U Me Aur Hum

If you're wondering why U Me Aur Hum, starring the ultra talented Ajay Devgan and his seldom-seen-nowadays-but-still-loved wife Kajol was only a moderate success, I've got the answer: It was really only a moderately good movie.

(***Warning****There aren't any real spoilers to U Me Aur Hum here, as anything I've discussed in the next paragraph can be told on the DVD jacket, but there's a slight spoiler to the Hollywood film The Notebook****).



U Me Aur Hum, which marks Devgan's first attempt at directing, has been criticized for being another example of Bollywood plagiarism, in this case a copycat of the Hollywood blockbuster The Notebook. I'm not sure that's fair. Yes, in The Notebook the heroine suffers from dementia, and in this film, Kajol ends up with Alzheimer's, but the issue is dealt with very differently. The Notebook centers around the love story of the two main characters in a flashback of their younger years--when both were healthy. The only time we hear about the dementia is in intervals throughout the narration, in "real time". U Me Aur Hum, though narrated in the same format, turns into a film about how the couple, now married, faces the disease.

It starts out as your average "boy-meets-girl" love story. Ajay (Ajay Devgan) is a single psychiatrist vacationing on a cruise with two couples, which we quickly learn are supposed to be his best buds. Piya (Kajol) is a cocktail waitress at a nightclub on the ship. Naturally, when Ajay lays eyes on Piya he falls in love with her. He spends the remainder of his time on the cruise attempting to win her heart.

I had problems with the film right off the bat. For one, the side stories involving Ajay's annoying friends were obviously supposed to add comic relief, but I ended up with a headache instead (I will note that by the end of the film I realized why they were there and considered them a positive addition to the second half of the story). It seemed as if Ajay was trying to duplicate the corny humor found in a typical Karan Johar love story, but it just didn't work. In fact, he made Kjo look like a comedic genius. Yikes!




Secondly, the first song, "Dil Dhaka Hai", featuring a drunken Ajay, was completely unattractive and unappealing. Not to mention a certain layer of sleaze that could be felt every time one of the scary looking extras did a pole dance. See for yourself...




Also, the path Ajay took to win Piya's heart was filled with deception. One day, upon sneaking into her cabin, Ajay snoops through Piya's "Book of Possibilities"... a diary of some sorts which just happens to be lying around practically on display and is clearly labeled as such. The book is a collection of all of Piya's hopes, dreams, and best loved things: Liquor chocolates, salsa dancing, Labradors. Ajay, of course, takes advantage of this newfound knowledge and uses it to become the man of her dreams. Inevitably, he repents, but its not a very favorable first impression to make.



Throughout the film, Devgan seems to get creative with his directional moves, experimenting with different shots and angles. I can appreciate that. But some of the stuff just comes across as odd. For example, the kid on the cruise ship that followed Ajay around like a little stalker was weird enough--we didn't need the darkened split screen to add to his creepiness:

And as Ajay flips through Piya's diary, he has some strange ways of reflecting on what he's read:




My final nitpick about the first half of the film is that you can't learn salsa overnight. Obviously. Unless you're a natural, which Ajay is clearly not. But I could have accepted that if we'd have gotten some snazzy salsa moves from Ajay and Piya in the catchy "Jee Le" (my favorite song of the film). Instead, the camera seemed to be editing Kajol and Ajay to make them look like they knew what they were doing. I don't mean to criticize--I have two left feet myself--but I honestly think Ajay and Kajol were capable of more! Especially Kajol--C'mon, girl, I've seen you work it out in Fanaa!

Somehow, the film got sooo much better after they got off that stupid cruise ship (pretty as it was). Once Ajay and Piya got married, and as Piya's mental health deteriorated, U Me Aur Hum proved it was more than just a mediocre rom-com. Though some things were predictable, the movie did a decent job of showing the different aspects of Ajay and Piya's lives that were affected by the illness.



Ajay's devotion to Piya was beautiful--and heartbreaking. Now here was the talented lass that won me over in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and blew me away in Omkara(review forthcoming). I literally felt his love for his wife, particularly in the emotional final scenes. I actually had to remind myself that the leads were married in real life and perhaps what I was seeing was real love, but I quickly dismissed that thought. Yes, they were most likely really in love, but their performances weren't in any way reliant on that. They were completely and totally in character, and if the film worked it was because of them alone.

Kajol, looking more beautiful than ever, lit up the screen in her happier moments as Piya. In the heavier scenes, she did seem to hold back a tad bit, but still managed to pull it off. Heck, who cares about the film: I was just happy to see her onscreen again! And the part where Piya dances for her husband was toooo adorable...When I get married, that's how I want to be--Dancing to a Kajol song for my hubby!




