BollyDiva

Movie Review: Take a back bench, Carrie Bradshaw and Co. Indian movielore has its own city slicker chicks who are definitely sweeter, sexier and more svelte than all of the Sex and the City girlie brigade put together. What’s more important is the fact that their concerns are soooooo recognisable, ekdum familiar, and absolutely rib-tickling. So much so, they strike an instant chord with any and everybody — chick and chico — who has undergone the metropolitan mating game, complete with its distinct social divide between the two distinct types: the uptown dudes and dudettes and the downtown behenjis and bhaiyyas!

Producer Rhea Kapoor and director Rajshree Ojha’s Aisha is a charmer for so many reasons. First and foremost, the film completely dazzles you with its style quotient. Truly, this must be one of the most exquisitely crafted films to sashay down Bollywood’s boulevard in the non-action genre (we’ve had a lot of stylish action films, beginning with Satya). Every bit of costume, every incidental accessory and every tone of colour has been carefully co-ordinated to create a never-ending canvas that reminds you of a walk in a museum, brimming over with objects d ‘arts. From Manish Arora, Anamika Khanna to Chanel and Ralph Lauren, Aisha and her friends just leave you gurgling with glee as they balance the bizarre with the beautiful. And yet, this fashion extravaganza never seems like a hollow catwalk. Kudos to stylist Pernia Qureshi and costume designer Kunal Rawal who create a whole new aesthetics for desi cinema. It’s extremely difficult translating the aesthetics of an Austen novel on to the big screen, something which auteur director Ang Lee successfully managed in Sense and Sensibility. But when you try and translate Austen’s early 19th century England into saddi Dilli and Manhattan-like Mumbai, it’s got to be tricky. But hey, no hiccups for our stylists here. The transition is silken and smooth.

But the style quotient works only because the girls are such strong flesh and blood characters and carry it off so beautifully. Sonam Kapoor’s super snob and spoilt brattish Aisha is actually quite adorable, even as Ira Dubey’s best friend act as Pinky Bose stands out with its supercilious splendour. The duo are absolutely riveting as they breathe life into the archetypal `super bi**ches’ who, if you scratch the glossy surface, are gooey and good-hearted go-getters too. They too have the same fears and the same dreams as the simpleton, Shefali who falls into their trap and becomes their latest victim and pastime. In a seminal scene, the three girls put their heads together, wonder and giggle whether they will have to die single. Sweet! Add to this the fourth diva, New-York returned, white-collared, corporate yuppie, Aarti (Lisa Haydon) and you have a female foursome that literally carries the film on its fair and fragile shoulders.

But all this womanly business doesn’t leave the men behind in any way. All the male characters have substance and soul, including Sonam’s dahling of a dad (MK Raina) who first berates her on her exorbitant credit card bill and then later, shares a bowl of gajar ka halwa with her while dishing out some delicious homilies on love and life. Leading the men’s brigade of course is Abhay Deol who creates Jane Austen’s Mr Knightley to Sonam’s Emma Woodhouse with an irresistible charm that is all his dimpled own. Completely in command, charmingly censorious and so much in love, he’s the essence of Austen’s heroes. But the rest of the boys — Cyrus Sahukar, Arunoday Singh and Anand Tiwari — aren’t far behind.

Watch out also for Javed Akhtar’s and Amit Trivedi’s peppy music track which sends you out humming `gal mitthi mitthi bol’, as you savour your money’s worth.

Sweet love, substantial performances, super fun, slick ‘n stylish, Aisha is a-ha stuff.

A word about:
Performances: Everyone’s immensely watchable. Sonam’s great. Ira’s awesome. Amrita Puri’s simpleton act is heartwarming. Abhay is Abhay: ekdum in command. Arunoday makes an interesting debut. Cyrus is Cyrus: bright and bumbling.

Story: Jane Austen’s nineteenth century England has been adapted very well to super swish south Dilli.

Dialogue: Reflects the concerns and cruel intentions of all cool twenty-somethings who wear their ahtitude on their sleeves and look down on lesser-turned-out mortals.

Cinematography: Both south Delhi and super rich Mumbai are captured with shadow and nuance by Diego Roderiguez.

Music: An excellent score by Amit Trivedi with peppy lyrics by Javed Akhtar and great vocals by Anoushka Manchanda, Neuman Pinto, Tochi, Amit Trivedi and the rest. Watch out for the title track, Aisha, By the Way and Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol.

Choreography: Dare you to sit through Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol!

Inspiration: The film is a desi adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma.