“What’s your Raashe?” was l-o-n-g!!
The story of Yogesh Patel’s search for a perfect bride, told earlier in a brilliant way on a TV serial, came to cinema screens via Ashutosh Gowarikar, in “What’s your Raashee?”.
Covering 12 of them takes time. And seen in a movie at one stretch, it gets repetitive at a point. So it would have been nice if there were only 6 raashees and not 12. Or if he had decided to go for alternate ones and not all!!
Well, for all the respect that AG has earned after Lagaan, Swades and Jodha Akbar, you give him the leeway and sit through those extra minutes.
As I did. Earlier today morning. At a new multiplex, the Big Cinemas 9-screen Megaplex started recently, at the R-City Mall, in Ghatkopar. It’s a longer drive there, compared to the walking distance Fun Cinemas screens at K-Star Mall in Chembur, but we decided to go anyway, as there had been this huge promotion about the Megaplex, and we thought it might be worth checking it out, on a Sunday morning.
And it was certainly worth the experience, I tell you! An extremely impressive cinema complex. 7 regular screens, and 2 special screens. One of them being a lounge style 180 degrees recline sofa screen. And another, a first that I have heard in India, in the form of Cine Dine. Where you sit on restaurant style tables, order food, and eat, even as the movie plays on screen. Should be an interesting experience that I want to try out once.
We went to a regular screen. Very comfortable sofa seats for Rs. 130 (morning show on weekends) was not bad as a price. As regards snacks, its become a practise now, to have bundled deals, of popcorn+drink, or samosa+drink or those types. And they are also better value for money than the obscene stand-alone rates that had become the norm few months back.
Coming to the movie itself, I am not particularly impressed by the concept of a guy going around looking for girls, of different raashees, and seeing where the best fit lies. For one, I think its a concept that has gone past the ‘best by’ date. And for another, it appears far fetched, irrespective.
But having said that, stranger things happen in our country, and this one too could happen in real life.
That said, the saga of the hero meeting different girls, of different raashees, is shown well by Ashutosh. The 12 characters have been shown very different, and to an extent, in alignment with the raashee. Some characters appear a little exaggerated (they did so, even in case of Sanjeev Kumar’s 9 roles in Naya Din Nayi Raat), but still believable in most cases.
The reason for the rush to the wedding, appears to be corny. But again, it’s incidental to the rest of the story.
The film remains light hearted, and is supported well by the perfect “restrained, funny actors” trio of Dilip Joshi, Darshan Jariwala and Anjan Srivastav.
Coming to the main two leads, it is a dream role for Priyanka Chopra. Or I should say, a dream dozen roles! There is so much room to play these different characters and in their own unique styles, and she does an admirable job with these. Ashutosh has ensured a sexy feel for the character in most of the dozen roles, so Priyanka has room to do what she does best. Look sexy! And dance and sing and all that. But even in the simpler characters, she has done quite fine.
Coming to Harman Baweja, unfortunately, he has to live with the tag of being a poor man’s Hrithik Roshan.
I think he’s perhaps an inch or two shorter than Hrithik.
I think his physique is also a little lesser than Hrithik’s.
He dances well, but of course, falls short of the master, Hrithik.
He looks like Hrithik, but not quite as hot!
So all in all, he’s just that bit lesser than Hrithik in all respects. And yet the resemblance remains. So unless he does a significant make over for himself, he has to be stuck to the tag of being a Hrithik clone.
And which is how he comes out in this movie too. Which is not too bad, as he’s cloning a really great actor, and even if he reaches 60-70% of that level, it can’t be too bad for the audience. Which should summarise his effort in the flick, then.
All in all, “What’s Your Raashee?” is fine. For Ashutosh Gowariker’s sake, one can tolerate the excessive 45 minutes. But if you don’t see it, you will be none the less for it. And if you are a true fan of AG’s, it may actually be best to not see it, so you can retain him, at the high pedestal, after his epic winners of the past. If those were his business, this one, at best is like a part time hobby that he pursued!
Random Musings 