Ram Leela: **1/2

Just like its forcefully imposed title “Goliyon ki Rasleela Ramleela”, the recent release and 7^th directorial venture of Bollywood's self-confessed rangrezz (colorful man) Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the movie is a forceful Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (But wait a minute, Romeo and Juliet was a love story and not a lust story, right? May be SLB just got too carried away by hormonal (testosterone) imbalance).

Set in a village named Ranjaar (with its own newspaper Ranjaar Times!!), a world as bizarre as Hogwarts or the Mountain home of the Lords of the Rings (though the other two seems more believable) where gang wars, murders, rape, smuggling and all those dreadful crimes that you can think of are days job, where guns go blazing at the snap of a finger, where weapons are sold like vegetables and where two communities Sanedo and Rajadi live on the edge of their 500 years old enmity (actually from Shakepeare’s time. What a coincidence!). Our two protagonists Ram (Ranveer Singh) and Leela (Deepika Padukone) are two young lads of their respective families. Ram, younger brother of Rajadi clan’s don Megji (Anhimanyu Sigh) is a flamboyant, sexy, carefree and kind hearted playboy who loves wooing women and stays away from guns and fights. Leela on the other hand is a protected and pampered daughter of Sanedo clan’s chief Dhankor Baa (Supriya Pathak). They meet at a Holi celebration when Ram sneaks into rival clan’s house and the two scorches up the heat almost instantaneously (even in reel time. No meaningful exchange of words or feelings, no gradual progress of affection, straight into the action.  In few minutes they are all over each-other in Leela’s bedroom. LUST story! Wish it was possible in real life, Huh!).

Problem starts when Ram’s brother Megji gets accidently killed in a fire exchange by Leela’s brother Kaanji who in turn gets killed by Ram. Ram confronts Leela over it and the two decides to run away from their families to live a peaceful life (the two argues over killing each other’s brothers and in the next moment falls into each other’s arm passionately. Everything thing is forgiven. I am banging my head!). They go to a place few kilometers away from their village and stays in a lodge where Leela forces Ram for marriage in order to stay under one roof together (Huh. The girl showers kisses on a guy she met just before 5 mins, goes to his video parlor to have fun and just can’t stay under one roof because they are not married. What a chastity show!). However, Ram’s friends finds them the next day and tricks him over a party which ends in Leela getting picked up by her brother Bhavani (Gulshan Devaiah). From here on meaningfulness, logic, common sense and all such jargons goes for a complete toss and the movie which was descending gradually so far, nose dives! On return to their homes, Ram and Leela are made the head of their respective clans (as against the plan devised by Bhavani). Despite of knowing the fact that both were tricked by their respective families (and being in touch through mobile phones) Ram and Leela gets dragged in the rage of their family rivalry and the situation gets worst when jealous Bhavani tricks Leela to sign an agreement they entered into with Rajadi clan (of business and territory division) which actually starts blood thirsty war. Ram and Leela confront each other in the end and lovingly end their lives to bring an end to this enmity.

Grandeur, Opulence, Colors and beauty in excess is quintessentially SLB style and Ram Leela is no short of this. Beautiful sceneries, larger than life sets (Leela’s balcony can even make Juliet jealous of her), splendid colors, and some awesome cinematography are in abundance in Ram Leela but problem is everything in excess is poison. Too much of fabric and too little substance makes Ram Leela overwhelmingly intolerable especially in the second half. Over the top drama, absolutely ridiculous dialogues (I felt like banging my head in the scene where Leela being convinced by Rasila (Richa Chadda) to forget Ram and she replies in shayaris. Way too ridiculous!), loose screenplay, unwanted and forceful accent by characters and poor editing are some of the spoilers for Ram Leela. After Sawariya this is probably the weakest directorial project of SLB. The poetic and vivid sense which SLB displayed in HDDCS and Devdaas were completely missing in Ram Leela. He has tried to put similar sequences in Ram Leela (Ram talking to his friends about Leela, crying over separation at the temple in the desert, Leela getting her finger chopped off and many others) and surprisingly fails totally to bring the emotions out. At no point of time he is able convince us that it’s a love story. It’s Guns and lust all over and the intensity, pain, passion of love is nowhere to be seen. The sequences reduce to a mockery wherever he has tried to imbibe those emotions due to over the top acting, unwanted drama and poor dialogues.

