One of the classic moments in any romantic Bollywood film would be when the hero and the heroine meet for the first time. Instant sparks, profound eye-to-eye conversations and million flowers bloom out of nowhere. Last year, Bunty Aur Babli turned this notion of high romance on its head. Remember how B&B met at a railway station and Babli asked Bunty to accompany her to the loo at the end of the dark and lonely platform? Wasn’t that unusually prosaic? Now, Ahista Ahista undercuts the filmi romance even further. Ankush (Abhay) meets Megha (Soha) at a Delhi court where she has come to get married and calls her something unthinkable: "Sister"!
This lack of obvious, in-your-face romance makes the love story likeable. Ankush is the boy next door, making a living out of being a witness for several court marriages. Megha is the small-town girl who has run away from home to marry her sweetheart Dhiraj (Munshi). When he doesn’t turn up at the appointed day, Ankush has to take her under his wings. Love blooms till the old flame comes marching back.
In a way, the film is quite similar to Imtiaz Ali’s Socha Na Tha. Like KJo’s films it’s also about mistaking friendship for love but it unfolds on the colourful streets of Delhi than against the majestic Manhattan. The characters are everyday, believable people who don’t always get what they desire. The common man hero knows he can’t fall for the class wali ladki; he is just content feeling ‘proud’ to help her. There are some more nice, well-observed moments; like when Ankush impulsively kisses Megha only to say, "Sorry, don’t mind."
The film is entirely Abhay Deol’s and he clearly seems to have more character to his face and more acting in his genes than the other Deol brethren; a modern day Amol Palekar in the making. Soha’s unhappy look becomes lacklustre after a point. Abhay’s camaraderie with the nukkad-type characters doesn’t gel. The interactions are not spontaneous enough and actually turn hammy. At times, the film gets just too whisper-soft and much too slow. Languorous pace is okay but not if it’s a liability to story-telling. And we certainly didn’t need any Himesh Reshamiyya ditties.
High Fives
Bollywood
1. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
2. Omkara
3. Krrish
4. Golmaal: Fun Unlimited
5. Ahista Ahista
Hollywood
1. Snakes on a Plane
2. Talladega Nights
3. World Trade Centre
4. Step Up
5. Accepted
Jazz
1. Best of Nina Simone (Nina Simone)
2. Betcha Bottom Dollar (Puppini Sisters)
3. Best Of Astrud Gilberto (Astrud)
4. Poison Sweet Madeira (Sophie)
5. From This Moment On (Diana Krall)
Courtesy: Film Information