I'm not going to lie to you: U Me Aur Hum had me in tears by the end. While that's not a complete miracle, a film has to touch me in some way for me to react. And U Me Aur Hum did--The problems with the film diminished by its end, and the solid performances from Ajay and Kajol made it worthwhile. Still, for me, its one of those movies that you sort of enjoy while you're watching but becomes forgettable a couple of weeks later.

There are two things I should say before I close this review, because they may be responsible for my crankiness with this one: First, The Notebook happens to be one of my favorite films of all times (If you haven't seen it--Don't bother with U Me Aur Hum--go rent that one instead!), so I'm a little biased, even though I maintain my stance that the two don't really deserve to be compared. Secondly, I popped this in after the whole Arth mishap, so I was probably a little bitter about that, too. Because of those two points, I think its safe to say you have a pretty good chance of enjoying this film more than I did!

One final, disturbing thought: Is this all we get of Kajol until My Name is Khan?

Finally...Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Wow, I'm really, really sorry this post took so long to write! I realize I promised it weeks ago, but school has been a lot more intense this semester than I anticipated...I'm in a whirlwind of nursing exams and papers...my daughter's demanding all my attention and I just can't give it to her right now...all I know is, I need a good Bollywood movie in my life, stat!

And, speaking of a good Bollywood film...Luckily, before school began, I finally sat down to watch Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the stirring romance starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Ajay Devgan.



HDDCS is like no other Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Sure, it starts out a bit like Devdas, but takes such an unexpected turn after intermission that it didn't seem repetitive at all(I realize this was made before Devdas, but it was still nice to see SLB didn't make two films that were too much alike). It's so beautiful, unique, and romantic film that I'm sure I'd like it even more with subsequent viewings.

Nandini (Aishwayra Rai) is the favorite daughter of a well respected classical Indian musician, Pandit Darbar. Being Daddy's Little Girl, she's a bit spoiled, and has always gotten what she wanted. So when an Italian musician named Sameer (Salman Khan)comes to India to train with her father, Nandini throws a little hissy fit because she has to give up her room.

However, when Sameer and Nandini meet, sparks fly.






From their first meeting at the chandelier(one of my favorite scenes),their chemistry is undeniable. One thing is clear--Salman Khan is not afraid to touch Aishwarya Rai! Nor is he intimidated by her beauty. Yes, I know they were involved offscreen as well, and regardless of personal opinions on all of that drama, I still think they deserve full credit for their jodi in this film. Just check out the hauntingly seductive song, "Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan" (Please also note how hot Salman Khan looks in his outfit. He should dress like this more often, just my opinion).



Anyways, despite how cute Sameer and Nandini are, there's a little bit of a problem-- Sameer has some growing up to do. When Nandini slaps him (it wasn't hard, but she still should have kept her hands to herself), he literally leaves the wedding celebrations to go pout in his room.



Nandini tries to apologize, but he's just as stubborn as she was about giving up her room. She warns him that another man will fall in love with her at the party, but he chooses to sit and sulk instead. And this is first mistake.

Enter Ajay Devgan as Vanraj, the man who does exactly what Nandini warned Sameer against--he falls in love with her on first sight at the wedding. Prior to this film, I'd never seen Ajay onscreen and knew him best as Kajol's real life husband. To be honest, I was a little creeped out by him as he gazed at Nandini from afar. He was totally wrong for her, in my opinion--I was already sold on her ending up with Sameer, despite his immaturity. "Keep dreaming, buddy", I said aloud,"She's already taken!" Since I thought the chances of Vanraj actually winning Nandini over was slim to nil, I relaxed and actually forgot about him for awhile.



Yet as Sameer and Nandini's fate took a turn for the worst, and Vanraj kept popping up in intervals with a marriage proposal he conveyed to Nandini's parents, I realized (to my dismay) that this guy wasn't going anywhere. Sure enough--Sameer was sent packing by intermission and Vanraj married a stoic Nandini, whose heart clearly still belonged to the Italian musician.



As Nandini kept resisting the advances of her new husband, I began to soften to Vanraj. He wasn't so bad, I realized. After all, most men would have sent Nandini home after the first night. But not Vanraj. He just held on to the hope that her heart would change.

(***Some slight spoilers ahead***Sorry, I can't really complete this review without discussing them)

Here's where the film completely took me by surprise. When Vanraj discovers Nandini is in love with Sameer, he does what any husband would probably never do--he accompanies her on a trip to Italy to find her long lost love.

