Getting straight to the point - U Me Aur Hum is what one would call an quintessential 'chick flick'. This movie is sappy, mushy and very
emotional. If you are one of those people who don't need a reason to
start crying, this one is made for you. Even if you aren't, U Me Aur
Hum still offers an enjoyable 2+ hours of romantic drama. that is,
if you don't mind the crying!
Story is as simple as it gets: A Boy meets a Girl, whom he falls
head over heals in love with. The Girl is indifferent to his feelings
towards her. The Boy woos the Girl until she succumbs to his advances,
and they get together - living happily ever after for the rest of their
lives. okay, maybe it is not so simple after all. As the movie takes
dramatic turn in the second half, where we find out our heroine is
suffering form an incurable, neurological disease - Alzheimer's.
Obviously, our hero is terribly distraught, as our heroine slowly
starts to forget phone numbers, home addresses, her husbands name and
even her own child!
The rest of the film revolves around how the husband deals with his wife's disease.
U Me Aur Hum is a romantic, dramatic and tear-jerking experience.
Some criticism might be levied against the film, for the main plot
apparently being a'lifted from' the Korean production, A Moment To
Remember.
Indeed, there are certain similarities between both films. But for the
most part, U Me Aur Hum is fresh tale, probably not told before in
Bollywood(I could be wrong). And even though a twenty-eight year-old
contracting Alzheimer's Disease is incredibly unlikely, it is certainly
possible.
The first half is light and breezy, at times extremely cliched, but
that is expected from a Bollywood romance. The Ships Cruise is a
perfect setting. The development of the romance between the main two
protagonists, the songs, and the many humorous moments between the
secondary characters, make for a very enjoyable first half.
But it is the start of latter half that takes the film to an all time
high. After the discovery of the heroine's illness, the intense drama
sets in. Situations that are not only brilliantly written and directed,
but also performed to the best of both the central actor's ability.
Scenes worth mentioning:
1). Ajay finding Piya in the middle of the street, lost.
2). Piya explaining to the doctor about her loosing her memory.
3). Ajay admitting Piya to a care center.
4). Piya begging Ajay to take her home.
5). Ajay confronting Piya in the care center.
One scene which I absolutely loved, was when Piya gets an attack,
while her baby is in danger of drowning. It was certainly adrenalin
rushing stuff! Everything, from the acting to the background score to
the camera-work, to the direction - all perfect!
In the technical department, U Me Aur Hum is very impressive.
Camera-work is different, but equally brilliant. Background score is
great. Cinematography is topnotch. The film maintains a bright and
glossy look throughout.
Music of the movie is unconventional, if you compare to Vishal
Bhardwaj's earlier works. Nonetheless, the songs are good, and placed
well in the movie. Dhadka and Jee le stand out in terms picturisation.
Ajay and Kajol aren't good dancers by nature, but the direction and
camera-work is so well in these two songs, that you don't even notice
the actors inability to dance.
Coming to performances:
Ajay, is good as the doting lover and husband. While
he was good in the first half, it in in the second half where he gets
the opportunity to showcase his talents as an actor. He was great in
the latter half, excelling mainly in the intense scenes. Although, he
did look out-of-place in many of the cheesy romantic moments.
Kajol, is without a doubt, one of the industry's
finest actors. She has performanced brilliantly in this film. The role
itself is a tough one to enact, but Kajol has made it seem so easy. I
loved her throughout, she didn't leave any space for criticism. With U
Me Aur Hum, Kajol gives another award winning performance.
Isha Sharvani, looks pretty and acts well as the dumb brunette.
Karran Khanna, was strictly okay. While he was funny at times, for the most part he was plain annoying.
Sumeet Raghavan, is very good. He plays the part of'hassled husband' well. and looks it too!
Divya Dutta, playing the'hassled wife', is competent. She doesn't do much, except make faces at her husband and act cranky.
Sachin Khedekar, is great in the role of the psychiatrist/psychologist(I forgot what he was).
After Aamir Khan, Bollywood has inherited another great
story-teller in Ajay Devgan. Technically, he knows his craft well, and
has done a commendable job for his directorial debut.
Ajay has made an emotionally compelling drama, which are not devoid
of minor flaws, but they can be overlooked, as U Me Aur Hum strikes a
chord with the viewer and is not a film that will be easily forgotten.
Rating: 3.5/5
