Last night, I came back from my private screening of Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Andaz Apna Apna. The chuckles never stop. They never did. Over the years, this tour de ‘farce’ has made a place among moviegoers as THE go-to movie whenever the blues bellow to get their dues.
There is nothing even remotely logical or sensible about the farcical antics of Amar (Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan) as they negotiate their way through a screenplay that is more of a screenplay. Not a soul in the audience would imagine for even a second that the actors were given a hardbound script. The improvisational spirit is so high that the narration often feels like a bridge doddering toward an impending collapse. The shakedown never happens, even though we feel the characters are going too far with their antics.
More amusing than anything that the two Khans do on screen is Salman trying to keep up with Aamir. This is one of those rare films where Salman makes an effort match his co-star’s wits. There is a twinkle-eyed sparkle and a genuine innocence in his antics.
Clearly, Aamir plays the more intelligent of the two wastrels who run away from the dictates of their respective fathers, played by Deven Verma and Jagdeep, the latter from Bhopal and probably a distant cousin to Banne Khan Bhopali in Sholay.
Curiously, there are no mothers in Andaz Apna Apna. None of the four protagonists has one. Raveena (known by her real name in the film until it is revealed that she is not Raveena but Karisma) has a millionaire father (played by Paresh Rawal) who has an evil twin brother. The twins are named, no surprises here, Ram and Shyam.
All these characters seem to have written themselves out. They are not to be taken seriously. Nothing is to be given much thought. Least of all, the two biggest faffers in the history of Hindi cinema. Let’s just say if Jai and Veeru in Sholay were not assigned to get Gabbar, they would be Amar and Prem in Andaz Apna Apna.
31 years after it was originally released, Andaz Apna Apna remains the invincible, innocuous blueschaser. You can catch any episode in the galloping storytelling for a guffaw. In that sense, it is more like a series than a feature film. The laughter is not self-limiting. If Aamir pretending to have amnesia tickles your funnybone, what about Salman rushing repeatedly to the loo after being tricked into a meal laced with laxatives?
The standup comedians never sit down for a breather. Whether it is Tiku Talsania as an irked cop or comic virtuoso Mehmood as a fake film producer, the actors are given a liberal leeway to do their own thing. While they are in their element, I found Shehzad Khan doing a flawless takeoff on his father, Ajit, to be priceless in his parodic avatar.
Admittedly, some of the gags have become outdated over time. But even in its flatter moments, the laughter never fades away entirely. Andaz Apna Apna is that precious box of assorted biscuits from our past, which we would dig into whenever we needed a snack-boost. It is loads of fun and completely free of innuendos. Go, enjoy this blast from the past.
