Jan 16, 2003 01:40 PM
3428 Views
(Updated Jan 16, 2003 04:05 PM)
To start with, I read a few lukewarm reviews about Ajnabee and did not want to waste time on it as I did for K3G! But then thriller (be it books or movies) is a weakness. I decided to watch it when our cablewala decided to show Ajnabee one Saturday afternoon when my family (read hubby and daughter) was asleep and unlike other time, I had time to wile away. If I didn't like it, I could change channels--I am in command of the situation, I reasoned with myself!
I liked what I saw...yes, I liked Ajanabee because it is not like the usual thriller movies (made in India) which either makes you laugh or cry, but has no ounce of thrill in it! Ajnabee has a bit of bold approach (suggestion of wife swapping), it sure does not have the edge-of-the-seat excitement and yet, I liked it because, it is different.
Characters:
Bobby Deol (Raj), I am not a fan of his, but found him good in this movie.
Kareena Kapoor (Priya), is a little better than she is in her other movies. Tolerable!
Akshay Kumar (Vicky), surprisingly has acted well, looks smashing too.
Bipasha Basu (Sonia), looks stunning without any effort, and has an awesome screen presence. She has to put in a little more effort into acting, I won't write her off as she has a potential which can be tapped well.
Johny Lever (forgot his screen name) is loud and the humour goes overboard.
Raj and Priya get married in the first few reels of the film, after a song sequence in the rain. Raj is invited to Switzerland to participate at a Polo tournament; he takes Priya along.
In Switzerland, Raj and Priya befriend neighbours Vicky and his wife Sonia. Vicky convinces Raj and Priya to holiday with them in Mauritius. Vicky pretends to be hurt in an accident and gets the money for the tour from the insurance company. That's smart isn't it? You can ignore the fact that insurance policy is about 100 million dollars, where as the local currency is Swizz Franc.
It is high time that the producers, directors and the script writers (even the actors) first clean up such flaws in a movie. The views are intelligent and very choosy these days.
Anyway, let me proceed.....and now the action begins. While in Vicky puts forth an indecent proposal -- Raj and he swap wives. A furious Raj puts an end to their friendship. The couples return to Switzerland. Vicky apologizes and asks for forgiveness. The four are friends again and the film takes a huge U turn on Vicky’s birthday. When the two men return home, drunk, Vicky brings up his indecent proposal again. The following morning changes their lives forever -- one of the four is found murdered.
Revealing more would be unfair to those who havn't seen the movie as yet and have a desire to watch it. Atleast, I like to watch a movie when I don't know the plot!
The first half of Ajnabee is fast and crisp and the suspense keeps building. The second half begins well. A couple of unforseen twists or turns could have given the movie a magic touch. If handled a little better, Ajnabee could have been the thriller movie people would have liked to watch! The songs are well shot, and done well, but movie could very well survive without Mujhko neend aa rahi hain.
