Aur Pyar Ho Gaya - Movie Review

Published: July 25, 2010

By EKTA R. GARG

Starring Aishwarya Rai, Bobby Deol

Even beauty queens can have bad hair days—and bad makeup and bad wardrobe days—as evidenced in this film. Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World title in 1994 and made her entry into the cinematic world in 1997 with the Tamil film, Iruvar. Later that year, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya released, giving the future Mrs. Bachchan a typical Bollywood masala entrance.

Ashi (Rai) is the coddled granddaughter of Mr. Kapoor (played by yesteryear hit actor Shammi Kapoor) and the daughter of the bumbling Kailash Nath Kapoor (Anupam Kher). Kailash Nath meets an old friend at a wedding, and in typical desi (and Bollywood) fashion, the friend’s wife asks for Ashi’s hand in marriage for their son Rohit. Kailash Nath is ebullient, but his father and Ashi are cautious. After hearing of a friend’s suicide due to a bad arranged marriage, Ashi is convinced the only way she can determine whether Rohit is right for her is to go to Switzerland where Rohit is running a garment business. She wants to meet Rohit without revealing her true identity and determine whether she can spend the rest of her life with him. Ashi’s indulgent grandfather agrees and sends her to Europe.

But Ashi can’t seem to locate the elusive Rohit. Instead she keeps bumping into Bobby Oberoi (Bobby Deol), who falls in love with her. A series of mishaps and a case of mistaken identity later, Ashi comes to feel the same way about Bobby and returns to India ready to marry him. Kailash Nath objects initially (his heart is set on the still-missing Rohit), but eventually he gives in. Everything seems in place for the blissful couple to wed when a surprise twist redirects the love story and suddenly Bobby and Ashi’s impending marriage seems doomed.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been described as the most beautiful woman in the world, but this film undermines that assertion. Several odd wardrobe choices are painful to watch—patient fans should definitely look for the weird striped head scarf and matching outfit complete with genie pants. In another scene, Ashi wears a blue scarf on her wrist as a distracting complement to a hideous outfit. And her wide hips and soft tummy are evidence of the days when Bollywood heroines didn’t have to show so much skin.

In stark contrast, the dance sequences are a delight; Ash shows off her skills in a wedding musical number exhibiting some classic Ash dance moves. There are long dance sequences with no edits, a tribute even then to Ash’s amazing talent.

Many of the songs became incredibly popular when Aur Pyar Ho Gaya released; the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s music provided some delightful numbers, such as Ash’s introductory song, “Todasa Pagala Toda Seyana” and Bobby Deol’s film entrance, “Ek Din Kahin.”

Director Rahul Rawail is used to introducing big names to Bollywood; he directed Kajol in her first film as well as Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their movie debuts. Unfortunately, knowing how to handle potential mega stars doesn’t always make for an enjoyable movie experience. Aur Pyar Ho Gaya is only recommended for die-hard fans who want to see where Ash got her Hindi film start.

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