First of all, film-makers should give up using promising terms like 'ajab', 'ghazab' and what not in their movie titles. It's not just misleading, it is unbearable. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani has ajab and ghazab only in the title. Everywhere else, it is absolutely 'sada hua' and 'mara hua'. The weak plot, saddening so-called comedy sequences and overall stupidity is so overpowering that one almost ignores Ranbir Kapoor's decent performance. The Kapoor boy definitely has it in him. However, the script did not have anything in it.

The film is about a laidback young man Prem (Ranbir Kapoor) who, for reasons I have no clue of, falls in love with Jenny (Katrina Kaif), who in turn is in love with Rahul (Upen Patel), who is a dedicated son of a religion-obsessed politician Pitambar Jalan (Govind Namdeo). The story drags on - Prem falls in love with Jenny, and the day he goes to proclaim his love to her, she confesses her love for the Canada-returned Rahul. Prem is heartbroken, but soon enough picks up the broken pieces and decides to help Jenny marry her love. However, Rahul's father, Pitambar Jalan, is dead against the inter-caste wedding. Using all the tricks up his sleeve, Prem manages to convince Pitambar to agree to the wedding, but on the D-day, Jenny realises that she is 'madly' in love with Prem, and runs off with him. Go figure!

So yes, the storyline is as stale as it can get. Since the movie was intended to be a rom-com, the unappealing storyline is not what worries me. Ideally, the winner should have been the comedy. Unfortunately, except for a couple of scenes, the jokes don't really have the intended effect.

Katrina is as pretty as a wax statue - flawlessly beautiful, but painfully emotionless. Upen Patel looks very silly. Maybe he should give up acting altogether and thus help save movie-buffs from killing themselves. And Salman's special performance has to be mentioned, simply because of the hideous jeans and T-shirts he wears. What was he thinking? Arrgh!

Darshan Zariwala, as Prem's father, does justice to his role and I feel that he is the only genuinely funny person in the film. The locations seem out of place for some reason. They are too clean and nice to be Ooty, and if the movie was shot in Turkey, I'd say it was an unnecessary waste of money! The location is definitely beautiful, but it doesn't look or feel Indian.

On the whole, one gets to see a lot of flaws. Amidst all the chaos, there are two things about the movie which allow you to breathe a sigh of relief - Ranbir Kapoor and Pritam's music. Ranbir's performance is worth the watch. However, he really needs to pay attention to the kind of films he chooses to be in. The song 'Kaise Baataon' makes for pleasant listening, and 'Tera Hone Laga Hoon' brings a smile to one's face.

A romantic comedy from Raj Kumar Santoshi years after the classic Andaz Apna Apna invariably implies sky-high expectations. But the movie is a disappointment. I did read articles mentioning that the movie did well at the Box Office. However, in all honesty, I don't see why this film should become a hit. My verdict is - do not go through the torture of watching this film even if you are offered free tickets. Why beg for a headache?

 

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First of all, film-makers should give up using promising terms like 'ajab', 'ghazab' and what not in their movie titles. It's not just misleading, it is unbearable. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani has ajab and ghazab only in the title. Everywhere else, it is absolutely 'sada hua' and 'mara hua'. The weak plot, saddening so-called comedy sequences and overall stupidity is so overpowering that one almost ignores Ranbir Kapoor's decent performance. The Kapoor boy definitely has it in him. However, the script did not have anything in it.

The film is about a laidback young man Prem (Ranbir Kapoor) who, for reasons I have no clue of, falls in love with Jenny (Katrina Kaif), who in turn is in love with Rahul (Upen Patel), who is a dedicated son of a religion-obsessed politician Pitambar Jalan (Govind Namdeo). The story drags on - Prem falls in love with Jenny, and the day he goes to proclaim his love to her, she confesses her love for the Canada-returned Rahul. Prem is heartbroken, but soon enough picks up the broken pieces and decides to help Jenny marry her love. However, Rahul's father, Pitambar Jalan, is dead against the inter-caste wedding. Using all the tricks up his sleeve, Prem manages to convince Pitambar to agree to the wedding, but on the D-day, Jenny realises that she is 'madly' in love with Prem, and runs off with him. Go figure!

So yes, the storyline is as stale as it can get. Since the movie was intended to be a rom-com, the unappealing storyline is not what worries me. Ideally, the winner should have been the comedy. Unfortunately, except for a couple of scenes, the jokes don't really have the intended effect.

Katrina is as pretty as a wax statue - flawlessly beautiful, but painfully emotionless. Upen Patel looks very silly. Maybe he should give up acting altogether and thus help save movie-buffs from killing themselves. And Salman's special performance has to be mentioned, simply because of the hideous jeans and T-shirts he wears. What was he thinking? Arrgh!

Darshan Zariwala, as Prem's father, does justice to his role and I feel that he is the only genuinely funny person in the film. The locations seem out of place for some reason. They are too clean and nice to be Ooty, and if the movie was shot in Turkey, I'd say it was an unnecessary waste of money! The location is definitely beautiful, but it doesn't look or feel Indian.

On the whole, one gets to see a lot of flaws. Amidst all the chaos, there are two things about the movie which allow you to breathe a sigh of relief - Ranbir Kapoor and Pritam's music. Ranbir's performance is worth the watch. However, he really needs to pay attention to the kind of films he chooses to be in. The song 'Kaise Baataon' makes for pleasant listening, and 'Tera Hone Laga Hoon' brings a smile to one's face.

A romantic comedy from Raj Kumar Santoshi years after the classic Andaz Apna Apna invariably implies sky-high expectations. But the movie is a disappointment. I did read articles mentioning that the movie did well at the Box Office. However, in all honesty, I don't see why this film should become a hit. My verdict is - do not go through the torture of watching this film even if you are offered free tickets. Why beg for a headache?

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments