Akaash Vani

Now here is an example of a movie where the trailer says very little of the entire movie and actually just enough for you to look forward to it.  However, it will have a supremely negative effect by the end of the first half itself.  Because you would tend to notice that what has been called out in the trailer is only about half of the first half. 

The rest of the movie takes a dramatic turn to handle an altogether different subject – the social issue of women not being able to allowed to make a decision on who they want to get married to even today.  Something that I really find hard to believe.  But I am told that it still exists in a lot of places in India.  I guess I have been lucky.

 

Akash (Kartik Tiwari) is a young boy from the city of Le Corbusier. Vani (Nushrat Bharucha) is a small town girl – if you could call Dehradun a small town that is.  They both find their way to the capital for their graduation.  The boy is a happy go lucky one and the girl is one who wants to be happy go lucky.

 

Fachcha (Fresher) treatment on the first day of college finds Vani on the college lawns getting down on one knee propsing to Akash.  Of course it was all in good spirit and even Akash knows that it is but for all practical purposes it was love at first sight (or should I say proposal) for both of them.

 

Akash goes about his job of impressing Vani over the first few months and it is only a matter of time before Vani fall for his charms.  The next thing you know, they are the hottest couple in college.  On graduation, Akash moves to London to study for his MBA.  Vani goes to Dehradun to get her parents convinced about pursuing her further studies.

 

But unfortunately for Vani, her elder sister, who is about to get married runs away with her lover leaving her parents devasted and victims of a social barrage.  Vani decides to step up to save her parents from further embarrassment and that is where the story actually begins. One of sacrifice and pain. AAAARGH!!!!!

 

Luv Ranjan could not have found a better way for killing it for most of the audience.  Everyone will walk into that hall expecting a Pyar Ka Punchnama or at least something close.  But will actually find a Rajshri Productions type tear jerker.  Talk about the apple falling really far from the tree.

 

And then there are the aspects of movie making that I have spoken to death about.  Why do you want to stretch a movie for beyond 120 mins? It is not for any random reason that there are editors in the business.  Use a good one Mr. Ranjan.  And get yourself also into that mould.  Because I am certain that Akiv Ali & Abhishek Seth could not have forced you to stretch this movie in a manner that puts Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan to shame.

 

Kartik Tiwari continues to impress for at least half the movie but cannot act in a serious role to save his life.  What is heartening though is to see an average ordinary every day dude in a mainstream movie.  Ditto for Nushrat Bharucha who has a smile that is actually bigger than herself.  The support cast does a reasonable job also to hold it together.

 

Akaash Vani is probably the best movie that has released this year – so things are looking better for Bollywood.  Some decent music from Hitesh Sonik and outrageous lyrics from the director himself keeps the tempo of the movie up in the first half. 

 

The sad part, as always, is that it could have just been so much better.  I was dropping off to sleep towards the end and it was not just because I had a very early morning and little sleep.  Just too long.  Expect better the next time Mr. Ranjan.  6 on 10.

 

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7GMY97t_S4