'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.