Deepika looks stunningly beautiful as Leela and carries the charm, boldness, arrogance, pride, intensity, confidence and elegance with such an ease. Ranveer Singh as Ram looks convincing in the first half as a harmless, happy go lucky lad but doesn't look effective in intense scenes. The chemistry between Ranveer and Deepika is sensuous for sure and they look very good on the screen. Two most noteworthy characters are Dhankor Baa (Supriya Pathak) and Rasila (Richa Chadda). Supirya looks menacing as ruthless clan leader and does complete justice to her role. Richa Chadda looks beautiful and convincing as Rasila and gives some fine performance. Gulshan Devaiah as Bhavani gets some good screen space but his character is not shaped as effectively. Shard Kelkar and Abhimanyu Singh have done well in their limited roles.

Music is not of the level of earlier SLB movies and absence of Ismail Darbar is clearly visible. However, Lahu Muh Lag Gaya and Tattad Tattad are good numbers. Choreography is excellent. Technically the movie is spectacular with some breathtaking shots and crisp cinematography but poor editing (so many unwanted scenes and songs could have been avoided to reduce good 20 odd mins of running time) and loose direction (poor handling of some very intense sequences) are spoilers.

Ram Leela is a beautiful body without soul. One advice for SLB – Leave few things to Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bhardwaj (Fantastic screenplay and direction in Gangs of Wasseypur, Omkara, Maqbool) and focus more on stories instead of sets, dresses, colors and all other extravaganza! Else it may happen that – “Aila, hum ne to tragedy banayi thi, ye comedy kaise ban gayi???”

Bhai Bhai, Bhai Bhai!!

Krrish 3: **1/2

The festive season, long weekend (as this Monday being holiday in many cities in India) and no major release for 2 weeks (Ramleela being released on 15^th Nov), there could not have been a better time to release Krrish 3, which is 3rd installment of India’s most adorable superhero franchise from the stable of Rakesh Roshan.

The movie is set 7 years post Krrish’s climax where the protagonist reunites with his father Rohit Mehra (Hrithik Roshan) and now lives peacefully as Krishna Mehra with his TV journalist wife Priya Mehra (Priyanka Chopra) and continue to save the city from occasional anomalies as Krrish, albeit in a concealed identity.

Kaal (Vivek Oberoi), the wheelchair bound antagonist posses the power to move objects with is mind (Wait a minute, Professor X was wheelchair bound and his arch rival Magneto had power to move objects, right? ye to easy hai boss) and is busy experimenting on DNA of men and animals for bone marrow that can revive his paralyzed body in a high tech laboratory stationed at some unspecified location atop snowy mountains. He has created his own species of mutants called Maanvar (Maanav+Jaanvar, sandhi of grammar solved, 1 mark pocketed!!).

Everything seems fine until Kaal sends one of his mutants Kaya (Kangana Ranaut, who has ability to assume the form of any humans she touches) to kill a scientist who has found antidote for the deadly virus developed by pharmaceutical company of Kaal, which he uses to spread the killer disease in countries and then sends his antidotes to make the mullah. One other mutant (frog man) gets caught by Krrish (as the poor fellow indulged in stealing ice-cream, thank heavens, he did not say “Him-cream”, phew! job pe focus kar na yaar), and the father son duo traces the cure of the virus in their own blood and saves the city. This alerts Kaal and he sends his team to destroy Krrish and his family. And what follows is how Krrish destroys Kaal and saves his family and the city.

Plagiarism is not new in Bollywood and Krrish-3 is no exception to it. Koi Mil Gaya was inspired from ET, whereas Krrish-3 has taken almost entire theme from X-men series (Kaal’s power of Professor X, and Magneto, other mutant’s abilities are taken straight from X-Men with some patches of Spider-man, Superman here and there. I wish it also had the screenplay of these movies!). The screenplay is very weak and Roshan Sr. fails to develop the plot to a level which could have made the movie an edge-of- the seat thriller. (I mean, come on, after all why did he spend 3 long years in writing and developing this script? For this script, he could have done it in 3 months). There are some serious flaws in story which fails to establish any logic viz., Kaal’s motive to destroy human race with viruses and at the same time making money by selling antidote (Dude, who will buy your medicine when there won’t be any human), and were the Maanvars created only for that bone marrow? I mean, what is the connection of bone marrow and animal like characteristics?) The weak screenplay does not allow any character to evolve except Krrish and other than Kaya most of the mutants are wasted.

