Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

When the creator of the inimitable and unforgettable Andaz Apna Apna ventures to beat the 'Davids' & Goliaths of Bollywood's Comedy genre at their own game, one needs to take RajKumar Santoshi seriously. With 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' (APKGK), Santoshi achieves what most have failed at – a fresh comedy with humour that is actually funny. Not that APKGK is flawless but there are more laughable scenes and dialogues than many comedies of recent times put together and for that, the movie is a wholesome entertainer. It does come with weird, inexplicable moments of unnecessary action, drama and slapstick and there is always scope for better comedy in those scenes but in the end, the dialogues, performances and several scenes make it an almost 'Ghazab' kahani.

Prem(Ranbir Kapoor) is the President of a Happy Club founded with his friends in a little town like Ooty to help estranged lovers and helpless souls. His encounter with the beautiful Jenny (Katrina Kaif) starts out as a riotous mix up that leads to him falling for her (literally, at times). This love story is partly sweet, partly cheesy but overall very refreshing because of the amazing chemistry of the duo that seems completely at home in their comic avatars. The movie will make you giggle, chuckle and even laugh your ass of as Prem attempts to win Jenny's heart. Enter Upen Patel………

One big problem with APKGK is its casting. Most actors would live just to act in RajKumar Santoshi's comedy film but he decided to cast Upen Patel out of all people. This guy still cannot speak fluently and can barely stand straight. One can think of at least 43 actors who could've done so much better than him. Govind Namdeo as his father is also typecast as either a wicked policeman or a crooked politician. This time his role takes away the humour from the film. Darshan Jariwala as Prem's father is very impressive and his dialogue delivery at times elevates a simple humorous scene to make it memorable. Katrina Kaif looks gorgeous in the simplest of outfits and she is more comfortable smiling, laughing and crying than many actresses who struggle with it. Her dialogue delivery has improved considerably, thus augmenting the chemistry with her hero. Ranbir Kapoor has enjoyed this film. One can see that he doesn't need to act as his character most of the time. He is a natural actor in that sense, much like his father and this film establishes him, yet again as the finest of his generation. His comic timing is super and it would really be a treat to watch him perform with veteran actors in more funny movies.

Pritam's musical score rocks again. This time, he combines the distinct talents of Jaaved Ali, Neeraj Shridhar, KK, Hard Kaur and Atif Aslam in a soundtrack with different moods and themes. Jaaved Ali in a romantic Aa Jao Meri Tamanna, Hard Kaur in Follow Me with Ranbir's eccentric dancing, KK in Main Tera Dhadkan Teri at his usual best, Neeraj in a rather funny Prem ki Naiya, Atif Aslam & Alisha Chinoy in the marvelous Tera Hone Laga Hoon and a solo by Atif in a soulful Tu Jaane na shot in spectacular locales of Turkey while the rest of the film was shot in Goa. Santoshi does that…. Remember he shot Pukar on a set and took the actors to the glaciers of Alaska for one song….

In terms of noteworthy flaws, a recurring problem that is noticed is the amateur editing. The scenes jump from one sequence to another without transition or meaning. Some inane sequences drag longer than they should and drama overpowers the subtlety. Santoshi too is to be blamed for the witless opening sequence, the climax action that is reminiscent of Andaz Apna Apna but nowhere even close, the ridiculous sporadic action sequences and the inapt casting.

Yet, APKGK is worth watching for the numerous scenes and dialogues that are fresh in flavor, witty in humour and enjoyable due to some fine performances mainly by Ranbir, Katrina and Jariwala. While one tries to recollect the previous funny one liner while watching the film, another one just pops up and believe it or not…. that is rare in movies these days….

• 7.99 on a scale of 1-10.

This movie is great fun--Ranbir is easily the show-stealer! He has acted superbly and is definitely on a winning streak! He has given great performances in all of his films--from Saawariya and Bachchna Ae Haseeno to Wake Up Sid and APKGK--even though all characters are quite similar (happy-go-lucky romantic fools who love life). Ranbir pulls off this role with excellent comic timing! Katrina looks really beautiful, while there's nothing really to mention about her acting. Upen is just okay. Salman's special appearance is a fun scene. Prem's parents also gave wonderful performances. Songs are great, especially Pyaar Hua. The music video of Tu Na Jaane is also really nice. The only thing I didn't like about this film are the sequences with the don and gangsters, which had pretty dumb humor. Those scenes had no importance and were only a deterrent to the film. Other than that, the film is a fun one and belongs to Ranbir.

If you want to enjoy a movie with laughs and love story with innocence this is the movie for you. The narrative structure of films makes it interesting.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard" the British actor Donald Wolfit supposedly quipped on his deathbed. And how true it is! This is borne out in "Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani", the new film by Raj Kumar Santoshi. It starts out promisingly enough with Pop Art credits in the cheery primary hues beloved of Roy Lichtenstein. But if one thinks this hip opening is how the film will proceed, one would be way off the mark.

