?Kya meri shakal itni buri hai???
?Mera Aaina kehta hai??
(?Am I really that ugly???
?My mirror tells me this??)
These two lines, uttered by Juhi Chawla in the film, basically sum up the movie ?Aaina?
Starring:
Juhi Chawla as Reema Mathur
Jackie Shroff as Ravi Saxena
Amrita Singh as Roma Mathur
Aaina?meaning ?mirror? is a movie about the true meaning of beauty?and all the other sayings such as, ?beauty is only skin deep? and ?beauty lies in the eye of the beholder?.
Reema and Roma Mathur are two sisters. Roma is the eldest and is the most egoistic, whilst Reema is younger, and exudes high calibre. Reema has always allowed her elder sister to win and Roma ungraciously takes that as her triumphant trophy.
Along comes Ravi Saxena, a rich and suave business tycoon whom Reema admires greatly, even to the point of dreaming him asking her hand for marriage! Of course this involves at least one song?where Jackie wears big sunnies!
Ravi though, falls for Roma, the narcissist. Believe me; she truly seems incapable of loving someone other than herself. This is highlighted in the endless mirrors adorning her walls?oh and also, dozens of her photographs hang on her walls.
But after a lot of pursuing on behalf of Ravi, she eventually agrees to get married and Reema bravely wipes away her tears and sings at the wedding.
But, come the baraat (when the groom?s side arrive for the wedding), and Roma leaves home. Why? Because she received an offer impossible to refuse; to act as the main heroine in some movie.
Anyways, she also leaves a note for Ravi saying that ?Oh, I know you?ll wait for me?. Yeh right, and who are you? Gosh, she thinks very highly of herself!
But Ravi surprises everyone and goes ?Yeh baraat waapas nahi jayegi? (The wedding will go on)?but how I hear you say?
Ravi puts it simply, I?m gonna marry Reema?and tells Reema to accept it, no questions asked. Hhhmm?.I can hear the feminist inside of me trying to scream out, ?Who does he think he is?!!?!?!?!!?
Anyways, yeh so they get married?Reema says that she can?t be his wife, she doesn?t feel comfortable and Ravi accepts and says?When you?re ready, reach out okay?
Gradually, Reema ?reaches out?, literally I may add?and then lo and behold, they lip lock on screen! Lol, that was kind of amusing?but you could see that Juhi and Jackie were a bit er?what shall we say...awkward?
Anyways, a song interrupts and they get back home?pitch dark?Jackie is carrying Juhi?Then?dramatic music we hear clapping?Roma appears with a rather disgusted look on her face.
Apparently she was kicked out of the movie?ahahahaha?and when she went to her parent?s house, they too kicked her out! But of course Reema allows her to stay at her?s and Ravi?s house. Roma then tries to seduce Ravi?Reema is relieved when she sees that Roma is unsuccessful?but gradually, it seems as if Roma?s plans are working?Ravi seems to be spellbound by Roma?s so-called beauty.
What happens next? Does Roma?s beauty overrule her otherwise ugly personality? Or does Reema, representing good faith finally get enough courage to snatch Ravi away from her elder sister?
?Aaina? succeeds on a lot of fronts; direction, music, storyline and performance.
Juhi and Jackie actually share this on-screen chemistry and both act their parts real well. Especially Juhi, who in the beginning had to portray an extremely naïve girl. But I reckon that the trophy should go to Amrita Singh. She was wonderful as the ?evil? and selfish sister. And also, you got to give her credit for playing the ?glamorous? and ?gorgeous? role when she herself aint the attractive type. What did Saif see in her?!!?!?!
Oh and Jackie?s meant to be some real gorgeous hunk right? In that time, weren?t a lot of girls after him?! Can I ask why?!
The music is fabulous! All of the songs were definite hits!
This storyline is one that is not really witnessed to some degree in Bollywood. Well, I cant remember it being portrayed as well. I mean there?s always been the competition between friends etc but this is relatively new. And also, it?s by Yash Chopra?but it?s not really like his usually movies, it?s got substance.
A couple of scenes that one remembers:
? The scene where Reema and her father think that Ravi is coming to dinner with a proposal for marriage?he does, but it?s for Roma. It?s most touching when Reema discovers the truth?you feel sorry for the poor lass?I mean she was naïve in thinking that just after bumping into him in a bookstore one day, he will ask her hand for marriage! But still, you don?t want her to suffer?
? The suhagraat scene (wedding night scene) where Reema finally stands up for herself?thank god! If she hadn?t, I would have chucked something at the bloody TV!
? The scene where Ravi holds down Reema?s right hand when they?re at her parents? place for lunch. That was a very subtle yet ?powerful? romantic scene?and then when at the same night, Juhi pretends to sleep when Jackie comes in the room?that was sooo cute!
? When Roma arrives?and then all the scenes after her arrival are full of tension and drama
? The end few sequences are just pure genius! The pace increases and the viewer is placed upon the edge of their seats?whilst the stars ARE actually on the edge of their seats, literally?in those final few scenes?Amrita shined. She was wonderful.
Overall, this movie is a great watch?you can watch this movie over and over and not get tired?and then of course there is so much symbolism everywhere like at the time before marriage when the sisters are playing chess and Roma, who is on the black side still starts first?shows how she?s always the one to snatch Reema?s rights away?yet, Reema still wins?
Great movie?but of course it?d do well if the fashion was ignored, what can we say? I am almost embarrassed by the fashion of the early 1990s! This movie IS a bit outdated! The big sunnies, the A-shape salwaar kameez, and the big hair, the bright and puffy clothing?so don?t watch if you?re a modern fashion critic.
Just let the movie take you away! And also remember this??beauty is only skin deep?. Never ever consider yourself worthless if some loser guy doesn?t return your feelings or says something nasty?it?s his loss not yours!!!