HR is the best choice of any superhero flick with his suave style, Greek-god looks and enviable body. Roshan Jr. is spot in Krrish-3 both as a mentally challenged father Rohit and his gifted son Krishna. His carries the mannerism of a superhero with such an ease that at times only his style saves some tacky graphics scenes from mockery. Priyanka has not much to do and she plays her part nicely. Kangana surprisingly gets decent length of role and does it almost satisfactorily. Vivek Oberoi as Kaal seems effective but becomes a victim of terribly tacky suit and weak dialogues.

Dialogues of the movie are painfully mundane. Vansh ka Ansh, Kaal ki Kayanaat, Baba ka ashirwad, I mean come man, its a sci-fi thriller and not a TV serial of Doordarshan! Music of the movie is below average and does not create any impact. Salim- Sulaiman’s background score is not impressive and do not live up to the expectations. Visual effects are decent as per Bollywood standards and Redchillies team has done a good job (However, there are some very tacky sequences which should have been avoided).

Krrish-3 is victim of a weak screenplay, weak dialogues, weak characterization, and mediocre music but deserves an appreciation for Rakesh Roshan’s courage of breaking the current norm of masala movies trend and doing something different. Krrish 3 is our own super hero and the audience especially kids are going to like it! 

I wonder

I wonder,

when I think of you in your domestic life,

no contrivance, no image, no perception,

when you are you, in your purest self,

I wonder how you look in the morning,

when you wake up from the bed, smile over that naughty dream,

your scattered curls, your sleepy eyes, your chubby chicks,

I want to wake up with you,

I wonder how you look after a fresh shower,

when you cover your wet body in towel,

spread the scent in the room to make it feel like a garden,

I want to feel your very own fragrance

I wonder how you look, sitting in front of the mirror,

brushing your hair, rolling your fingers on your flicks,

feeling shy of your own bare body – untouched, unseen,

I want to feel your soft, tender beauty

I wonder how you look, in the kitchen,

cooking a meal & eating from your plate,

wiping the gravy from your rosy lips,

I want lick your fingers full of gravy

I wonder how you look, sitting in the balcony,

gazing at the twilight sky, completely unaware of yourself,

yearning in the thoughts your man over a lonely evening,

I want to sit beside you and hold your hand

I wonder how you look, in the bedroom,

in your silky nightgown, ready to sleep,

waking up in the midnight suddenly of a scary dream,

and hugging the pillow tightly

I want to be with you

to see you, hiding your existence,

under me in a fit of wild love making,

with me in my arms, unfolding your forest of hair,

on my wide chest & caressing it,

I am dying to see one day,

how your body thrills,

when my fingers touch it.

I want so much to be a man once,

the man of your dreams, your ultimate one!!

Talaash: **1/2

He gave the biggest Bollywood blockbuster and then disappeared for 3 years (mainstream lead roles). Now he is back with a new mystery, a new enigma, a new role with a new look. Any Aamir Khan movie is anticipated anyway throughout the year with curiosity and these factors are bound to raise the curiosity level only higher. Released on 30^th Nov, Talaash is Aamir Khan's new movie also starring Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor.

