Cliched but endears nevertheless !. Review on Vivaah

an urban young boy on the verge of being responsible. a homely young girl. two distinct social backgrounds. guess what, their marraige is arranged and none of the elders have any objection ! so how will the story move forward ? simple ! introduce a grey shaded step mother and you have got the complications, only to get them solved in the climax.

but sooraj badjatya looses his direction somewhere in the middle and fails to depict the true cause of the story.

indeed, vivaah is a story of journey from engagement to marriage. but the narrative is abound with several cliches and the actual problem in the journey gets confused itself. the much needed freshness to this genuinely original story is missing. hence, vivaah wanders between an average to a good attempt all the way.

there are several memorable moments when the protagonists come closer. but the worn out formula of a few laughs, some melodrama and a so called entertainer script needs modification now.

after seeing vivaah, one definitely feels that karan johar is just an improved version of badjatya with more vibrant frames and better production values [ which johar himself courageously left behind with KANK]

the props used in the film were straight from the 80s. every thing from the transistor to the glasses were old fashioned. may be, it works that way in the towns of uttar pradesh [ I say this although i come from a small town myself ]. this unneedeed detailing notwithstanding, the art direction is brilliant.

this is amrita rao's film all the way. the film revolves mostly around her problems and her going ons. this is her best performance to date. nevertheless, shahid kapoor is equally handy. it was great to see his character being real instead of the "too good to be true" sorts as in a typical rajshri film. he was good in both comic and emotional scenes.

seema biswas and rajshri productions dont really make a match. but here, she was near perfect for the role. the supporting cast is nothing much to write about.

but for god's sake, where was ravindra jain all these days ? his music really lifts the movie a few notches higher and sustains one's interest, which doesnt happen very likely these days. he proves that the power of melody can also make for a foot taking music in these days. [ himesh reshmiyya, take a note ! ]

with an untouched story as such, sooraj badjatya should have tried to be equally novel in his narrative too instaed of willing to create a snese of deja vu time and again. the film has an unusually executed climax and a good one infact !

if seen altogether, vivaah is an enjoyable treat with what all it takes to be a typical hindi film - some romance, some comedy, some drama, good music, and family entertainment all through out.

cheers

harsh