This romantic comedy is only fitfully funny, and too long drawn out to be amusing. Santoshi's cast resorts to extensive mugging and slapstick antics in the hope that they will be construed as light frothy madcap comedy. The film's male lead, Ranbir Kapoor, an extremely talented and likable young man, is set adrift without good lines and a leading lady, who though abundantly blessed with vapid good looks, is quite at a loss when she is required to act.

Ranbir Kapoor plays Prem, the good-for-nothing, good-natured leader of Happy Club. Luckily, he happens upon a group of young men considerably dimmer than he, and sets himself up as their leader. His followers look up to him admiringly and always address him as President, and he never leaves home without his name tag: President Prem.

The Happy Club—always the look-out for new members—aims to be happy, make everyone else around happy, have fun, and unite star-crossed lovers. Despite these simple yet lofty aspirations, the townsfolk do not look kindly upon the club members, as they have had ample experience of their freeloading ways.

In the course of a botched kidnapping to fulfill their mandate of reuniting lost loves, President Prem meets Jennifer (Katrina Kaif), the fair and flaky adoptive daughter of the Goan Catholic Pinto family that has just moved into town. Pretty, dimwitted Jenny becomes the town's librarian (it's all relative, you see: she probably has an IQ in the double digits), and Prem drops by to visit, but cannot be coaxed into doing any reading. When he discovers she is single, Prem promptly falls in love with her, and spends the rest of his days in adoring puppy dog fashion, getting underfoot and practically stalking her, but never actually declaring himself.

This being a "masala" Hindi film, there are complications and coincidences aplenty, and they go on and on until one is past caring. Both Prem and Jenny stammer when under emotional stress, and the audience is meant to discern through this device when they are playacting and when they are speaking the truth.

Let it never be said that I am a mean-spirited or ungenerous film critic: Katrina Kaif is very pretty, has a creamy complexion and looks good enough to eat with a spoon; she is probably a fine upstanding citizen, donates selflessly to worthy causes, always remembers to moisturize daily, brakes for the handicapped and small furry animals, and no doubt eschews the use of aerosol sprays because they release toxic fluorocarbons into the atmosphere. In short, Katrina Kaif is a paragon of virtue and goodness.

Sadly, however, she will never be mistaken for an actress. Her line readings are almost painful to the ear, but every once in a great while, almost by fluke, she gets a nuance right, startles herself, then looks beseechingly into the camera, imploring the audience to applaud her teeny-tiny microscopic iota of success as a thespian. Ranbir makes valiant attempts to be funny and act for both of them, and later, upon the introduction of an untalented muscle-bound interloper, for the three of them. No filmi hero should be required to do so much heavy lifting, and despite his best efforts, Ranbir is simply not man or actor enough to act for THREE people.

Mercifully, the supporting cast is much stronger than its female lead, and they contribute some much needed silliness to the proceedings.

After prolonged meanderings, the couple ends up in the fearsome villain's lair that charmingly resembles a giant bubble bath. Here, finally, there is some entertaining giddiness, but it's too little, too late. Even divine intervention by our blessed Redeemer Himself in a gentle cameo doesn't quite manage to save the film.

I went to watch Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani simply because I liked most of Rajkumar Santoshi's movies. This movie is nowhere as good as some of Santoshi's great films like Damini, Lajja or The Legend of Bhagat Singh, but despite its flaws, it is very entertaining and is thoroughly fun to watch. Yes, it has its clichés and moments of over-romanticism which really get on one's nerves, but the movie works best as a crazy comedy which never dares to take itself too seriously, and that's where it scores. The film is often silly but that's the trick here because everything works in accordance with the film's mood.

Some of the film's comic proceedings were totally great, whether it's the Salman Khan track, the entire party scene, the scenes showing Ranbir's parents and so forth. There were sequences which were unnecessary and did not make sense, such as the entire gangsters track. Where drama and romance go, the movie is good but something is missing, although it had its moments there too. One of the best aspects about the film is undoubtedly Pritam's excellent soundtrack which consists of such songs as the beautiful "Tu Jaane Na", the romantic "Tera Hone Laga Hoon" and the catchy "Prem Ki Nayya".

As far as acting is concerned, it is Ranbir, Ranbir and only Ranbir who carries the film on his shoulders and delivers a sincere performance. The role itself is actually nothing new or special but Ranbir ably turns Prem into someone who is both funny and easy to relate to. Katrina Kaif is a pretty and attractive lady and overall she is effective within the context of the film, but in terms of acting, though she has her moments, she never really manages to totally convince or impress. Smita Jaykar and Darshan Jariwala, who play Ranbir's parents, are awesome. All said and done, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is not extraordinary, but it's very enjoyable and an altogether fun romantic comedy which can be watched with family and friends.