| U,
Me Aur Hum is another film that enters the doors of Bollywood’s
meaningful cinema after Taare Zameen Par; another film that stays
with you long after you've left the theater. After all the hype
and noise, is it really worth all that? Well, the first thing
that comes to your mind is Ajay’s direction; he’s done a great
job. You wouldn’t even recognize it’s his first film. Of course
it has flaws as it slows down during certain parts of the story
but the film couldn’t have been better. Especially considering
the treatment of a subject as serious as Alzheimer's disease that
is presented in a joyful yet sensitive manner. The first half
is the fun part: comedy, romance and lots more; while the second
half is the serious part: full of engaging, tearjerker moments.
As a director, Ajay carries the film on his shoulders with ease.
As mentioned, the movie does seem to drag at times; nonetheless,
he’s done a good job considering it’s his debut film as a director.
He made Kajol perform in a way that no director has made her perform
before; you wouldn’t recognize that it’s the usual Kajol performing.
Now the question surrounding people’s minds is if it’s a remake
of the Hollywood flick The Notebook. To make matters clear, the
film is highly inspired by The Notebook but made with Indian sensibilities!
The
story surrounds around a psychiatrist, Dr. Ajay Mehra (Ajay Devgan),
who falls for a waitress, Pia (Kajol Devgan), while on a cruise.
Falling in love at first sight, Ajay tries to unrelentingly woo
Pia. He gets ample help from his friends – unhappily married Nikhil
(Sumeet Raghavan) & Reena (Divya Dutta), happy unmarried Vicky
(Karan Khanna) & Natasha (Isha Sharvani). After several failed
attempts, Ajay accidentally goes through Pia’s “Book of Possibilities”
and discovers what can catch the eye of the pretty girl he seeks.
Slowly, Pia begins to fall in love with Ajay; that is, until she
discovers the truth: Ajay has read her private book. However,
Pia forgives him and they become happily married. A few months
later, Pia finds herself pregnant; she delivers a baby boy. Everything
is going smoothly until unusual events start taking place. Pia
begins forgetting everything, whether it’s her home address or
Ajay’s phone number…. Ajay seeks help from the mental hospital
where they confirm that his wife is suffering from Alzheimer's;
he has no choice but to admit her to the hospital. The rest of
the film surrounds the events that take place after she is admitted
to the hospital: how Ajay manages to take care of his son and
whether he has made the right decision by admitting her to the
hospital.
There are many memorable scenes in the film.
The
music is good; Vishal Bharadwaj has done a good job fitting the
music into the mood of the film. The songs are placed really well
in the film; Jee Le and the title song stand out the most. Dialogues
by Ashwani Dhir are superb. The cinematography is the weakness
of the film; Aseem Bajaj has done nothing notable.
As for the performances, Ajay is excellent. An honest performance
all the way! And he has done an even better job as a director.
However, Kajol is the show-stealer; the film completely belongs
to her! Even in the presence of Ajay, Kajol steals the limelight
and has the better role, which gives her ample scope to perform.
A performance that is sure to be recognized at the awards! Sumeet
and Divya are good at providing the comic relief in the film.
Karan and Isha are alright. Aditya Rajput makes his presence felt
in a brief role while Hazel makes a short appearance.
Overall, U, Me Aur Hum is one of the best films of 2008. Even
if it hasn’t opened as well as was expected at the box office,
the film should definitely do better in the coming weeks. It is
sure to leave a mark on audiences who enjoy watching meaningful
cinema. Definitely a treat to watch - go for it!
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