“Remember Me!!”, “Remember, when we first met; our first kiss; our honeymoon days – remember when we shared your ex- lover secrets – remember when we shared the feeling of becoming parents ...”
it’s nice to look back down the years with your beloved and recollect pieces of your past… but what if it’s not a choice rather a necessity? What if, when you return home you aren’t sure if you will be treated as a family or a stranger? What if twenty years down the line you get up next to your most loving person and pray “GOD let his/her memory be alive today”? Yes probably that’s what Ajay always wished from GOD that his lady-love, soul mate and wife should remember her past everyday.
Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut “U Me Aur Hum” is loosely inspired (read it as flicked) plot from the 2004 Hollywood movies “50 First Dates” and “The Notebook”. “U Me Aur Hum” is story of a happy go lucky guy Ajay (Played by Ajay Devgan) who falls for Pia (Kajol) a bartender at a happening cruise. Ajay tries to woo Pia with all possible ways and successfully wins her heart and convinces her to get married to him after series of efforts. “And they never lived happily ever after” because one fine day, surfaces a fact that Pia is suffering with “Alzheimer’s”. (Alzheimer is a progressive and fatal brain disease whichdestroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time and it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.) What happens next is no “brain teaser” and you don’t get any prizes to guess it. It’s the same old getting over the odds together and at no cost leaving your beloved. I don’t want to sound blunt but that’s what happens next in the movie.
Dissecting the movie further we can divide the 2 hr 40 mins effort of Mr. Ajay Devgan into two parts. Pre - interval story revolves around Ajay and Pia Love Story along with a bunch of ajay’s happy/unhappy friends who have come on the cruise for a vacation. Director has tried hard to make the whole first half sequence funny and comical but audiences could not even stretch corner of their lips, as if they sat with a face pack on. Even Vicky (Karran Khanna) back showing sequence could not tickle the corner of my fat tummy. Most of the scenes in the first half have been shot with close ups of Ajay and Kajol and for a moment you end up counting wrinkles on their face.
Second half can be rated better than the first one as it enters the intense side of the story. Devgan’s duo has given a brilliant performance as matured actors and had lived up to the expectations that they have set over the years. Serious cinema being Ajay forte, as a director he did a polished work in the second half, . Story takes a nice twist and scriptwriter starts his lesson on marriage and togetherness. At various instances after the interval you will feel that movie is nearing end but it doesn’t and that’s a complete turn off.
Direction: Ajay can be given a liberty, keeping in mind that this is his directorial debut. But we shouldn’t spare him for bad direction in the first half. Your first attempt to anything needs thorough homework but somehow Ajay was in a hurry to try his new role of a director. If first impression has to be counted as last “He fails”. Period.
Characters: The entire character artists are carefully chosen and are perfect for their roles. Kajol effortless acting still makes us wonder if she has ever left acting and makes you realize what an actor industry lost at an early stage. (Keeping in mind the number of movies that she is doing after marriage) She had lived her role with conviction and when everyone else fails to keep you intact with the movie, she pulls the whole scene on her shoulder. Ajay would have worn just one cap either of an actor or director. He did an okay job which could have been done better by any other actor. Rest of the crew which includes familiar face of Divya Dutta, Isha Sharvani , Karran Khanna, Sumeet Raghavan has done a decent job but Sumeet still steal the show compared to rest three.
Cinematography: Aseem Bajaj needs applause for his commendable job of painting the whole set with a fresh feel. It reminded me of “Alice in wonderland” story; I always imagined such world whenever I read that story. It just mesmerizes you and probably act as one plus point in the movie.
Music and Songs: Refer my music review at the below link : https://mouthshut.com/review/U_Me_aur_Hum_Album-141476-1.html
Some of “Not to Miss” moments of the movie:
Scene during the “Jee Le” song where guys lift Kajol and she throws a white flower in the air has been shot excellently and is not a miss; Kajol’s performance when she forgets Ajay’s phone number and her own house is lucrative; Scene where the baby drowns also raise your goose bums; The last punch line which says “Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people"
Moral of the story: Nobody can guess it exactly what the filmmaker has tried to communicate through the movie. Let me help you guys with the original intension of the movie. If it would have been made in a better way then this one would have been about “Relationships” and standing together in all odds. Love can keep you going when problems pulls you back. And its all about realizing “Life can be fair many a times but not always” so hold your beloved tight and be ready to anything.
PS: Please don’t get irritated with “You know what?” dialogue in the movie probably that was the only fillers the scriptwriter could think of when he use to forget what he is writing.
My Actual Rating : 1.5 star