Subhash K Jha refocuses on the comedy, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, directed by David Dhawan and starred Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra, which released 21 years ago.
In a key action sequence in this sprightly dip into blunder-land, Salman Khan fights 5-6 Akshay Kumars simultaneously.
That, in a naughty-shell, is the coolly comic crux of the Akshay-Salman combination. Though Salman as Samir (“hawaa ka jhonka,” exclaims a priest, reminding us of Salman’s presence in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) gives a controlled and often inspired performance as the beefy nerd who seems to get his foot in his mouth and his underwear in a budge, it’s Akshay Kumar who is all over the p(l)ace.
As Sunny, the Jerry in ‘Tom’ Salman’s life he brings a bracing cartoon-strip quality to the joyous jugalbandi between the two leading men. As they battle for the hand of the damsel in dis-dress(distress is old hat now) we get to witness one of the wackiest comic triangles in recent times.
Besides Akshay Kumar the USPs of this pleasing-n-teasing comedy are the the crisp mise en scene topped with some sumptuous songs and dances and prankish dialogues which make you chuckle at the sheer silliness of the scenario.
A triangle with 3 absolutely unintellectual protagonists who don’t brood as much as bleat and bray about love, isn’t easy to carry off. Throughout David Dhawan retains the rippling raga of ripostes. Rumi Jaffrey’s dialogues aren’t as sharp and clever as they ought to be. But they convey a certain street wisdom which goes well with the Tom & Jerry mould of the mirth.
Apart from a smattering of innocuous gay jokes(look what Shah Rukh and Saif started in Kal Ho Na Ho!) the soundtrack is refreshingly free of vulgarity and drivel-meanings. This is one laughathon you can enjoy with your family without squirming in your seats. Undoubtedly David Dhawan’s smartest comedy to date, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi communicates the airy ambience of a beach party. Sharmista Roy’s clever art direction recreates the crimson Baywatch look. Curvaceous girls and beefy boys litter the Goan seascape to create an eye-catching ‘young’ ambience.
The plot is as slender as Ms Chopra’s waist. Clearly the film’s main attraction is the way the two leading men go about trying to get her attention. The hook-and-crook strategy is milked to the last delectable drop. Apart from a some portions after intermission the situational witticism never wanes.
The comedy plays itself out at a fairly high decibel. Even the songs and dances, though mostly like uninvited guests at a wedding are choreographed with a zip-and-zing that makes you sing. The climax in a stadium filled with well-known cricketers appears to be straining at its satirical seams.
Bat seriously! And what was the need to introduce that short raga of ribaldry at the end where Amrish Puri finds his wife (Supriya Karnik, in an unrecognizable get-up) in a compromising position with Salman. This kind of semi-incestuous satire seems inspired by Priyadarshan’s successful 2003 comedy Hungama. And really, what was the need for the comedienne par excellence Upaasna Singh to slither up to Salman and sigh, “Mujhe ek bachcha chahiye.”
Please , kids are watching!
The satirical stuffing does get a little too puffy towards the end. And the songs come on a little too often for comfort. But the laughs don’t hang loose, thanks to the curiously tense chemistry between the lead pair. Salman as the well-meaning loser (Tusshar Kapoor in Gayab without the glasses and with plenty more sinewy muscles) sportingly steps into the fuming groove once again. A lot of his recent roles find him resorting to a standard kind of gritted-teeth-wicked-demeanour angst-projection as a pantomine of controlled acting.
And off comes the shirt to corroborate the mirth.
It’s the comic aptitudes of the cast that ultimately sees the satire to its huffing and puffing finale. Besides the sinewy and spontaneous male twosome there’s Rajpal Yadav(in a double role as an astrologer and a mo’bike punk!!) and Amrish Puri (as the heroine’s father who keeps getting physicallt hurt up by Salman) adding a slurpy sparkle to their peripheral parts. Kader Khan as a landlord suffering a new physical challenge everyday(from blindness to deafness to…..er, dumbness) isn’t as funny as he once used to be.
Maybe it’s the company he quips. Often, you feel the dialogues don’t allow the characters to be as amusing as their general demeanour suggests. Whatever the faults(there isn’t much a story to tell, specially in the strenuous second-half) they’re all swept away by Akshay Kumar’s crowd-wooing presence.
Though his role isn’t author-backed (he comes into the tale after a good 20 minutes of playing time) Akshay’s wickedly over-the-top portrayal of a small-time rogue is further proof of his growth as an actor. Earlier he revealed his impeccable comic timing in Khakee. Here, in the company of the sporty and sporting Salman, Akshay blossoms into a bundle of bleaching beach-binge burlesque that keeps us rolling with laughter.
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi isn’t a film that will change your life. But it sure as hell makes you smile, even chuckle one in a while. Its biggest achievement is that no one , not the director nor his cast, take the goings-on seriously. The mood of fun just springs out from the screen and grabs you with a viral vigour.
David Dhawan spoke to Subhash K Jha on 21 years of Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. “MSK looks different from my other films. I worked much harder on the film’s look and music. So far, I’ve targeted all my films at the masses. But with MSK I started looking at what audiences in the multiplexes want. Admittedly, they look for the same things as audiences in single theatres. But a little more sophistication. I’ve given them that. I’d never make a film that would put off my hardcore audience. David Dhawan is what he is today because of them. We talk of new cinema. But it’s the old style that still turns on the audience. I can’t make a Spider-Man in India even if I tried. We can’t afford it. But there’re so many other things that I can do over here, so I’m not complaining. Cinema is a vast ocean. After so many years in the industry I think I’ve so much to learn and so much to give.”
About bringing Salman and Akshay together, David says, “It was amazing to get Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar to work together. And even more amazing to watch them work so comfortably together. Though they played rivals in the film, there’s no element of rivalry between them in real life. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it was to work with these guys. With Salman I had worked many times before — Salman and I’ve done Judwaa and Biwi No 1. We can communicate without words on the sets. I discovered we’re still capable of coming up with surprises. His rapport with Akshay is the USP in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. Akshay was new. We had worked together just once together in Mr & Mrs Khiladi. What I liked is that he really respected Salman. There was an air of a picnic on the sets. We never realised when we started and when we ended. You’ll see all the actors in my film — Akshay, Salman, Kader Khan, Amrish Puri — as never before. And Priyanka Chopra with whom I’ve worked for the first time, was just the right influence on the two badmaash boys (Salman and Akshay). It was great fun.”
