I must say I am a bit surprised to see no reviews of this movie on MS till date. It certainly deserves one. Biwi Ho To Aisi is a vintage rom-com with power-packed performance from Rekha, Farooq Shaikh, and Bindu, among others.
I remember watching this movie as a kid on VCR at my uncle’s place. Needless to say, it enlivened up the whole evening for us. Written and directed by J.K Bihari, the movie was released on 1988. A typical family drama with a twist, the movie tells the story of how a young house wife tackles the unruly behavior of her tyrant mother-in-law, and ultimately gains her confidence.
The plot: Biwi Ho To Aisi tells the story of Suraj and Shalu, who fall in love at first sight and marry. While Suraj came from an affluent family, Shalu was a village belle, with modest background. However, their marriage enrages Suraj’s mother Kamala. She was furious as her elder son did not marry a girl who would match the social status of their family. She was also livid as her otherwise well mannered and obedient son had married without her consent. Her dominance and autocracy at home was under challenge. In a fit of rage, she decides to throw Shalu out of the house. She begins to ploy with her secretary P.K Patialewala of means to torture Shalu mentally and physically. They also scheme to put her in a soup whenever possible, so that others have a bad impression of her. Like, for example, they accuse Shalu of stealing cash and jewellery.
Despite the personal attacks, Shalu keeps her cool and performs her duties as a responsible daughter-in-law. She tries to win over the heart of her mother-in-law, but in vain. However, her father-in-law Kailash Bhandari and brother-in-law Vicky are sympathetic towards her. They provide her emotional support when she is tormented. Vicky, at times also tries to protest against the wrong actions of his mother.
After endless rounds of humiliation, Shalu protests at last and throws back the brickbat. It all starts when Kamala plans to dump Shalu in a deep ditch, but by accident falls into it herself. Shalu saves her life and starts hitting back upon her verbally, after they return home. In front of a gathered crowd, she surprises everyone when she speaks in clear and articulate English. Her actual identity is then revealed. She is an Oxford educated lady, and not a simple village girl. Kamala comes to know that Shalu is actually the daughter of Mr. Mehra, a friend of her husband Kailash. It was Kailash’s plan to bring in Shalu to their family in this way, and teach Kamala a lesson. Kamala has a lesson learnt, repents, apologises to all, and accepts Shalu in her family. In the end, All-Izz-Well!
The Cast: Almost everybody in the cast did a superb job in protraying their roles. Farooq Shaikh as Suraj was his own sweet and dignified self. He made the character realistic. The prized possession of the movie is of course, Rekha as Shalu. She rules the movie with her inimitable style, magnetic presence and wonderful acting. I remember clapping when Rekha confronts her mother-in-law by saying, "And for your kind information, I know much better English than you do." I think very few actress could have portrayed this role so beautifully which had many shades in character - on one hand she is a jovial village girl, next a dutiful and suffering daughter-in-law, and in the end the Oxford educated modern woman. However, the movie will also be memorable for the wonderful acting of Bindoo, who plays the tyrant mother-in-law to perfection. Her character had negative shades and at times comic shades too. She really made it look reliable with her wonderful acting skills. I think this is one of the best performances in her career. Kader Khan as Kailash and Salman Khan as Vicky, supported the main cast well and lived up to their role. Asrani as the evil secretary provided comic reliefs in his signature style. Om Shiv Puri had a small but important role as Mr. Mehra.
The music: Music was a bit of a stalemate in the movie. Coming from the house of the celebrated duo Lakshmikant-Pyarelal, the film certainly deserved better songs. The only song which you might remember is perhaps "Saasu Ji Tuune Meri Kadar Na Jaani" sung by Anuradha Paudwal. Another song worth mentioning is "Main hoon Paanwali", sung by Alka Yagnik, which marks Rekha’s entry into the movie.
The treatment: A well made movie in all counts and definitely worth a watch. It’s a clean movie which you can enjoy with your entire family. The twist in the tale was commendably brought out. Crisp storytelling made the movie an interesting watch.
All in all, I would recommend Biwi Ho To Aisi to all lovers of family drama. And of course, all admirers of the enigmatic Rekha.