If the makers were releasing the movie about this time of the century, they would have to call it ’’Aao Pyaar Karen---Let’s do love’’ in keeping with the tradition now of adding English subtitles!
Why am I writing about this obscure older-than-a-mummified-body flick, u ask? Well, long story short, I was suffering a bad case of allergies and I started to look for a handkerchief. Try as I might, I couldn’t find mine, but suddenly the song “haathon main aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka” started playing in my head. To distract myself from the sneeze attacks, I started writing. So please feel free to point out factual or omission errors in the comments section!
Hmm let me dig deep into the recesses of my head to retrieve details on this one since it’s been a long time since I saw this phillum! The story is about a poor little rich kid played by Saif, who comes to stay with his grand mommy after his parents are killed in a car accident in London or Dubai or some phoren country, cinema style. Now gammy doesn’t accept grandson because his parents married against her wishes, sob sob! However, gammy’s domestic help, a 16-year old (?) Shilpa Shetty is all too accepting and forgiving of the 18-year old (?)jaydaad-ka-waaris. She teases him, taunts him, sneakily feeds him, bats her heavy false eyelashes at him and generally gives him come-hither looks! Shudders!
When grandma hears the real sob story, she relents and takes him in. At that precise moment, the evil son-in-law (gammy’s daughter’s husband) also squeezes in through the door. The slimy father encourages his slimier daughter Somy Ali to throw herself at the boy so he can usurp all the property. Hiss hiss! Not that she needed the impetus in the first place. Between Shilpa’s coquettish country charm and Somy’s slick city-girl come-ons, Saif’s having a romp. That is before some fishermen morph into villains and attack everyone in the village.
It’s a remake of a Tamil movie that starred Roja and Prashanth. That was way sleazier and smuttier; thankfully the Hindi version is just comical.
What to watch out for:
That aforementioned song, “Haathon main aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka” where Saif goes into a paroxysm of sorts having laid his hands on Shilpa’s handkerchief. It’s just a kerchief for god sakes. Pay close attention to his gamine locks, tight jeans and make-up!
Shilpa Shetty togged from head to toe in oodles of make-up, four sets of eyelashes, Technicolor chaniya cholis, tons of tacky costume jewelry and a baaaad wig to top it off!
Somy Ali (for the uninitiated, she is the original brand ambassador for Thums-Up along with Salman Khan) and Saif look joined at the hip, it’s hard to tell them apart. More importantly it’s harder to tell who’s the girl and who’s the boy err man!
Shilpa’s expressions in that song and the movie in general are unintentionally comical, enlightening and entertaining. She hides behind a tree while Saif’s doing the robot-meets-removing-the-crick-in-the-neck move with the hanky, giggles, bites her fingernail, giggles some more, covers her face and then tries the robot-crick-robot moves herself! Help. All this over a piece of embroidered cloth!
Now only if I could find my rumaal or rumaali roti, I would be dancing too. Ah-choo!!!
P.S: I still can’t shake that sidey song off my head! Aaaaargh!