Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon!

Firstly whenever you see a film like this you realize it's not a cinema from any angle. Infact it is something happening in maybe your locality or maybe a gulli next to your house.

Performance wise each and single person was brilliant and what strikes you the most is the fantastic chemistry between the leads ie. Rajpal and Antara. They make a great couple on screen and even the very brief emotions are noticable between them.

While the brilliant Antara plays the belle who does everything to persue her dreams, it is Rajpal who is the best presence on the entire screen, his emotions and his feelings are genuinely portrayed.

Direction by Chandra is very very good. And one can only wonder why Bollywood doesn't render films like this.

Long story short! Worth watching!

Chandan Arora and Ram Gopal Verma team up and deliver a funny, endearing, touching, subtle and sincere little gem ironically titled 'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon!'. The film shows the many shades of the Hindi film industry both through a fantasy-like perspective (the way Chutki sees it) and a realistic perspective (the way Chutki and Raj experience it) but most of it is done in a subtle way and the humour really balances the tension in the film.

The triangle love story between Chutki, Raj and the film industry is also wonderfully downplayed. There is no typical 'I Love You' scene or a scene where Raj acts out his jealousy. Raj clearly loves Chutki and his principle priority is her happiness. Chutki's first love is the movies but she eventually grows to love Raj after realizing the sacrifices he has made to make her dream come true.

Makrand Deshpande deserves credit for coming up with the story idea. The multi-dimensional screenplay is very strong. Director Arora has a strength for telling stories about the common people. He has further demonstrated this in the charming 'Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh'. Very few directors can tell such stories with conviction.

The songs are quite well-presented. They're not used in typical Bollywood fashion. They add to the fantasy element of the film. The cinematography is good too and lighting works brilliantly. The editing crew has done a fine job and the film flows fluidly.

Antara Mali delivers a mind-blowing nuanced performance. She completely owns Chutki and does a fine job of mimicking Madhuri Dixit. The 'Madhuri' sequences are suitably brief and Mali gives Chutki a unique personality. Rajpal Yadav is terrific. He conveys Raj's unconditional love for Chutki with ease and an endearing subtlety. Govind Namdeo shows a flair for comedy as the hilarious agent. The supporting cast is pretty solid.

'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon!' is another gem produced by the Ram Gopal Verma factory. It has charm. It's got humour. It's fantastical and real and above all, it has heart.

Terrific movie! And completely unexpected with unforgettable performances from Antara Mali and Rajpal Yadav. People do not give Antara Mali enough credit and type cast her as a wanna be Urmila Matondkar and Toy of Ram Gopal Varma. I've not seen her latest offerings yet (Nach and Gayab) which I understand are the eye of storms, however, she did her homework for this role of an innocent and naive village girl with huge aspirations and pulled it off perfectly.

Not to mention, she does a terrific Madhuri Dixit! I'm sure Mrs. Nene herself would approve

In the meantime, Rajpal Yadav brings a character to life that the audience can not help but identify with and root for. You really wish that his lovable underdog will get the girl! The cutesy chemistry of the two is enough to recommend this movie.

Add to this a refreshingly original storyline and Ram Gopal Varma's slick and tight style of film making, and you have a cute, feel good, and surprisingly fun movie to watch.

The movie is about Chutki (Antara Mali), a small town village girl who sees herself as the iconic Madguri Dixit. She dances and sings her way around the village and all adore her but none more than Raja (Rajpal Yadav) a childhood playmate who believes in her potential. Chutki ends up marrying Raja so they can go off to Bombay and Chutki can realize her dreams.

But her copying Madhuri ends up getting her jobs as part of the dance troupe, as an item girl. She wants to be a leading lady but she is like a babe in the woods - the vulnerable outsider - both Bombay and the biz are completely unknown to her and her husband. In fact one is expecting dire things to happen at any moment - the slightly shady looking neighbor, who turns out to be pretty benign, the hoodlum who turns out to be a cowardly fellow, the cabbie who merely price gouges, the agent who seems so ominously shady yet turns out to be a real agent and helpful at that.. These personalities in the world around her underline the fact that nothing should be taken at face value.

The movie also had some very funny moments - Choli ke peeche kya hai wil never seem the same to me! And the part where Rajpal Yadav goes to plead on her behalf and ends up being offered the acting role instead, ironic yet funny.

I liked Antara's looks - she was a strange blend of attractive and ordinary and she acted very well as the village belle who was so self assured in her village environment and so vulnerable and unsure in the big city. Rajpal Yadav was very good as the self effacing husband. I particularly liked the fact that the "Madhuri" moments were brief and Antara managed to make them her own. Music was unobtrusive and worked well in the film. I also liked the fact that not much was made of the Chutki Raja romance and the fact that the marriage was in name only!

Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon review :

A small town girl called Chutki (Antara Mali) is a huge Madhuri Dixit fan and aspires to be a Bollywood star like her. Her parents get her married off to childhood pal Raja (Rajpal Yadav) who supports her dream and they land up in big bad Mumbai to encounter all sort of hurdles. A Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) production for his then muse Antara Mali; Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon was a well executed comedy drama by newbie director Chandan Arora. The seemingly serious screenplay is laced with humorous moments which makes the film a nice breezy watch at just about two hours thirty minutes of its run time.

The films truly belongs to Antara Mali who delivers her career best performance as a Madhuri fan with a go-get it attitude. She has brought such an innocent charm in Chutki that you root for her every time she gets in to trouble. You just want her to win though it appears impracticable. That is the sweetness Antara lends her character and elevates the film to a cut above the common place. Rajpal Yadav, fine actor that he is, brings in a certain amount of earnestness in his act. Govind Namdev, playing the manager who tries to help Chutki, is also impressive.

On the flipside, the film only skims the surface of the casting couch syndrome without getting in to the gory details. A peripheral actor does try to take advantage of Chutki but it is all done and dusted with pronto. A little more insight in to the functioning of the Hindi film industry could have taken this movie to an altogether different level.

Nevertheless, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon is one of the better products coming from RGV factory. Like Antara loves Madhuri, I started loving Antara after this film. Recommended watch!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.