Nov 11, 2006 07:59 AM
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Amrita has done the impossible.
With one performance she has staked her claim as the best actress of the country.
Rani, Priety, Ash ... they all are left so far behind that it doesnt matter anymore.
Why such superlatives? Simply because sometimes a performace is good, sometimes its
brilliant, but Amrita's performance in Vivah is flawless.
There isnt a single fault in her expression, her dialogue dilevery or her body language.
The expericence of witnessing something so sublime is difficult to put into words.
You fall in love with her, the way she blushes, the way she coyly smiles and lowers her eyelashes, and also the way tears well up in her eyes as she fights to keep them in.
When she says "Jal" it feels so natural that you wonder why you have been calling it "Paani" all along.
The simple fact is that Amrita didnt play Poonam's character.
Poonam is Amrita. She may be modest enough to give the entire credit to Mr. Sooraj Barjatya
but the truth is that Amrita has more than justified Sooraj ji's faith in her.
He threw her a huge challange. And she takes it up and soars.
The audience reaction to the movie says it all.
They dont move, they dont talk or pass comments, they just let enter a world that is so
familiar that its almost a part of your own life.
I may have wept at times, because my eyes were swollen when I came out.
I remember laughing very often.
But what I do remember most definitely is feeling like im a fly on the wall of the house in Madhupur, watching the story unfold.
Sooraj ji tells the story with a simplicity that gently holds your hand and leads you to
the different situations, the sets dont seem like sets, they are so real, the characters dont
speak as they do in movies, they do as we have heard people speak in our homes.
There is nothing fake about the movie.
The elaborate and synthetic sets of a KJ movie begin to look so fake in comparision.
Every actor in the movie has excelled. Choti is a little sister that you probably have.Alok Nath
as Chachaji makes you want to touch his feet. Anupam Kher as Prem's father is a delight to watch. The actress who plays Poonam's Chachi is also brilliant as a tortured soul who cannot
rise above her jealousy for Poonam who is better looking than her own daughter. Even the child
actor doesnt irritate like most child actors do.
Plenty has been said about Sooraj Barjatya's abilities to extract the best work from his actors.
But still, its something that has to be seen to be believed.
Sooraj ji says that the movie doesnt have a plot, just moments and emotions. Well, he has been
keeping a secret. There is a mind blowing climax to the movie and its heartbreaking.
As for moments and emotions, they bind the story together.
Its a simple tale told with a lot of heart. Almost 3 hours pass away unnoticed, and when the movie ends you dont want to get up.
Lots of times you can tell that the cinematography is brilliant, or the editing or special effects.
With Vivah none of this seems to matter. You are too engrossed in the story to notice anything.
But in hindsight, the technical aspect is brilliant and everything gels together perfectly.
In a recent interview Karan Johar stated that Sooraj ji is his idol and mentor. Here Sooraj proves himself worth of such high praise. And I for one believe he is our best film maker as of now.
Lots of people may say that MPK or HAHK were better. Personally I think this is his best
movie till date and it will be a hard act to follow.
Sooraj mentioned that he had started writing he movie with the intention of casting a new pair.
But while scripting he felt that he needed a good actor to play Prem's part, so he roped in Shahid. And then when he came to the climax, he realized that he needed a brilliant actress to
pull this off, that is when he zeroed in on Amrita Rao.
Shahid is a revelation in the movie. He shows such tremendous growth as an actor that you
can't help but admire him. But there is more to it then meets the eye. Prem may have been conceived by Sooraj B, but only Shahid could have brought such innocence and conviction
to the character, partly I believe, because he really is a very honest and sincere person himself.
Shahid is very real as Prem, his decency is not contrived.
Which brings me back to Amrita Rao.
Its uncanny how she seems to have been born to play Poonam.
Looking back it seems like a natural progression of events were leading upto just this.
I cant help but believe that destiny has a large part in bringing Amrita to the right place at the
right time so that she can play this Rajshiri heroine and play her brilliantly.
She has always maintained a very clear stand on her no exposure and no compromises policy.
She is hearbreakingly beautiful, coy, intelligent and prefers to spend her free time with her family. She is very sensitive to her parent's feelings and mostly doesnt hanker for glory.
The "Karwa Chauth" scene in Ishk Vishk seems to be a prologue to her role in Vivah.
That was just a trailer of things to come. She mentions that Sooraj B noticed her in the Legend of Bhagat Singh and that lead to her getting this role. She has no negativity associated with
her and that helps in her portrayal of Poonam in Vivaah.
The simple fact is that Sooraj B depends on his leading lady to charm the audience. His last two movies didnt work because his leading actresses failed him.
But Amrita charms and how.
She hardly has 50 lines in the entire movie. But she didnt even need those. Her eyes do the talking. Her silences are so emotive, her face registers emotions perfectly and her fragile body has a presence that doesnt need exposure to attract.
She is spellbinding and I swear to you, everybody who watches her will fall in love.
Poonam is lovable because Amrita really is Poonam.
She doesnt play a character, she plays herself. And so its safe to assume that she has finally arrived. This is her best performance and will prove to be a milestone in her career.
When you go to watch Vivah (and the loss is yours if you miss it)
pls go inside remembering my words of caution ... when you step out you will have changed.
You will experience a change, grow up somehow, and become more responsible in your life
and more honest in your dealings. The characters of the movie inspire you to be a better person.
It gives us a glimpse of how wonderful our world can be, and all that is needed is for us to leave
our shallowness aside and to what is right.
And that is the biggest victory of Sooraj B.
When Karan Johar accepts divorce and extra marital affairs as a way of life
Sooraj will single handedly reduce the divorce rate to half.
All that is required is for a straying couple to sit and experience this delightfully inspiring
tale together, and they will learn to love each other again.
Thank you Sooraj ji, we are proud of you, proud of being Indians and proud of Indian movies.
