Movie Review: Aisha

Rating: * * * /2

Aisha as a film will defy the one basic long standing rule to cinema and that is that a film needs a robust, well strewn script to do well. Aisha doesnt have the perfect script in the least, but it has all that it takes to thoroughly enjoy a flm. Basically this film is total paisa vasool. For those who may want to dismiss Aisha as a chick flick, I would say, it is one of the best or actually the first real chick flick I have seen in bollywood so far. Especially for girls who have followed Sex and the City as their legend, Aisha may as well just count as a distant but fun cousin to the franchise.

The movie revolves around the life of Aisha Kapoor played by Sonam who is a typical thoroughbred Delhi girl. She can bake, cook, dress to kill, speak well, parties, is a bit of bimbo and loves to hitch people up. Though seemingly she does it with the right intent, somewhere Aisha is vain and insecure and likes to make people do things her way. Then one day her childhood friend Arjun gives her a dressing down and a cold shoulder and she is abandoned by her friends. It is here that she realises her follies.

Lets first talk about the positives of this film. Aisha first and foremost is a very very easy watch. The movie almost at no point shows signs of any struggle. It keeps flowing freely and smoothly. Secondly, Aisha is the perfect example of cashing on a cultural peculiarity and presenting it with great elan despite its negatives. The movie explores the typical Delhi upper class culture and presents it to us in a very healthy manner despite actually concentrating on its vanity and social biases. If there is a satire involved, it is not thrown in the face. Thirdly, Aisha keeps you laughing, not because there are many jokes in it but because it so perfectly uses behaviourial quirks and punjabi accents to induce humour.

Now lets look at the where and what the film lacks. The film somewhere fails to develop Aisha's character fully and effectively. You like Aisha and even though she may be nosey, you don't find her to be self centered at any point. Her intent seems right but that is the one impression that the film doesnt allow you to live with for long. If they really wanted to show Aisha as selfish, they should have developed that trait in her character with more precision.  There will be a patch or two where you will feel the film dragging. Lastly, we should have got a heavier dose of the Abhay Sonam chemistry and romance. We love them both together but dont get to see too much of it. Somewhere because of this, the end seems ineffective.
 
Now for the performances, both Abhay and Sonam are absolutely fabulous in their roles. Apart from them, two other actors steal this show. One is Cyrus Sahukar and the other is Amrita Puri who plays the role of Shefali Thakur. Both the actors do complete justice to their characters.