Surjan Sinh Shekhawat (AK) is a cop interrogating a car accident case of film star Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) who dies in this mysterious accident. Armaan's wife informs Surjan that he had taken Rs. 20 L on the day of the accident. This confession triggers the suspicion of blackmailing and the investigation leads them to a pander named Shashi who is found dead with cash of Rs. 20 L. With further investigation the case gets more complicated. On the other hand, dealing with a personal loss of his son's death, Surjan and his wife Roshni (Rani Mukerji) are going through a delicate phase of their married life. Terribly hurt by his son's death, Surjan believes that it was because of his carelessness their son died and this melancholy takes a toll on him thus stresses his relation with his wife who feels totally left alone as Surjan stays aloof most of the time in distress. The investigation of Armaan's accident and then Sashi's involvement and death leads Surjan to a near by red light area in which Sashi used to operate where he meets a prostitute Rosie (Kareena Kapoor). Rosie gives some credible clues in the case. Already broken and emotionally drained from the personal tragedy, Surajn finds a comforting mate in Rosie and starts meeting her regularly. In the meanwhile, Sashi's friend Tehmur (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who was interrogated by police in Sashi's murder matter finds a CD in Sashi's room which has some sensitive information about Armaan Kapoor. He attempts to extort money from the number he got from Sashi's stolen sim card and gets killed. Police manged to get the contract killer who reveals the name of Armaan's friend Kejriwal. When Surjan goes to arrest Kejriwal the pendora's box gets opened and Rosie appears to be the central character in this entire case. What happens next and and how Surjan solves the case is the crux of the story.

Unlike anticipated, Talaash is not an age-of-the-seat suspense thriller but a mix of suspense, thriller and and emotional drama. It succeeds in keeping the audience engaged almost throughout the film with its twists and turns. Reema Kagti's direction is good and she manages to generate curiosity with timely twists which is well supported by some impressive cinematography. One sequence between Surajan and Rosie in which they are in a hotel room where Surjan succumbs to the grief, guilt and pain bursting within while being caressed by Rosie proves the maturity of the director the way it is shown so aesthetically and emotionally while keeping the essence alive. The title sequence is brilliantly shot with groovy score of “Muskaanein joothi hai” which effectively shows coexistence of two different worlds in Mumbai's underbelly. While the overall script co-written by Zoay Akhtar and Reem Kagti is good, the climax of the movie is lamely written. Ram Sampat's music is good but back ground score could have been better.

Talaash stands out for some fine performances by entire starcast. Aamir Khan is at his usual best in a challenging role of a tough police officer and an emotionally drained father and a husband. His character has many layers and he pulls it off almost perfectly well. Though there are a few scenes in which he looks a little mediocre but he manages to pull it through. Rani Mukerji in her small role as Roashni looks very real and impresses (Though she has not much to do in the movie). Kareena Kapoor in an important role of Rosie looks sensuous and sultry and looks totally in her elements. There is definitely something about her the way she flirts with camera and compels the audience to ogle at her. Nawazuddin Siddiqui stands out in this multi starrer film with his brilliant acting and well evolved role.

Talaash works for its gripping story and superb performances but it is not flawless. While it captivates us throughout the movie, it loses the grip when it matters the most. The climax of the movie is loosely handled both the way it is written and directed. And due to this Talaash remains a good movie but not a brilliant one. 

Life of Pi: ***1/2

When a master story teller Ang Lee (Academy award winning director) tells a story of triumph of human spirits, one is sure of witnessing a journey never seen before. With his new magnum opus “Life of Pi” based on the book of the same name by Yann Martel,  Ang Lee takes us into the world of Pi Patel and his unforgettable journey.

Narrated in flashback by now mature Piscine Molitor Patel (Irrfan Khan) to an author sent by his uncle, the story is of a boy nicknamed as Pi Patel who lives in Pondicherry with his family. Often confused and curious about things around him, Piscine gets very much interested in finding meaning of life through different religions. His eccentricities worries his father who owns a Zoo. Due to political constraints his father decides to sell the Zoo Animals in Canada to start a new life. Not too happy with this decision Pi Patel with his family and animals boards a Japanese ship on the voyage to Canada. Unfortunately after 4 days in the journey the ship meets with a mighty storm and sinks. Pi Patel however survives in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a royal bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

The boy's struggle of survival begins from here. Stranded in a boat in mid pacific with a ferocious tiger and a fearsome hyena, Pi's faith in god is tested to the limits. After a few days the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan and finally gets eaten by the tiger. Now, Pi shares the boat with Richard Parker. During the struggle to survive they forms a complicated relationship of fear, love, trust and cooperation. Finally after 227 days of being castaway their boat reaches to a Mexican shore where the tiger escapes into the jungle and Pi is rescued by the locals. What happens during their adventurous journey is a nothing less than a visual spectacle of another level.

