K. Raghavendra Rao comes up with a comedy with a social message. What I dislike about most of Rao's films is that their execution is poorly done and outdated and their movies seem to be set during the stone ages (not literally) while the story is melodramatic as it can get. 'Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya' is not an exception in most cases except that it's set in a slightly more modern city rather than a retarded village from the 1980s. But, unlike their other films, this one is NOT a lost case because of the actors and the comedy.
'Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya' presents relevant themes such as sexism, female emancipation etc. I liked that the story revolved around three wives trying to get a job while their sexist husbands strongly oppose this in fear of losing their manhood. India is modernizing more by each passing year but such things do remain a problem within some parts of the culture. The problem in the film is that things are a over-the-top and the characters aren't very well written. Himesh Reshammiya's music is forgettable.
The comedic situations are hilarious (while the dramatic ones are overtly melodramatic) and the actors mostly do a great job. Juhi Chawla and Ketki Dave steal the show with their natural comedic abilities. Asrani is great as the sympathetic film buff boss. Govinda too is likable. He and Juhi are great as the ideal neighbour. I would have liked to see Tabu do more comedy but she's stuck with a serious role of which she does nothing short of a decent job. Even Johnny Lever (whom I find intolerable in almost every other movie) is enjoyable (though his character is hateful). A relative newcomer Isha Koppikar has a refreshing screen presence and holds her own while Chandrachur Singh and Vinay Anand are quite annoying.
Thus, to conclude, 'Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya' can be said to be one of the better Rao films simply for it's laugh-out-loud moments thanks mostly to the talented cast (with the exception of some of those mentioned above).
