MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGE

´Mujhse Shaadi Karogi´ was an acid test for David Dhawan. For one, he has not been in top form as of late and also, it paired up two of the most consistent openers at the box-office Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar for the first team, having the whole industry waiting to see what the outcome would be. That outcome is pleasurable and a refreshing change in Bollywood.

The movie begins by establishing the character of Sameer (Salman Khan) as a person with uncontrollable temper and fists, a weakness that makes him lose his girlfriend Amrita Arora to another man.

Sameer decides to start life afresh and after promising his mother Shashikla that he won´t lose his temper again, lands up in Goa an takes up a job as a resort manager.

Sameer falls in love again this time with Rani (Priyanka Chopra) but he is met with trouble when before anything can begin, her father (Amrish Puri), a retired army officer shows up. Thereafter many other things come in his way all resulting in creating a bad impression of Sameer in the eyes of Rani´s father, a situation that even Sameer´s astrologer panditji friend (Rajpal Yadav) cannot improve.

The movie takes a monotonus course and just as one starts thinking that Dhawan has lost it enters Sunny (Akshay Kumar). Thereafter, the movie is transformed to a different plane altogether as evil personified Sunny, not only manages to end up sharing the same room as Sameer but adds to Sameer´s miseries by manipulating all his good deeds to his advantage and making Sameer a bigger villain than before.

The unexpected and unique climax follows and the audience is pleasantly surprised at the turn of events and revelations with a fitting finale is another version of the title song that brings the house down.

´Mujhse Shaadi Karogi´ is pure entertainment that is high on production value. Sanjay Gupta´s camera work, Farah Khan´s choreography and the two most important factors - David Dhawan´s direction (that is the best since ´"Bade Miyan Chote Miyan"´) and Akshay-Salman´s amazing chemistry.

Salman is in top form but it is Akshay Kumar who springs a surprise with an amazing performance in front of a seasoned actor like Salman. Priyanka is adequate, Amrish Puri is hilarious and Rajpal Yadav is excellent. Kader Khan as Akshay-Salman´s landlord dissapoints as age has finally caught up on him. The presence of top ex and present cricketers like Kapil, Sidhu, Srinath, Harbhajan Pathan, Kaif, Nehra and baby Parthiv is a plesant surprise for the audience.

Amongst the songs ´Jeene Ke Hain Char Din´, ´Rab Kare´ , ´Aaja Soniye´, ´Lal Dupatta´ and ´Mujhse Shaadi Karogi´ all come out well and look well as parts of the movie. Only ´Kar Doon Kamal´ should be trimmed immediately.

Highlight´s of the movie include Salman´s fight sequence with more than 5 Akshay´s, Akshay Kumar´s hilarious rendition of ´Kanta Laga´ with the lady herself. Salman´s climax speech and another version of the title song at the end.

While the opening of ´Mujhse Shaad Karogi´ has been extra ordinary and will sustain for sure till the weekend, being an expensive movie (especially in Bombay) it has to hold for at least ten days to two weeks and that is what will determine its outcome. If the audience accept the ´different´ cricket pitch climax there will be reason for Sajid and his team to celebrate. If we have to give our prediction than ´Mujhse Shaadi Karogi´ is a sure success at the box-office as it is good escapist cinema which will appeal to both mass and class audience. How big or small only time will tell. However, people who want logic in every sequence and want their cinema to be prim and proper rather than entertaining should keep away.