| Cast: |
Aditya
Chopra, Sanjana, Jimmy Shergil, Bipasha Basu. |
| Director: |
Sanjay Gadhvi |
| Producer: |
Yash
Chopra |
Recycling
seems to be the sacred mantra of the Karan Johars,
Subhash Ghais and Yash Chopr
as.
Sad
that top rung filmmakers like these repeat their own
formulae film after film. And so, Yash Raj Films'
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai religiously treads the oft-beaten
path.
Mere
Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai opens at Mumbai's Gateway of India
with Sanjay aka Sanju (Uday Chopra) and Ria (Bipasha
Basu) discussing why a man and woman can never be
friends because 'love' always enters the scene ---
a la Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met
Sally.
Of
course, Crystal blamed sex and not love, but this
is a Hindi film, remember?
Things
are going fine for roomies Sanju and Ria until the
former receives a call from his childhood best friend
Anjali aka Anju (Sanjana), about her forthcoming marriage.
Startled, Sanju realises, thanks to some prodding
from Ria, that he has been in love with Anjali all
his life. A go-getter of sorts, Sanju resolves to
break this wedding. He packs his bags and sets out
for Dehradun.
Sanju starts playing his cards immediately to win
the favour of Anjali's large and overtly affectionate
clan, comprising a Vastu Shastra crazy aunt (Bindu),
depressed bachelor uncle (Saurabh Shukla), caricaturish
grandmother (Dina Pathak), hoity-toity sister (Tanaaz
Currim), and ideal mommy-daddy (Alok Nath, Neena Kulkarni).
Sanjay's
worst fears come true when he comes face to face with
Anjali's fiancé Rohit (Jimmy Shergill). NRI
Rohit is handsome, God-fearing and a doctor by profession.
In short, a complete antithesis of the manipulative
and mischievous Sanju.
Sanju
attempts to tarnish Rohit's squeaky clean reputation
by baiting him into a bachelor party, where Anjali
finds her would-be hubby, shaking butt with the sultry
Shamita Shetty (in a guest appearance). Sensing that
Sanjay is scheming to wreck his marriage, Rohit confronts
him. A brief 'she is mine' match later, the duo 
decides
to keep pursuing lady Anjali and let her decide who
she wants.
Ria
arrives on the scene and convinces Sanju to pose as
couple in love, to make Anjali jealous. So far so
good.
Then,
12 hours before D-day, matters come to a head.
Who
gets Anjali? Is Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai worth finding
out?
If
you thought Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai was an Indianised
version of the superhit romantic comedy starring Julia
Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney and Rupert
Everett My Best Friend's Wedding, think again.
While
the basic plot derives inspiration from the Hollywood
flick, here are a few other creative prods: the made-for-each-other
concept of Dil Toh Pagal Hai; the winning-over-the-family
idea from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge; the underdog
sympathy from Rangeela; the guy-and-girl-cannot-be-just-friends
philosophy from When Harry Met Sally; the we-are-a-happy-joint-family
motto from Hum Aapke Hain Koun; the Anjali-is-mine
attitude from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; and the cat and
mouse game played by Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel
(Jennifer Aniston) in the television sitcom Friends.
Mere
Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai borrows too much for its own good.
But the spontaneous performances of Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi
Hai's exuberant cast makes up for the above mentioned
non-originality. Owing to his author-backed role,
Uday Chopra has an obvious advantage over the rest
of cast. Chopra is sincere and excels in comic sequences
and his onscreen camaraderie with Bipasha Basu.
Bipasha
in a special appearance does not disappoint either.
Till now seen only in dramatic roles (Ajnabee, Raaz),
Basu has a flair for comedy.
Jimmy
Shergill as Rohit is an extension of his Karan in
Mohabbatein. Shergill seems struck with a prominent
Shah Rukh Khan hangover.
Newcomer
Sanjana exudes confidence and poise, but lacks a captivating
screen presence.
For
director Sanjay Gadhvi, this film is a step ahead
from his eminently forgettable debut, Tere 
Liye.
Composer duo Jeet-Pritam's lilting score, especially
tracks like Resham si hai yeh hawaayen and Sharara
are soothing. Crisp editing (V Karnik, Ritesh Soni),
smooth cinematography (Sunil Patel), and innovative
art direction (Sharmishta Roy) make for a visual feast.
Mere
Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai is good, lighthearted, clean entertainment.
It might just prove a welcome break from the two films
on Shaheed Bhagat Singh releasing the same day.