Like Avatar, Ang Lee in Life of Pi has used the 3D technology to its optimum level. The sequences of storm, sunshine after the storm, a full moon night in the sea, the swimming pool in France and many other are breath taking and reaches the zenith of surrealism. Each frame looks a like a master piece of art work.  The animated tiger used in most of the sequences is unbelievably real and its the art of animation at its best.

A decent start cast of Irrfan Khan (mature Pi) and Tabbu (young Pi's mother) and newcomer Suraj Sharma (playing the main protagonist of young Pi) gives credible performances. Irrfan Khan like is usual self does justice to his small but significant role as a narrator. However, his accent sounds a bit odd and artificial. Suraj Sharma is impressive as young Pi. His performance is commending during his entire castaway sequence. His efforts to exert expressions of fear, helplessness, guilt etc. are indeed praiseworthy. The real star of the movie however is its special effects supported by Ang Lee's superb craftsmanship. Only thing that goes against the movie is that its a tad too lengthy and its climax in the end where Pi sums up his story that ends abruptly.

Life of Pi with its philosophized story telling and artistry of cinematic extravaganza may not ring the chords of our hearts but it is a visual splendor which is treat to the eyes! Even if you don't understand mathematics, you will surely enjoy this Pi!

Art of Living!!

એક સજ્જનને ફરિયાદ કરતા સાંભળ્યા "આ નોકરી એ તો હાલત બગાડી નાખી છે. આટલું તે કઈ કામ હોતું હશે? આના કરતાં તો નોકરી ના હોય એ સારું." જે નોકરીથી એમનો જીવન નિર્વાહ ચાલે છે એ નોકરી માટે તેઓ નિઃસાસા નાખી રહ્યા હતા. આ તો એક ઉદાહરણ છે. આવા ઘણા કિસ્સાઓ આપણે સાંભળીએ કે જોઈએ છીએ જેમાં લોકો નિરાશા, ફરિયાદ, આક્ષેપો, ટીકા વગેરે વ્યક્ત કરતાં હોય છે. ક્યારેક સામાજિક તો ક્યારે આર્થિક, ક્યારેક માનસિક તો ક્યારેક શારીરિક, કોઈ ને કોઈ તકલીફ તેમની પાસે હોય જ છે.

ઉપર જે ઉદાહરણ ટાંક્યું છે તેમાં આમ જોવા જઈએ તો ફરિયાદ કરવા માટે નું કોઈ કારણ દેખાતું નથી. અરે ભાઈ! થોડું કામ વધારે આવી ગયું તો એટલા બધા નિરાશ થવાની શું જરૂર છે? તમે જે કામ કરો છો તેના બદલા માં તમને પગાર મળે છે જેનાથી જ તો તમારા જીવન નો નિર્વાહ ચાલે છે. વાસ્તવ માં આપણી નિરાશાવાદીવૃત્તિ જ એટલીએ પ્રબળ છે કે દરેક વસ્તુ ની નકારાત્મક બાજુ આપણને પહેલાં દેખાય છે. એવા ઘણા લોકો છે જેઓ માત્ર કામ મેળવવા માટે પોતાના પરિવાર થી સેંકડો કિલોમીટર દુર જતા હોય છે, જયારે પોતાના જ ગામ માં સારી નોકરી ધરાવતો માણસ થોડા વધારે કામ થી પરેશાન થઇ નોકરી ને જ ગાળો ભાંડતો હોય છે. અનુકુળ અને પ્રતિકુળ સંજોગો દરેક ના જીવન માં અવતાજ હોય છે, આપણે તેને કઈ રીતે લઇએ છીએ તે મહત્વનું છે. Art of Living એ બીજું કઈ નહી પરંતુ જીંદગીને કેમ વધુ સારી રીતે જીવવી એ જ છે. સારી જીંદગી એટલે માત્ર પૈસો, સાધન સંપત્તિ, નોકર ચાકર, આર્થિક સદ્ધરતા જ હોય એ જરૂરી નથી પરંતુ વિષમ પરિસ્થિતિમાંપણ હકારાત્મક અભિગમ રાખી અને તેનો સામનો કરવો અને સંતુષ્ટ જીવન જીવવું એ છે. અહીં કોઈ પોતાની નોકરી થી ખુશ નથી પરંતુ તેને એ ખબર નથી તેની પાસે એક નોકરી તો છે જે તેના ઘર નો ચૂલો બળતો રાખે છે, માત્ર ૨ ટાઈમ ની રોટલી માટે સંઘર્ષ કરતા એવા કેટલાય બેરોજગારોથી તો એ નસીબદાર જ છે. કોઈ રોજ ના traffic થી ખુશ નથી, પરંતુ જે ગાડીમાં બેસી ને એ traffic માં ફસાય છે એ ગાડી કેટલાય લોકો માટે માત્ર એક સ્વપ્ન જ રહી જાય છે. કોઈ ને થોડું ચાલવું પડે તો કપરું લાગે છે પરંતુ એને એ ખ્યાલ નથી કે અપંગ લોકો માટે પોતાના પગ પર ચાલવાથી વિશેષ ખુશી કોઈ નથી. કોઈનો મિજાજ ખોરાક ના સ્વાદ થી બગડી જાય છે, પરંતુ એવા પણ લોકો છે જેમના માટે એક ટંકની રોટલી એક સંઘર્ષ છે. Positive Attitude એ સુખ ની જડીબુટ્ટી નથી પરંતુ દરેક પરિસ્થિતિ ને સ્વીકારવાની કળા અને વિકટ પરિસ્થિતિઓમાં હિંમતપૂર્વક ઝઝૂમવા માટેની ઉર્જા છે. એ જ Art of Living છે અને જો આ Art આત્મસાત થઇ જાય પછી સુખ અને દુઃખ માત્ર એક અવસ્થા બની જાય છે જેને જોતજોત માં પસાર કરી શકાય છે. 

