While the trailers seem to give the idea of a college romcom, the reality is something you feel would have ideally suited a movie genre of the 80s. Simply put, Abhay(Uday Chopra) is a geek in an American University who spends his time filling assignments and trying to get the attention of Alisha , a student in the same university, played by a scorchingly hot Priyanka Chopra. Sensing and misinterpreting situations, Abhay ditches his love for Alisha.Cut to seven years later, Abhay is a software junkie in India trying his way to eke out a living by pitching his software to any investor who can see the worth of its salt.Somewhere down the line,the character is cheated by a certain Dino Morea who apparently plays an extended guest appearence in the movie.Till so far things are alright,until a comedy of errors lands the protagonist as a nanny to Alisha's kid. Alisha plays a single divorced mother who works for a software corporation, that apparently is cutting a deal to get Abhays stolen software. The movie tries to oscillate between Abhay's true purpose and his romantic inclinations and gets lost somewhere along the way. The nanny cum chef gains the confidence of Alisha who is still unaware of early rendevousz with Abhay and so is Abhay who continues to act stupid and try hard silently. The first half of the movie just goes about dragging its way until the interval until Abhay decides he is going to be man enough to call a spade a spade rather running to Daddy dear played by Anupam Kher who has been wasted and made to look comic with a goofy hairdo.Cmon,Jugal, I think its high time you started respecting your elders who are schools of acting.They dont need a stupid wig to play a convincing and doting father.Check out Wake Up Sid and you will know what I mean. Through the first half, we are left wondering, where the movie is dragging itself. Comparitively, the second half of the movie has some "eureka" moments like when Abhay works his way up getting to his software but they are few and far in between. The movie tries to rush itself to get to the point and the plot is replete with inane and ridiculuous moments like resorting to a song and dance routine to make Alisha realize that Abhay is the person in love with her and Abhay proposing to Alisha in the midst of an important phase in a software release event that she is supposed to be coordinate or the scene where Alisha probes into Abhay as if she were playing Oprah and says 'Try me'!! How ridiculous is that. These sequences have a sense of deja vu,that neither amuse or entice the audience to stay on with the movie.
Uday Chopra clearly needs to consider taking acting lessons and is better staying off screen rather than on screen. The personification is rather shallow and despite trying hard to get into the skin of the character, Uday fails to impress.
Priyanka Chopra, has proven herself time and again during the past, but here is a movie where she has a wafer thin characterization of her role that is not communicated with the sensibilities. Her role does not demonstrate the maturity or transition that one would have expected from being a college student to a working mother. For Heavens sake, even in the jazziest corporate firms, PR personnel are expected to dress appropriately and not in designer skirts and shorts,and flirting in front of your boss is a strict nono!! However, Priyanka Chopra tries with utmost sincirety to essay her role and almost gets us to agree with her when she braodcasts herself at the Istore to get to Abhay only to plead that she is not a princess but only a girl at the end of the day who like any other has been looking for a prince charming. You bet we have heard that before, but clearly Priyanka shows that she can emote and do it like a pro.
Despite a weak script topped with some unpalatable situations, the movie succeeds as far as the cinematography by Santhosh Thundiyil goes. This is by and large the only plus in a movie whose music has some inspired numbers and an inane song and dance routine that tries to fit itself within the flow of the story.
Too bad, the few good moments in the movie do not last and the audience is left searching for answers to a couple of questions: Why was this movie made? What was the need to spend the money that was spent and lastly a silent prayer that history may never be repeated.
All said and done I go with a 1 out of 5 for this movie being generous only for the camerawork that atleast makes this sick movie look chic.
Signing off
Eashwar
