Aiyyaa Movie Review: ‘Wakda’ Goes Waste!

 

Though Rani and the rest of the cast gives an entertaining though slightly over-the-top performance, the storyline and screenplay is quite weak and unimpressive

 

 

Meenakshi Deshpande (Rani Mukerji) is a middle class Maharashtrian girl staying with her eccentric family in Pune. While Meenakshi's family members are quite gung-ho about getting her married off, the lady herself, who is quite 'filmy', to say the least, wants a typical love story as is shown in movies.

 

While working as a librarian at an art school, she comes across Surya Iyer (Prithviraj), a mysterious and taciturn art student, who Meenakshi promptly falls for because she is attracted to the way he smells. Meanwhile, her parents finally manage to find a young man, who is ready to marry Meenakshi in an 'arranged marriage' scenario. How her real life and her dreams clash after this development is what director Sachin Kundalkar deals with through the rest of the movie.

 

 

Rani Mukerji as the deliberately melodramatic and filmy Meenakshi simply wins your heart with her performance, though at times, the audience might find it over the top. On his part, Prithviraj, the object of her desire, is used merely as a sex symbol and nothing more. Marathi actor Subodh Bhave, who plays Madhav Rajyadhaksha, the groom selected for Meenakshi, puts in a decent performance as the 'Average Joe' lover, whereas the rest of the cast, comprising Meenakshi's family members and her eccentric colleague Maina, seem to go out of their way to be absurd, which might seem funny strictly in a mere couple of scenes.

 

 

Aiyyaa Review - Direction-

The very first scene, where Meenakshi's character is introduced, has been dragged for so long that one wishes Sachin could get to the point already! Though the movie has its share of humour, the overall effect is marred because the director seems hell-bent on inserting absurd scenes (which probably is his idea of wakda). Moreover, the second half seems to drag on and on and the climax, where Meenakshi finally expresses her feelings for Prithviraj, is so ordinary that you might end up feeling disappointed, especially after the aura of mystery created about the way Rani's character chases Surya and tries every trick in the book to 'break the ice' with him.

 

 

With songs like Sava dollar, Aga bai, Dreamum Wakeuppum and Wakda, the music of Aiyyaa presents a pleasant blend of lavani, Western techno and Indian classical.

 

 

Fans of Rani Mukerji might enjoy the film, but if you are going with high expectations after watching the trailer (which seemed to promise more than what was delivered), you might be sorely disappointed.