આપણે સૌ કોઈ ને કોઈ વાત થી પરેશાન હોઈએ છીએ અને આપણી સમસ્યાઓ નો ઢંઢેરો પીટતા હોઈએ છીએ. પરંતુ સિક્કાની બીજી બાજુ નજર કરતા માલુમ પડે છે જે આપણી પાસે છે એના માટે આપણે કેટલા નસીબદાર છીએ. હકીકત માં આપણને ફરિયાદ કરવાનો કોઈ હક જ નથી. એનો અર્થ એવો પણ નથી કે આપણે જે તે પરિસ્થિતિ નો સ્વીકાર કરી ને બેસી રહેવું જોઈએ. દરેક સંજોગો ને બહેતર બનાવવાના પ્રયત્નો કરવા જ જોઈએ પરંતુ વર્તમાનના કપરા સંજોગો નો હકારાત્મક વલણથી સામનો કરવો જોઈએ. કોઈ એ સાચું જ કહ્યું છે કે "To make your life, first learn to take your life". સુખ અને દુઃખ મુળભુત રીતે તો આપણાં મન ની અવસ્થાઓ જ છે જે આપણા અભિગમ દ્વારા નક્કી થાય છે. મહાન નાટ્યકાર અને લેખક જ્યોર્જ બર્નાડ શો એ બહુ સુંદર લખ્યું છે ,"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to the future generations." 

