Aiyyaa

'Aiyyaa' is a film that redefines zany, whacky, and crazy, or should I instead say 'Wakra'? It's leading lady – a librarian in an Art College in real, and a Bollywood Diva in her fantasies - Meenakshi (played uninhibitedly by Rani Mukherjee) and her acute sense of smell and by connection, unfathomable attraction to the tall, dark, and handsome art student Surya (a delightful Bollywood debut by Malyalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran) and maddeningly Bollywood fantasies drive not only her, but also those around oscillating between sanity and the puerile.

Be it her motor mouth mother who keeps laughing and telling all and sundry about how perfect a bride her daughter will be, her father, surrounded by innumerable mostly dysfunctional telephones who has the quirky habit of smoking 4 cigarettes at the same time, her jobless class 10 failed brother 'Nanu' who loves dogs and is dogged in his hate for humanity, or last but not the least, her blind grandmother with her golden dentures who keeps zipping around the house in a motorized wheelchair and passes expert comments on everything.

Add to that a crazy co-worker 'Mayna' who is a cross between Lady Gaga and Bugs Bunny. Be it her crazy Lady Gaga inspired dressing, bad Bollywood dancing, maddening fondness for John Abraham, or overall behavior with those around her. She really is as whacky, if not more than Meenakshi's family.

The only sane person in her life is her forced fiancé – Madhav Rajadhyaksha (played aptly by Marathi actor Subodh Bhave) whose logicality almost threatens to overpower the smelly attraction Meenakshi has for Surya. And therein lies a terrible tale.

This is a classic example of too many ingredients confusing the cook. For, while several sequences stand out for their whacky quotient, the overall picture is one of incoherence. The story and plot are as weak as Meenakshi's knees every time she spots Surya. The funny lines, superb acting, excellent choreography, and beautiful music are somehow thrust at the background every time you desperately hope and wish to hear the mostly silent Surya speak. His body however speaks, rather screams, every time he enters a fantastical dream of Meenakshi and ends up displaying some groovy dancing, a chiseled body complimented by a shaved chest, and six pack abs that stand out in stark contrast to his unkempt chest hair ravaged painter avatar in the real portions.

But for the most part your heart might actually go out to the more earthy suitor of Meenakshi with his love for the kind of romance exemplified by Farroukh Sheikh and Deepti Naval.

If you shirk your nose every time you catch a rerun of MTV Fully Faltoo, this film might be the smelliest thing to have entered your nostrils. If a great story and plot are those that drive you, this film is likely to be a huge let down. But if you are one of those who are ready for some zany humor, this indeed might be the film to catch. Though a better script/story/plot rounded with some crisp editing would have done this film a world of good, it stills holds its ground for several reasons. Watch it for its characters, presentation, dialogues and crazy sense of humor (thanks to National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar), whacky lyrics (Amitabh Bhattacharya), fantastic music (Amit Trivedi), exuberant choreography (Vaibhavi Merchant) and last but not the least, for Rani Mukherjee.

Be it her enacting of iconic songs and dialogues of Sridevi, Madhuri, or Juhi, her attempts at learning Tamil, her overpowering melodrama about everything happening to her, and for her trio of terrific dance performances - a luscious Lavani, a Silk Smitha inspired 'Dreamup Wakeupum', or her fantastic Kamasutra inspired Belly Dancing in 'Aaga Bai'. Rani is fantastic or should be say 'Wakra'? Go decide for yourself.

There are some completely cringe-worthy things about this film, notably certain supporting characters and the Benny Hill style speeded up action. After 15 minutes, I paused it to see what IMDB had to say. 4.4 stars. I've never watched a movie with less than 5 stars, and only a few under 6. Nevertheless, I decided to perserve. I'm glad I did. I truly enjoyed the musical numbers, done mostly in colorful Indian style clothing (as opposed to the "urban" look that is showing up in Bollywood), and Ms. Mukerji was a delight. She completely carried the movie, almost by herself. The ending was quite worth waiting for, and Im glad I did. 6.5 stars.

Too long and uneven pacing weren't helped by a problematic script. That said we really enjoyed our first look at this really popular actress and the view of how Northern Indians view Tamils. The dance numbers are great and we never laughed harder than at the little fantasy where the romantic lead gassed up the motorcycle. Some things work in every culture.

Aiyyaa was a major critical and financial failure, but having seen the nice trailer and liked it, and considering the fact that Rani Mukherjee is in it, I most willingly decided to watch it. I personally found Aiyya to be thoroughly enjoyable. It is a slightly mad but totally relatable comic ride which is well written and acted and which has plenty of great moments. The humour is indeed very different from what we are used to watching in the usual Bollywood fare, and the basic concept of a woman just going 'aiyyaa' over a stranger whose mysterious fragrance attracts her the most may be quite weird at points. But, it is this very premise which makes this little film ever more unique and funny. The film is portrayed rather realistically, with the sets, costumes and dialogue giving it an engaging sense of everyday simplicity, while being consistently humorous. The portrayal of Meenakshi's Marathi family is very amusing, and the songs are quite fun to watch. Aiyyaa's biggest strength, however, is the portrayal of its main character; Meenakshi finds a way to deal with her everyday troubles through the power of the imagination. She creates her own perfect, spiritual world, using her dreams without really losing herself. In this regard, Aiyyaa works as a mini-celebration of the human spirit.

All of this, however, wouldn't have been the same without the wonderful presence of Rani Mukherjee. Mukherjee is a true delight in this film. Her last great performance was in a minuscule part in Saawariya, and it's been ages since we've seen her really immerse herself into a character, as she does here. As Meenakshi, she is hilarious and at times just borderline self-deprecatory. It is this uninhibited, fearless quality that makes this comic performance work so well. Her dance numbers, needless to say, are brilliant and she looks a million bucks in each one of them. South Indian actor Prithviraj is for the most part a mere presence on-screen, but he does pretty well and is good foil for Mukherjee. The other members of the cast are all very good and turn in nice and funny acts. Towards the end the film provides us with some of its most beautiful sequences. The climactic scenes are very surprising and the ending is unexpected and rewarding. This is also the opportunity to note the excellent cinematography, and the amazing background score, which enhance the narrative. Aiyyaa is an absolute laugh riot which has been misunderstood and rejected by critics and audiences just for the wrong reasons. I liked it, and would definitely recommend it to Hindi film buffs.

OK, this is a goofy movie (the tag line is: Go Wakda (wacky)) so if you are expecting superb entertainment, you are out of luck. But, Rani Mukerji really shines as a nut job and really makes this movie laughable fun. I vote for her to star in the next Houseful 3 as her wackiness would work well in that series. You need to appreciate the wacky humor that comes with the Golmaal, Houseful, or Masti/Grand Masti series to enjoy his one. If that is not your style of humor, look elsewhere. Meenakshi's family is truly dysfunctional and adds to the humor. Meenaski's friend and co-worker Mynah comes across as an Indian Lady Gaga and is somewhat funny, but a little annoying at times. When Meenakshi dreams about being her favorite actresses is probably the funniest parts, so it helps to have a good background on some older Bollywood hits and veteran actresses to get a laugh at those scenes. The music is catchy, though some of the dance sequences are a bit risqué which is slightly unusual for Rani. Nothing terrible, but slightly not family safe for younger members. Prithviraj's character is played well especially in the end. Not a hit, but good goofy fun if you are looking for a good laugh.