Complete entertainment package.... Review on Shaadi Se Pehle

Director:Satish Kaushik

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Mallika Sherawat, Ayesha Takia, Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover and Rajpal Yadav

After eons of disasters,finally here comes a movie that will have you smiling and relaxing at its unformulaicness. Though not a classic by any means ,Shaadi Se Pehle is not too bad a choice to kill an evening. If you’re sick of the mushy romances and so-called realistic films, try some typical masala with Shaadi Se Pehle.... It is a pure popcorn fare, best watched with a couple of friends who will gorge on the popcorn with you and pass a few snide comments as well!

Story

Shaadi Se Pehle is a story of Akshaye Khanna who is deeply in love with Ayesha Takai. But problem is with Akshay who deals with the ordeals of his life in weird manner. At the smallest of the problems he believes in running to the nearest medical store and popping pills to calm his jangled nerves. In short the man is raving hypocondriac.

When Ayesha's family notices this, they do all they can to stop this relationship going any further .To add to his troubles, he learns that his friend, Aftab Shivdasani is attracted to Ayesha.

The twist comes when he misunderstands the doctor's diagnosis of hypertension as cancer. His world comes crashing down with this incident...

With a convoluted plan, he decides that the only way Ayesha won't be heartbroken when he dies is to have her hating him. So he decides to have an affair with the sexy model Mallika Sherawat. The plan works, and Ayesha dejectedly dumps him and bows down to the wishes of her family to marry someone else and and as luck would have it, her family chooses Aftab.

The wedding date is arranged .Here comes anoter twist !Akshay's medical misunderstanding however, is cleared up soon enough, and he realises that he isn't dying after all. Naturally he wants Ayesha back .But is it too late? To make matters worse ,Suneil Shetty, elder brother of Mallika, who is a notorious don, wants to have him killed!

Will Akshay be able to win back Ayesha? Will he be able to break up Ayesha and Aftab's wedding? And will he be able to get rid of Mallika?And Akshay has to clear up all this mess - shaadi se pehle!

Critical analysis

Originality – you will not find one in this movie. Logic – you must be kidding!In terms of a story the makers have managed to repackage a age old wine in a brand spanking new package and even managed to make it taste a little better. The story has some clichés in it, yet the film comes across as fresh and is always watchable.It is indeed not false that director Satish Kausik is not the greatest director in the industry. But he has continued to make fairly enjoyable films in the past and Shaadi Se Pehle only cements it further.

The initial reels set the ball rolling. The initial sequences between Ayesha and Ayesha – are uproarious. Some good comic moments come from Akshay Khanna and Rajpal Yadav too. Had it not been for their chemistry alongside Rajpal’s perfect timing and fluent dialogue delivery , the film might have turned out to be a brooding fare.

But the goings-on tend to get mediocre as the drama shifts to Mallika for the writer resorts to clich situations, gags and punches to move the story ahead . But the pace of the flick being swift, by the time you realise what's happening, a new development arrests your attention instantaneously. The juvenile dialogues and comic situations are perfect for the atmosphere. It's the type of stuff I think is perfect for this kind of movie, but it will have pseuds thinking it is offensive and uncreative. Let them say what they want. The public will love the them in the context of the movie... In the technical department, this is no superior product, but the needed gloss, style, is evidently there. The cinematography scores for most of the part without embarking any superb territory..

Himesh Reshammiya’s music is decent and enjoyable, although after a few months...it will be forgotten.Also the songs appear in quick succession, without any valid situations. At least two dream songs can easily be deleted to make the pace faster .

Akshay Khanna does a fine job as a man so much in love and as the broken hearted lover confused about where his love is heading.Mallika Sherawat is all right, except when she laughs. That grates a bit, but on the whole completely tolerable. Rajpal Yadav is hilarious! Ayesha Takia played her part well although the actress does need to brush up on the way she presents herself.Sunil Shetty completely overacts in his role. He should go back into retirement.

conclusion.....

Okay, it's idiotic, but combined with some genuinely funny moments and credible performances, it is also a thoroughly enjoyable, 120-minute, laugh-out-loud comedy. It seeks to entertain and makes a decent job of it.