Nayee Padosan

NAYEE PADOSAN: A package of comedy and tears

Nayee Padosan is a comedy to the hilt. What is more a matter of appreciation is a cast of new-comers creating a virtual laugh riot on the screen. BH Tarunkumar's slick direction and taut editing has resulted in a racy tale which strings together one incident after other in which three innocent looking boys do their foolish best - court a beautiful girl who has recently moved into their neighbourhood.

Ikram Akhtar's screenplay keeps springing surprises to sustain interest and pace. Music and action do the rest to complete the entertainment package, which should appeal to the audience of all ages.

Mahek Chahal plays the simple but attractive homely girl who makes the life of the three young men, who have little to boast of, a long sweet dream. Each one takes turn to get close to the girl, Pooja, and mumble sweet nothings to impress her, draw her attention and gain her sympathy or gratitude. There is no limit to these things. They can go to any extent to make a dent in her heart. If one is doing domestic chores, even sweeping the floor or carrying the burden of shopping, the other helps her mother in cooking meals. The third one struggles to learn classical music from her father, an impossible task. But whatever they try to do and naturally bungle and fail, they create scenes which make everyone laugh and then wait for the next thing they will cook up to succeed in their mission, that is, winning the heart and hand of the girl.

Rivalry is natural in such circumstances, since only one of them can get the girl or on the reverse, Pooja will have to choose one of them, if at all she makes up her mind, as life partner. There is misunderstanding, mutual hostility leading often to a desire to do the extreme to get rid of the rivals. Each one convinced that Pooja likes him alone.

The film is not wholly light stuff with no substance. The actions of the boys lead to complications and things get too hot to handle. Heart-breaking and tears follow and they all lose hope of winning the girl's hand. The element of suspense add more interest in the story.

The progress of the story is a journey from adolescence to maturity and wisdom. Better sense prevails and they learn a few lessons of happiness.

-by Our Film Critic
June 6, 2003

Andaaz: Romance of the virgins

Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra, the two heroines of director Raj Kanwar's new romantic thriller 'Andaaz', project different images on the screen, although the screenplay offered little scope for it. As the story of chance encounters gathers pace - and Akshay Kumar opens his romantic score with Lara - the world beauty leaves none in doubt she has other talents too. Her face mirrors inner thoughts and emotions with every word she utters or mumbles. Watching her emote on the screen can be a moving experience for any sensitive or emotional person. Lara's is a deeply felt performance: she is no doubt a tragedienne in the making.

Akshay and Lara are shown growing up together. With the screenplay scipping ten years of the children's lives, their love story naturally picks up the thread again past adolescence. One could imagine lots of things happening between them as they grow up into youth. But Raj Kanwar is dealing with a story of adults who have left their childhood and adolescence behind them and dream of careers and the life ahead.

Director's usual tool of filling up time gaps is flashback. But Raj does no such thing. The child artist he has used for Lara is a disappointment. Her face has the least resemblance with Lara's snub-nosed roundish face. One suspects he took the girl merely to humour or oblige one of his crew or friends.

Priyanka has no doubt the looks and tried hard to sketch a role which appears to be somewhat pseudo-negative at the outset. But she grows with the situations the character passes through. She banks on her body language more than on the emotive demands of the moments. However, as the story twists and turns, she manages to get into the serious mould to show that she can act. But it will take her time to become sensitive enough to touch your chord.

Akshay is the usual self. His character is conceived with a few distinct traits like impulsive and short-tempered, and when he pounces upon somebody who has offended him in some way, most of the occasions to punish an eve-teaser, that is, of Lara or Priyanka, there is no stopping him. The audience laps up all the thrill.

The story of 'Andaaz' is based on a theme that is a healthy mix of old and new values of our society. The upper class families participating in the drama are sought to be exposed for their sham values and traditions, particularly those regarding widowhood. The hypocritical face of women is laid bare and the falsehood in the name of traddition and customs is exposed.

What happens in the end may not be acceptable to many, but if justice is to be meted out to the female members of our society, then the alternative the film suggests, though in the name of love, is surely the right way.

Nadeem-Shravan's music has some good scores, but none of the songs is really a hit.

-by Our Film Critic
May 23, 2003

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