કેટલો મહાન વિચાર! બર્નાડ શો અહી મીણબત્તી અને ટોર્ચ નો તફાવત પ્રદર્શિત કરે છે. પ્રકાશ તો બન્ને આપે જ છે પરંતુ મીણબત્તી જયારે સંપૂર્ણ રીતે ઓગળી જાય છે ત્યારે ઓલવાઈ જાય છે. બર્નાર્ડ શો કહે છે કે તેમની જીંદગી એક એવી અદભુત ટોર્ચ છે જે અત્યારે એમના હાથ માં છે, અને જ્યાં સુધી એ તેમના હાથ માં છે ત્યાં સુધી છે ત્યાં સુધી તેઓ તેને શક્ય તેટલી પ્રજ્વલિત રાખવા માંગે છે. કહેવાનો ભાવાર્થ એ છે કે જીંદગી ને શક્ય હોય તેટલી માણો અને શક્ય હોય તેટલી ઉપયોગી બનાવો. જીંદગી તો દરેક જીવે છે પરંતુ તેને મીણબત્તી ની જેમ લેવી કે ટોર્ચ ની જેમ એ તમારે નક્કી કરવાનું છે. આનંદ પિક્ચરમાં જેમ રાજેશ ખન્ના કહે છે તેમ "જીંદગી બડી હોની ચાહિયે, લંબી નહિ.." કોઈ નો ભૌતિક ભોગવટો જોઈ એમ માનવું નિર્થર્ક છે કે સુખી થવા માટે ગાડી, બંગલો, સુંદર સ્ત્રીઓનો સંગાથ જ જરૂરી છે. જીવનની દરેક ક્ષણમાં આનંદ મેળવવો એ સુખ છે. સવાર ના ઉગતા સૂર્યનું સૌન્દર્ય પણ પ્રસ્સનતા આપે છે, પંખીઓ નો કલરવ પણ આનંદ આપે છે, સાંજના સમય માં આકાશમાં પથરાતા સૂર્યના કિરણોની રંગોળી પણ મનોહર હોય છે. હકીકત માં માણસે સુખ ને ભૌતિક વસ્તુઓ સાથે એટલું બધું જોડી દીધું છે કે તેને માટે બન્ને એકબીજાના પર્યાય બની ગયા છે. એના સિવાય પણ ખુશી મળી શકે વાત તેને જલ્દી સમજાતી નથી. ખુશી તો આજુબાજુ છે જ, જરૂર છે તેને પારખવાના અભિગમની! નાની-નાની વાતો માંથી જો ખુશી મેળવતા આવડી જાય તો સમજી લો કે તમે જીવન જીવવાની કળા આત્મસાત કરી લીધી છે. દરેક પરિસ્થિતિ માં હસતા રહેવું એ જ આનંદ મેળવવાની ચાવી છે અને એ જ Art of Living છે! 

Aiyyaa: *1/2

Aaila!!?? This is what you feel after a few minutes in Aiyyaa and as the movie progresses your expressions gets as wired in bewilderment as its characters.

Touted as Rani Mukharji's come back film, Aiyyaa is the story (is there any??) of Minakshi Deshpande, (Rani) an overtly filmy buff who lives in her own dream world with her crazy family that includes her retired father who is obsessed with telephones, a mother whose only purpose is the marriage of Minakshi, a brother who loves dogs more than humans and last but the not the least a nearly blind and highly dramatic dadi on electronic wheel chair.

During her new job in an art school she develops a huge crush for Surya (Prithviraj) who is a painter and gets attracted with his smell but can't gather the courage to tell him her feelings. Meanwhile, her family arranges her engagement with Madhav (Subodh Bhave). On one side Minakshi's affection for Surya increases day by day and on the other side their date of engagement approaches. She tries hard to get Surya's attention but fails to do so. On the day of her engagement she confides in her colleague Maina about her feelings for Surya after drinking vodka from her JUMBO water-beg. She follows Surya to his house and then to his factory. When Surya catches her following him he explains his life story and drops her to her home where people are still awaiting her engagement ceremony. In the meanwhile her brother goes to search for at Maina's house and they both falls for each other. In the end she tells her family that she loves Surya and want to marry him only.

Aiyya is a contrivance of its director where all the characters are projected with as much idiosyncrasy as possible. Their lifestyle as a typical Marathi family, their daily house hold chores, the way they use colloquial Marathi etc. all looks so unnatural. National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar seem to have gone too far this time with his fantasy in Aiyyaa with irrelevant and non-rational sequences. His treatment to the characters and situations in the movie is very artificial and never look comic as they are intended to be portrayed. While the first half is a bit interesting, second half is stretched too long with total nonsense and force you to take a nap with those “Baraatis” waiting for Minakshi's engagement.

Rani Mukharji looks beautiful as a simple Marathi girl and her performance too is worth a praise. Unfortunately she becomes a helpless victim of a terrible script. All other characters are just caricatures or so unrealistically contrived. Madhav's character is probably the only character which looks real and authentic. South Indian star Prithviraj debuts with Aiyyaa and looks good with his machismo as an aloof Surya but hardly get any chance to speak barring last few minutes.

With only 2 songs (Apart from Rani's performance) – Dreamum wakeppum and Aga Bai as tolerable factors, Aiyyaa is a total disappointment.