Wedding", a tale of four friends, also stars Kareena, Swara and Shikha Talsania. Read More
Radiant in red, Sonam Kapoor weds Anand AhujaActress Sonam Kapoor, who has earned the 'fashionista' tag in Bollywood with her experimental taste, chose a traditional bright red lehenga with heavy jewellery for her wedding day as she tied the knot with long-time beau Anand Ahuja at a ceremony here on Tuesday morning.Sonam wore a lotus-motif ensemble by designer Anuradha Vakil and looked every bit the Punjabi bride with her hands adorned by a deep maroon colour of henna, both wrists full of the 'chooda' and 'kaleere'. She wore a statement maatha-patti.Read More
Aisha is a girl with a simple dikat - everyone`s business is her business. Arjun is a boy with even a simpler set of beliefs - Aisha should mind her own business. Caught in the Delhi Upper class world with a great sense of style and even greater optimism. Caught in her web are her best friend Pinky, the small town girl Shefali, the west Delhi boy Randhir and the hunk Dhruv. Aisha will make sure everyone dances to her tune. And all arjun wants to do is disentangle that web and get Aisha out of an impending sticky mess. Who will succeed and who will succumb?
