20131104: Bollywood Review--Aitraaz

Aitraaz

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. Indian live action feature length film, 2004, NR, 159 minutes, drama, thriller.  Spoken word is Hindi; subtitles in English.
2. IMDB: 6.4/10.0 from 2,374 audience ratings.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 'No Reviews Yet,' and 69% liked it from 1,859 audience ratings.
4. Huluplus: 'Raj Malhotra was leading a happy life with wife Priya when his ex-flame Sonia enters their life.'
5. Directed by: Abbas and Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla.
6. Starring: Akshay Kumar as Raj Malhotra, Kareena Kapoor as Priya Saxena, Priyanka Chopra as Mrs. Sonia Roy, Amrish Puri as Ranjit Roy, Annu Kapoor as Barrister Ram Chotlani.
7. Said to be a remake of Disclosure (USA, 1994). Sonia's re-entry is not a happy thing.


2. Setup and Plot
1. We start out with a mistaken address and identity.  Raj in #30 is looking for a housekeeper; Ram in #13 is looking for a legal secretary.  Priya is looking for a secretary position at a legal office.  She goes to #30 by mistake.  "I don't consider any job too small" has unexpected consequences.  Her opposite number (the housekeeper) lands the job as legal secretary.  How long can these misunderstandings last?


2. Not very long; both Ram and Raj figure it out.  Ram comes over to get some borrowed law books; his comments let Priya figure it out quickly. 


3. Love at first sight is the diagnosis; they marry and are doing well.  Priya is soon expecting.  Raj gets a promotion and buys a bungalow.  At the announcement of his promotion, Raj gets a bad surprise.  The Big Boss' wife is Sonia, his one-time girlfriend, who is also the new managing director of his company.  She announces Raj's promotion; not to CEO but to seat on the Board of Directors. The party that evening sets the stage for disasters to come.


4. The flashback description of the early days of Raj and Sonia's relationship (before they broke up) was nothing short of beautifully done, lovely and evocative.  Then she leaves him to pursue Ranjit Roy.  The transition is difficult.  Raj thought they had something; clearly Sonia did not.  Her career and ambition are everything to her.


5. Why she is angry at Raj after she marries the big boss Ranjit Roy is hard to see.  She arranges a private meeting, comes on to him; he resists, but not hard enough. Worse yet, he rejects her before anything happens.  Then she brings charges of sexual impropriety against him with her husband.  The next day Ranjit Roy demands he resign; that's just the beginning.  Raj does not resign; he goes to the office and works.  Harsher methods are brought to bear against him, including legal charges.


6. The ferocity of Sonia's attack is met by the strength of Priya's defensive energies and the loyalty of his defense team and friends.  Of course, there also turns out to be business reasons driving this mess, plus dirty tricks.


7. Who comes out the better in this horrible waste of resources, time, money, and reputation?


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Bollywood version of Disclosure (USA, 1994) with singing and dancing.
2. Five stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 10/10 Excellent camera work and 2.35 aspect ratio.


2. Sound: 10/10 Delightful music and singing.  No problems with conversational voice.


3. Acting: 8/10 Good.


4. Screenplay: 9/10 Well done adaptation.


5. Musical Numbers: 10/10 Beautiful, energetic, enjoyable.  The first number is about being in a quagmire, and sailing one's heart in a quagmire.  Yikes!  Sets the tone for the rest of the contentious script.  The second, third, and fourth numbers continue the high quality.