Main Meri Patni Aur Woh   Producer: UTV and Asif Shaik Director: Chandan Arora Starring: Rajpal Yadav, Rituparna Sengupta, Kay Kay Menon, Varun Badola and Vinod Nagpal Music: No Musical Lyrics: - Genre: Art-Film Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance Film Released on: 07 October 2005 Reviewed by: Narbir Gosal  - Rating: 6.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review

You may not even remember this film releasing, because it came in that awkward period between August and Diwali, when most small or delayed films release to die a silent death. Main, Meri Patni Aur Who is still a notch above the average entertainer because it tells a story that is easy to relate to on some level and with believable characters. If you´re looking for a realistic approach to a sincere story (despite some glitches with the pace), then this is the film for you!

Chandan Arora is a master at letting stories tell themselves. The beauty of his first film, Main Madhuri Dixit Bahna Chahta Hoon, was that the film´s characters were ordinary people in extra ordinary circumstances. Yet the direction wasn´t flashy and didn´t use any gimmicks, it was rather simple and that let the story unfold nicely. His new film Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh, is as simple and endearing as his previous effort. Chandan Arora really lets the film move at a natural pace and it´s to the benefit of the story. His handling of emotional scenes is near flawless and he doesn´t let his actors get over emotional. His lead characters are portrayed as you and me, these things could happen to any one of us.

Luckily Chandan also returns with his favourtie actor. Rajpal Yadav gives Mithilesh the right amount of vulnerability. Mithilesh´s actions are unreasonable, but Rajpal acts them out in a way that makes it kind of heart warming. The way Yadav plays out his characters insecurities is marvelous. His scenes with Aakash on the rooftop are funny in a more subtle way, and his reactions in the climax show seasoned talent beyond some of our leading heroes.

It´s a pity he is always slotted as a side comedian (although he can steal the show there sometimes as well). Hopefully he´ll keep working with Chandan in the future. Rituparna Sengupta may not be a mainstay in Bollywood, but it would be great to see her more often. Not only is she a classic beauty, but she emotes with the right amount of intensity and conviction. Ritu plays Veena with a relaxing seriousness to make her normal and provide a foil for Mithilesh. Her emotional scenes in the climax are the highlight of her winning performance.

Technically the film looks low budget but it suits the simple story. Pankaj Saraswat and Ashok Khanna are credited with the screenplay but Rajpal Yadav and Gunjan Joshi have helped with the writing. Mithilesh is the oldest and only unmarried sibling in his family, but very respected by his family. When he finally meets the right girl, Veena, he is over the moon that a beauty like her is also down to Earth and compatible with him.

However Mithilesh has security issues and takes his wife´s interaction with any male to heart. Rajpal´s assistance wit the writing probably gave him that edge to get under his character´s skin. Jehangir Chowdhary´s cinematography is suited to the film. Songs are unneeded; Sanjay Jaipurwale does a good job with the background score, adding songs was a waste. Chandan uses the songs as a reason to move the story forward, and doesn´t picturise any song dramatically.

The supporting cast is also delightful. Kay Kay Menon plays Veena´s friend Aakash with a dash of laidback, cool charm. Kay Kay appears wonderfully against his type (gangster/criminal) and comes off just as charismatic. Varun Badola is a tad over the top, and in a movie where all the other performances are as natural as they come, he stands out like a sore thumb. Thankfully he doesn´t annoy, he just over reacts to most things. Vinod Nagpal as Mithilesh´s Mamaji is also a natural.

The film is lovely and unpretentious; however it does tend to drag. As well written as the film is, it isn´t really a film that grabs your attention. The pace is uneven in some portions and it tends to slow the proceedings. To add to it, the songs are added time that could have been edited out to save time but Dharmendra Sharma chooses not to edit. This main flaw with the pace leaves a fair size hole in the film; it just doesn´t stick with you. It just doesn´t have as much heart as Arora´s first film, but it´s still worth the watch for Arora´s direction and Yadav´s ace performance.