The second half of the film is even more brilliant than the first. For one, its funny--some of the scenes with Vanraj and Nandini on the hunt for Sameer are so ironic they're comical. And Nandini maintains a lost expression on her sad face--one is left to believe she'll literally die without Sameer.



But for me, the best part about the second half is Ajay Devgan. While I started out rooting for Nandini and Sameer, I slowly began to empathize with Vanraj, and then found myself falling in love with his unselfish devotion to his wife. By the end of the film, I realized he loved Nandini in a way Sameer couldn't even begin to understand.

For example, there's a scene where Vanraj and Nandini are waiting for the bus. Vanraj boards and takes a seat, thinking his wife is behind him. But Nandini is lost in her despair and doesn't even notice the bus has left, remaining at the bus stop as her husband rides on. Once Vanraj notices she isn't present, he naturally jumps off the bus, frantically running to locate her. He finds her at the bus stop in the exact same postition as she was when he left, a lost expression on her face. Instead of questioning her about it, he sits down calmly and pretends as if the whole incident never happened, so as not to upset her. Nandini snaps out of her reverie, unaware she's missed anything--and Vanraj casually lets her know the next bus is coming.

There's another scene where the couple go to eat at an Italian restaurant. Nandini sits and sulks, appearing almost ungrateful to her husband and clearly uninterested in eating. When the server asks her what she wants, she shrugs and points to a random item on the menu, sighing heavily. But when the plate arrives (and ends up being a whole octupus on a bed of lettuce), she looks practically sick to her stomach. Vanraj steps in, as a true gentleman, and offers her his own plate.



I couldn't believe how my devotion to the smoking coupling of Nandini and Sameer crumbled on its own shaky ground and allowed me to see the gem of a man Vanraj truly was. I almost felt as if I was Nandini, as if all of her changing emotions were my own. At the end, I literally felt as if the choice between Sameer and Vanraj was mine to make--I was that involved in the film. Hats off to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for making this happen!



Although I loved Sameer, he completely dropped the ball in his relationship with Nandini. He had ample opprotunity to talk to her father and ask for her hand--and let every one of them pass him by. Sameer's immaturity may have been cute in the beginning, but it just didn't hold water when things started to get rough. This is what separated him from Vanraj--he lacked the qualities of a real man who is in love and doesn't want to lose his woman. As a matter of fact, when Nandini's father discovers the truth about their affair, he orders Sameer never to see his daughter again--and Sameer accepts without much complaint. Nandini, on the other hand, was willing to put up a fight to be with Sameer, even straining the solid relationship she previously held with her father. This imbalance between the two helped to make up my mind about which man truly deserved to get the girl--it was Vanraj, hands down.



I'd heard Ajay Devgan was a good actor, but wow, he was superb as Vanraj. I have some of his other films such as "Halla Bol", "Kaal", and "U Me Aur Hum". I haven't gotten around to watching any of them yet, but it'll be interesting for me to compare them and truly form an opinion on him. So far so good--he made an excellent first impression!

I really liked Aishwarya here. Bratty, smug, spoiled, playful...she fits all the shades to Nandini's personality like a glove. I do think she's grown as a performer in many ways since this film, but for the most part, this role couldn't have been more suited for her.



And what is going on with me and Salman Khan? Kuch kuch hota hai, I swear! The guy's growing on me, especially as in this film as the goofy-yet hot-Sameer. I dig this ditzy quality on him, in the same way I liked him as Suraj in the less popular
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. Yes, there were moments in the film where his expressions felt really forced (not that I'm any expert, but his reaction when he found out Nandini was in Italy was almost a joke), but overall I loved Sameer's idiosyncrasies.



Some of the other supporting cast members added just the right touch to already amazing film. Nandini's parents epitimized my vision of a healthy marriage (for the most part). They were full of giggles and praise for each other--check out this screen shot of them cracking up hysterically, in bed!



Did I mention that I wish Zohra Sehgal was my grandmother? Every time she's in a film, no matter how small the role, she manages to make me smile. Zohra has a great scene in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam where she starts to tell Sameer and Nandini the story of her marriage--and catches them being naughty! It's one of the cutest scenes in the entire film.



As in Devdas ("Do you love me?" "Or you could ask me if I breathe"), Sanjay Leela Bhansali has given me yet another line that I can't wait to incorporate into my own life. I love, love, love spicy food and always get flack from those who can't handle it. When Sameer makes a smart remark about Nandini's spicy food, she has a quick response:




As if I needed one more reason to love this film!



© 2008 Nida Nazir
Bitten By Bollywood